Yesterday’s challenge is perhaps the most timely for me. We are asked to think about what we may be communicating about our personal brand via our comments.

Personal branding is a new concept to me. If Twitter was fully functional, I’d point you in the direction of an update from just a few days ago. I commented that when I was previously talking about marketing librarians, I might have more properly been talking about personal branding. For a good intro to the concept of personal branding, check out Tom Peters on the topic.

Recognizing that commenting builds your personal brand is one thing. Being able to assess what your comments say about your brand is another. I’m going to assume that my comments sound a lot like my blog posts. That is, the sound of one guy talkin’. I hope that, in addition, they say that I’ve actually taken the time to read and digest what you’ve written. I hope they say that I’m opinionated (and, most of the time, thoughtful). I hope they say that I’m engaged and that I give a damn. Beyond that, you probably have a better idea of what my comments say than I do.

How can I improve my commenting behavior with an eye toward building my personal brand?

One tweak that I’m going to make to my commenting behavior comes from this post, where the author realizes the benefits of using a consistent, singularly identifiable name in his commenting. I’ve usually commented as “Greg” and although I think most people whose blogs I’m commenting on know who I am, that doesn’t help other people who might be reading those comments. So expect to see me comment in full-name format from here on in.

Any other suggestions? What’s working or not working for you? Are you even thinking about your personal brand? Methinks you ought to consider it.

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