What's Your Online Personality?

Tuesday, 07 October 2008 00:00

What do you do when you're faced with filling in an online profile? Perhaps you are just registering on a site to comment on someone's blog posting, or to post a question in a user forum. Are you prepared with a cool screen name and a line of information about yourself? Or do you just skip that section, with a vague intention in the back of your mind to come back later?

More and more, individuals and companies are developing their online presence beyond their own website. Businesses are using the power of social networking to share expertise, or to engage with customers about their products or services. Individuals are developing their personal online presence to meet new friends, and developing a more professional online image to get a better job.

But how do develop an online personality?

One aspect of your online presence is what you include in your profile any time you register on a website to comment on someone's blog posting, or to post a question in a user forum. Often, you only need to enter your email address to register on a site. But when there are more questions, what do you fill in those blanks? Do you leave them blank if you can?

The problem with leaving blank fields is that you're missing a great opportunity to reinforce your brand -- either that of your business, or that of yourself as an individual.

You see, if you want to actively build your online presence, you need to seek out various blogs and forums to post comments, questions, or answers to questions. Each time you do that, you leave behind a name -- along with your nugget of expertise. When you use the same name across all these sites, you are building your "brand". Readers who are interested in the same things as you, are probably looking at a lot of the same blogs and forums. In time, they will get to know you, and will look to your expertise when they have questions.

Don't be shy -- when a site gives you a profile to fill out, take the opportunity to tell others more about yourself. If you plan in advance, you can be confident about your presence on that site, and know that it is helping your "brand".

So why not now? Take a moment to plan ahead for the next time you're faced with filling in those pesky blanks.

Overall identity - What is your overall identity? Are you traditional or trendy? Are you geeky or creative? What is your business about?
User name - Jot down a few ideas for your user name. For a traditional professional image, start with your given name. However, since given names are often already taken by other users, come up with a close variation. For example, "JohnWS" if your name is John William Smith. Or, choose a word that states your expertise, such as "TaxGuru".
Your photo - Look through recent photos of yourself. A traditional image would be a portrait -- head and shoulders, facing front. Crop it small, perhaps just to show your eyes, for a more edgy look. Or find an image that represents what you do or or interests. Some people use an image of their pet, for example.
Your description - Prepare a short description about yourself. What do you say to someone if you have only 10 seconds to tell them about yourself? Keep it to 10 or 20 words.

If you spend a lot of time online, you may need more than one profile -- perhaps one for your professional/business image, and another for your hobby. Also, some sites exist just to present individual profiles, such as LinkedIn and Facebook. For those sites, of course, you'll need to spend more time responding to the questions and filling in those blank white spaces. Use the above tips to get you started.

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