347.life

What is "Self-Branding"

I first heard of the concept of self-branding in
an article published by Fast
Company. I was instantly obsessed with how this idea could change my behavior.
Prior to this article, my professional life had been devoted to learning as
much as I could about the company I worked for and finding new ways to use my
talents there. I had thoughts of retiring from the same company in 30 years.
When I began to think about the idea of investing resources in myself and growing,
not for the good of the company, but for the good of Andy, it changed the way
I saw my future. We have been taught that when you go out into the world, you
find a good company and you work there until you retire. It has only been in
recent years where we see the lack of loyalty that so many companies have for
employees and vice versa. This should not be confused with lack of respect or
unwillingness to do quality work. The simple fact is that economies grow and
shrink. When times are tough, companies are often forced to reduce staff. If
you're one of the lucky ones who is asked to pack up, think about what you're
able to put into that cardboard box when you leave. What
you actually walk out the door with is YOU – that's all – nothing else.

So why do so many people forget about self-branding?
They are focused on the immediate future. "Will I get the raise?"
"Will I get the promotion?" Never lose sight of where you will
be in the future. Pick an age – any age. Spend 60 seconds thinking about where
you want to be in your career and in your life when you get there. Now, snap
back to present time. How will you get there? What are you doing today that
will get you one step closer to your dream. Are you working, each week, to put
yourself closer to that reality? Are you investing all of your time into your
career? Your employer? What if the business closes the doors? What if the boss
that you've been brown-nosing, hoping for that promotion, suddenly takes a new
position or leaves the company. Are you spending your time in the right place?
Are you investing in the right account?

Today's Exercise:
Write down one goal that you hope to accomplish in the
next year.

Tomorrow's topic? Making a Plan.

What is a weblog?.

Some good news. I've been given permission to republish Meg Hourihan's excellent essay on weblogs. At the time it came out I was getting ready to write something similar, it was the right time for the weblog world to define weblogs, because so many journalists had been trying to do it. Meg did such a great job, and I want to carry more voices through DaveNet, so I asked her, and then her editor at O'Reilly for permission, and this morning they said yes.

From there, I want to start an outline about what a weblog is, because there's more to say. Maybe it'll be a three-column table. In column 1, a topic. For example: Fact-checking. In the second column, how centralized journalism does it; and in the third column, how it works in the weblog world. That way, if someone understands how fact-checking works in the print world, they have a basis for understanding how it works when done in the open.

Perhaps you see more errors in weblogs, but they can get corrected quickly. I guess the diff is that you can see the process in weblogs. Some people say this is a bad thing, but I think it's good. When I see writing that's too polished, where the grammar is too perfect, I am suspicious that at a deeper level it has been sanitized and dumbed-down. I like getting my news and opinion straight from the source without the middleman.

Another row. In column 1, “Research”. In column 2, “A reporter spends two weeks interviewing experts, with transcription errors, dumbing-down, etc added.” In column 3, “Experts spend a lifetime trying new ideas, learning from their mistakes, and learning how to explain their philosophy. Weblogs let them publish their ideas without intermediaries.”

[Scripting News]

Radio+Google Tip: Search for dws.us/weblog

1. Define this Radio Shortcut:
   
   google = http://www.google.com/search?q=

2. Use that shortcut like this to produce line 1 of this post:
   
   Radio+Google Tip: “google”dws.us/weblog”>Search for dws.us/weblog
   

[dws.]

Liquor Guide. You may be like many people who have had a very limited exposure to liquor.  Perhaps you have had mixed drinks, maybe even shot down cheap tequila in college, but shy away from the good stuff straight.   This guide should help you find the alcohol you like and direct you at what to buy.  Everyone's tastes and tolerances are unique, but some basic principles are the same for everyone. [kuro5hin.org]

Tomorrow I will begin, what I hope to be, a series of monthly postings on a
topic of interest. I have decided that August would be on my favorite topic
– Self Branding; otherwise known as "Brand YOU!" I believe strongly
in self-branding because it is truly an individual's greatest asset. No matter
your career, aspirations, experience, or education; your real value lies in
what you invest in yourself. Think back to your last employer. Were you hired
into your current position because of the physical tools or documents that you
would bring with you? I doubt it. You were most likely hired because of the
experience that you had accrued. This intellectual property that you invested
in yourself is the only capital that you maintain. Your experience, capabilities,
and knowledge are what carries you forward. If you are focusing on short-term,
tactical goals, without taking some time to "sharpen your saw," you
are investing in the wrong account.

Join us this month as we explore different ways to invest in yourself, as well
as ways to capitalize on the investments you have already made.

Mommy, Write Me a Story. Mothers get publishing advice and support. Also: How to collaborate online … create a writer's website … and more, in M.J. Rose's notebook. [Wired News]

Cool Mac Tool: Search VersionTracker from the command line. [Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]

Fast access to local webserver in Internet Explorer [Mac OS X Hints]

Get Rich, Be Happy. No matter what your income, deciding to be content is your most important financial decision. [The Motley Fool]

VNC Server for Toasters and Light-Switches [Slashdot]