Recently, a well known video blogger, made famous by his use of sock puppets to try and knock a couple social media stars off their pedestals, got a job producing a video blog on a major tech news site.
Everything I know about him I know from his site and from the various tech blogs that have written about him. And what I know is that he is snarky: very creative, extremely critical… and offers little to guide those he’s attacking.
A friend told me that people that know him say that he is extremely intelligent, gets social media, and is generally a great guy to hang out with.
That got me to wondering: I want to have a career in social media, and to be known for my efforts to help companies engage with their audiences. So what’s the best way to get my name out there? Is all this talk of “personal branding” a reality, or is social media like any other media industry, where he who makes the most noise gets noticed?
The idea of personal brand is big. It takes a quick Google search to figure that out — heck, there are 181 results on ChrisBrogan.com alone. If the basics of the personal brand hold true, then someone known more for vitriol than ideas would have trouble gaining attention.
Then I started thinking about all the great people that I’ve met that have gained momentum in this industry, like Aaron Strout, Laura Fitton, or Bryan Person. Each of these people have used a combination of masterful knowledge, a passion for the technologies of social media, and an earnest desire to make a difference to become who they are in this industry. At no point have they used snark or negativity to gain attention.
I think, regardless of how much you “know” social media, if you have to change who you are — if you can’t use the personality that those closest to you see – to make a name in this industry, your time in social media is going to be short-lived.
If I’m going to follow the path of anybody, it’s going to be people who are working in a positive way to move forward, both for themselves and social media as a whole. I want my work, my personality, and my record of helping others — other people, other companies — stand as the mark that will bring me any prominence I earn.
