Branding Yourself On The Web

How to be visually recognized in an impersonal and ever-changing medium.

                    <p>In any relationship we store in our memory identifying information for each individual. Most likely that information exceeds physical appearance. We might recall where they live and work, where we met him for the first time, what their interests are, and other aspects of their personality. It is that persons projected self that helps us to form a relative status of our relationship, perhaps it is someone we would like to get to know better or someone we want to try to forget. I don&#8217;t mean to go into psychology, but it is relevant to this topic, promise.</p>

All of this analyses and storage happens gradually overtime we contact another human, regardless of whether we acknowledge it. It’s more than a ratings system. It’s a mental file folder for one person a portion of the entire compilation of our memories.

So how does all of this translate into the internet realm? Well, no doubt, most of us have an online relationship with someone we have never met face-to-face before. Whatever the level of that relationship, we store the details of each contact in the same type of mental file folder, but many times the details are different. We may not know what they look like, where they live and work, and our shared experiences may be limited to just a chat. We might record their language usage or their tone. But it can be difficult to recognize names of a large group of people we regularly communicate with.

However, have the power to utilize the visual medium. And use it we must. We can individually create a visual identity for ourselves, a personal brand if you will. Why should brands apply solely to goods and services? They shouldn’t.

Personal brands are nothing new really. Athletes and other celebrities have personal brands. Many bloggers have established a brand. Anyone can do it. Some do it better than others, so analyze what is out there currently and make something for yourself.

If you chat, IM, comment on blogs, or are involved in online communities where you can be identified personal avitar make one. Don’t just take one from the stockpile, make one uniquely yours, something you would be proud to be represented by. It doesn’t have to tell a story, just make something unique. If you want to use a portrait make it interesting not a yearbook shot. This image should be the same across each communication avenue so you will be recognized. In a sense, this graphic will be your personal icon or logo attached to your name and message.

When you choose your final avitar, use it across all of your communication tools even if your "screen name" varies. Also make sure you choose something you will be happy with for a while because it takes a while for your icon to gain visual recognition.

Why is this helpful? It helps others visually recognize you from everyone else. For example, kartooner typically has something clever and insightful to say. So when I see his avitar I "listen". Or maybe I see someone new in a forum, I might take the time to carefully read what they have to say or just pass it on by. You will see how helpful unique personal avitars become when scanning through comments and the like. That is something I have found to be most helpful.

The Gravitar system has made personal identities more popular and easier to implement on any site with commenting or posting. Anyone can upload an image to be associated with their e-mail address. On sites that have gravitar implemented, such as this one, you will notice select comments with an image typically next to their name. When you are scanning through a comment thread you can identify authors quickly without seeing their name.

If you have not established a personal identity why not start now. If you run a blog, implement Gravitar, your readers will like it. If you have an avitar show it off in the comments and tell us what your identitiy means to you. It might be something you never thought of before.