Thing 3: Brand Disconnected Librarian

Thing 3 of cpd23 asked us to consider our personal brand. Initially the word brand makes me think of product names and packaging, which has led me to tinker with the look of my blog a little. As well as a few cosmetic changes I've also decided to add my name to my blog. Whilst I wasn't sure about this at first I now can see the importance in terms of networking, especially when the online and real world collide. I also think a photo is a good idea, but that’s a job for another day.

I too can see the benefits of a clear visual brand and having a single identity across different online platforms. I'm just starting out and would like people to recognise me and find me as I make more of a contribution. The visual bit has proved much easier; I've set up a new Twitter account and have kept with the blue theme and birds which I hope is easy on the eye. Let me know what you think? The single identity has not been so easy. DisconnectedLibrarian is too long to be used as a Twitter name, and try as I might it doesn't abbreviate well. This made me think should I keep the Disconnected Librarian name at all? After all it does have a negative connotation which isn't great when creating a brand. After much debate, it's been decided Disconnected Librarian is here to stay. Whilst it can be construed in a negative way, this blog is about my development, I've recognised that I'm not really involved with the profession and I'm trying to something about it. Disconnected is also the title of a Rancid song which always makes me smile because of the fab voice of the bassist Matt Freeman, I digress. So my Twitter name is still a little undecided but looks as if it will be Dis_Librarian, not catchy but am struggling to think of anything better. My name, although quite unusual has already been taken. Suggestions please!

More importantly though as The Practical Librarian notes, your brand is really your online reputation. As a newbie to all this and because I really have kept my head below the parapet I really do not have an online presence, good or bad. Whilst I never thought of this as a problem cpd23 has made me realise that my absence is conspicuous and would do me no favours if I were job hunting (luckily no need at the moment, but you never know when your circumstances are gonna change). On the plus side though I can start a fresh and have every opportunity to make sure my online presence accurately reflects me. Thankfully my name is unusual and a Google search really only comes up with a defence attorney in the US, no mistakes can be made there. Disconnected Librarian also gets no solid hits at the moment; hopefully this will change over the coming months.

What my online reputation will say about me is yet to be decided, however I hope it will eventually show that I'm a balanced individual (mostly), who is proud to be a Librarian. I hope to be able to share the occasional good idea too.

In terms of the personal/professional divide, I'm happy to let people know a little about me. I don't think it’s a bad thing to show some individuality (as long as you remember anyone could be reading your posts/tweets/comments) and I hope this will help with networking. At the moment however I'm planning to keep my personal/professional stuff separate, partly because I can't imagine people wanting to read about my other interests alongside my library stuff.

Finally it's worth mentioning Andromeda Yelton's article for the ALA Personal Branding for New Librarians, which really made me think. It considers your personal brand as a way of finding the people who you want to know and work with and cultivating conversations, building your community. I couldn't agree more. After all you can't have a reputation if no-one knows you exist. It's all well and good having a clear visual brand and identity and making sure you are portrayed in an accurate and positive way online but it's the getting out there, commenting on others blogs, tweeting etc. that builds your network and ultimately your reputation. It’s has to be a two way thing. So from now on a comment a day. You could be hearing from me soon...