So, first thing is first. I want to apologize for neglecting you all for so long. There has been a lot of moving parts in my life (both professional and personal), that have prevented me from checking in with you all. While I would like to say the dust clouds have settled, there is still a lot more to come in the next few months. I’ll report what I can, when I can.
…But before we get too serious, I thought we may go with something a bit more fun this Friday.
When we think about our “personal brand” (a term that I admittedly don’t love, but I’m yet to come up with a better one) online there are a few things that come to mind:
1. How we communicate. Are we engaging? Responsive? Do we provide valuable/unique insight? Do we curate or aggregate great content? Are we adhering to the 80/20 rule?
2. Our goals. What lasting impact do we want to leave behind? What are our measurable objectives? How are they supporting others?
And finally, #3. The Avatar. I don’t know if you’re like me, but anytime you even start thinking about changing your avatar you feel a tinge of anxiety. Maybe I run a little anxious in general, but it’s an important part of your brand. If no one is going to spend time to read your bio, or scroll through your status updates or tweets, it’s one thing they’ll see on a Twitter-stream drive by (or scroll through), and if it’s alluring, then they may slow down and stop to read.
Mine may be a little too alluring right now, and I’m thinking it may be time for a change.
So what makes a good avatar? After speaking with my dear friends George and Brian last night about this very topic, I think it comes down to three things:
1. Brand Recognition. I think of my friend’s, Chris Pirillo, avatar. I always know his tweets no matter how quickly I’m buzzing through the stream. It’s iconic.
2. Resemblance. I think of Scott Stratten’s avatar. It looks exactly like him, so you’d be able to know who he is if you see him across the room at a conference.
3. Subtext. What’s your avatar trying to say? As I mentioned, it may be time for mine to change, because someone pointed out it’s a little too…..”come hither”? And that’s not necessarily the message I want to convey at all. I mean, I don’t mind if you swing by and say hello, but you know what I mean.
Okay, so here’s the fun part. I propose an AVATAR COMPETITION (based on the list above). Winner will get lots of snaps and such….or maybe I’ll come up with a prize.
So tell me, who has the best avatar?
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