Book Blogs and Branding

A few days ago I read this article online, about the importance of building a personal brand for yourself (and your business, if you have one) online, to create a consistent online presence, market your product or service and make a name for yourself in the online world.

I started thinking about how the idea of personal branding might apply to blogging in general, and book blogging particular. We all choose a particular way to present ourselves online, through our blog layout and color scheme, the choice to use or not use custom graphics and how or if we use those graphics and color scheme on other social networking platforms like Facebook or Twitter. We also make decisions about how to represent the content we create; some bloggers let it be known that they specialize in certain kinds of books, like young adult or faith-based (whatever that faith may be) or science fiction or romance or whatnot.

My own blog branding grew slowly over time; when I started my blog, it had a different name, a Blogspot URL and a generic layout. Soon after I started I realized I needed a better name than the one I started with, so I changed it and decided to buy a domain name and with it a matching email address, so I could start to develop that consistent, branded presence. After that came the long search for graphics that suited my vision of the blog. I wanted something snappy and (somewhat) cool, something that wasn't on every other blog. I spent a long time searching for templates, then searching for someone who could make a template for me, then finally ended up doing the DIY thing and buying a license for pre-made artwork which I could customize.

After I got the look of the blog down I had to figure out how to promote it better, and started doing memes and getting involved with other online tools, starting with MySpace and going from there. Meanwhile I continued to write and post (even though for a long time I was the only person reading) and work on figuring out my blog's identity. The license I have for the logo artwork allows me to use it on business cards and other promotional items, so I've been able to use my online identity off-line as well. And of course it's always evolving, as long as online trends come and go and today's essential tool ends becomes tomorrow's has-been.

Now as I approach two years of book blogging this month, I'm trying to figure out where to go from here, and I'm wondering what you all are doing to build and promote your personal brand- or if you think it's even necessary, given your own goals and reasons for blogging. I know we all blog about books because we love to read, but what are some other reasons- what else keeps you going, and how do you work towards meeting those goals? Is your blog your business card? Your resume? Your calling card to friends and family?

My family doesn't read my blog (as far as I know) so mine has evolved into a combination of personal hobby and professional calling card. I'm constantly trying to figure out if it's more personal or more professional. On one hand, I review pretty much everything I read, which makes it more personal- I'm not just reviewing books I read for work, or books in a particular category. On the other hand, I try to keep the tone at a certain level and I don't talk about myself or my personal life much because I publicize the blog to people I know professionally and I don't want to be too casual or familiar.

It's hard to know where the balance is sometimes, and it's something I'm always working on. In the end I think because I'm genuinely interested in the work I do the personal and the professional blend together quite well, and I know that even when I'm no longer working where I'm working, I'll keep reading what I'm reading. Maybe something new will be added to the mix, and the blog will change too. We'll see.

Social Media Breakfast #SMB14

This morning I had the opportunity to attend Social Media Overload - Making Sense of It All, one of a series of monthly Tweetups held in the Boston area for social media professionals and others to network and talk about social media issues. I found out about the event through @BostonTweetUp, a Twitter account that advertises these kinds of local meetings.

I attended because like many of you I'm interested in social media- its applications, its trends and its future. Held at Communispace Corporation, the event was divided into three sections- a meet-and-greet at the beginning, a presentation and some more meeting-and-greeting at the end.

Speakers are listed on the event page; I won't repeat that information here.

They spoke on various tools and trends in social networking, including the importance of

• aggregation and integration of different social networking services,
  
• knowing where you want to go as you set out in the social networking world,
• experimentation with new social networking tools,
• keeping control of your online brand.

There was also a little disagreement on, for example, whether or not one should shut down one's accounts on sites and services that no longer serve one's goals; some people felt that closing down such accounts prevented dilution of one's personal brand, and others felt that maintaining ownership of one's online real estate would prevent impersonation and the potential for fraud.

Personally, I'm on the fence on this issue. I have several social networking accounts for Boston Bibliophile that I do not actively use, but I am loathe to give them up because I want to keep my online "property" in my hands. On the other hand, if one went to one of these sites and saw that I had not updated it in over a year, one might get the wrong impression about my online activity.

There was also some discussion about how to "sell" social networking to people who are hesitant to expose themselves or their brand on the Internet, or who are simply unfamiliar with its benefits and uses. I blogged about this very issue last week, and the speakers made many of the same points I did.

One of the most striking points to come up was actually quoted from last week's 140 Characters Conference. This point was that Twitter and Facebook will soon account for more website referrals than Google searches; I didn't get the documentation on this claim but if it's true it's a very compelling argument for maintaining an active social network presence.

I found myself bubbling over with ideas and information; it was a great event and I strongly encourage attendance at these events in your area.

How do you use social networking? What do you see as its benefits and liabilities?

Sharing Social Media with the Uninitiated

As bloggers, many of us are conversant in the online world- Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, LibraryThing, Flickr, Deli.ci.ous, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. Nobody uses every online tool but most of us by now have picked a few favorites. My favorites are the ones that provide the most benefit for the time I have spend online- services that help me organize information, connect with friends and family, and meet new people in the library and book world.

Not every tool gets the same emphasis. I use LibraryThing, for example, to keep track of my reading first and network second. And some profiles are completely restricted to people I know personally. But other tools, like LinkedIn and Twitter, are all about reaching out, and while I'm hardly a superstar I've had some nice successes here and there. One example- The BostonBEA Tweetup. A group of book people acquainted with each other through Twitter decided to have their own get-together when they couldn't make it to a national publishing conference. We shared information, made new friends and forged connections. And felt pretty cool doing it.

When you're accustomed to doing business online, you'll find the tools and learn to use them; the online world is, after all, all about entrepreneurship, self-promotion and self-starting. And there are plenty of folks willing to offer advice.

But how do you promote online tools to people who aren't used to living online? Recently I've been fielding a lot of questions from colleagues and friends about how the online world has helped me and how it might help them. Here are a few things I've learned about how to make a persuasive case for the online world.

• If at all possible, be at a computer for these conversations, so you can demonstrate sites live and show them in action. A hands-on lesson is so much more powerful than a description.
• Start with the best thing the online world has done for you- in a single sentence. In my case, my online activities have put me in touch with book-industry professionals to whom I would have no access any other way.
  
• Avoid jargon, even if you think your listener will understand. Clear, plain-spoken enthusiasm will push your message further. If your listener doesn't understand, you will isolate yourself and diminish your effectiveness.
• Point to the specific benefits of a given service. "Deli.ci.ous is so cool" is less helpful than "Deli.ci.ous helps me find new sites for shopping/hobbies/business."
• Emphasize that most sites give ample privacy options. Privacy is a big concern for a lot of people and it means a lot to know that users can set some limits.
  
• Tell a brief story about a specific accomplishment or contact that came from an online connection. "There are so many cool people on Twitter" says less than "I met a great publishing rep who pointed me to her podcast, which I now listen to every week."
• Make your examples relevant to your listener. "You can keep up with all your old high school friends on Facebook" might not appeal equally to all.
• Be honest about the amount of time you spend online. Let your listener understand what you put into it, so he or she can set realistic expectations for him- or herself.

What about you? How do you talk about the online world to people who aren't in as deep as you? What strategies work or don't work? What kinds of attitudes do you encounter, positive and negative, about our online life? What else do you think is important to say to skeptics? What are your online success stories?