Sui Generis

Privacy vs The Social Web

Dec 30, 2009 personal branding, Technology

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A few days ago I asked what you are hiding. And suitably, I just came across this story about Eric Shmidt saying that “secrets are for filthy people”.

I know this is going to spark some huge disagreement, but I can’t say I completely disagree with him. But that’s besides the point. What I want to bring attention to is how everyone seems to be protesting vehemently and insisting on their privacy.

Yes, I do understand where they are coming from, but the fact of the matter is this. Privacy as we know it is a thing of the past, and that trend is not likely to stop. These people insisting on their privacy sound very much to me like Tiger Woods’ request last month for “some privacy” after his accident.

It may seem like a reasonable request, but like it or not, it was never going to happen. We all know how that turned out for him, and how he’s suffering from it now. The basic fact is, as a celebrity, people are always going to be “intrusive”, and having privacy is almost impossible. He can’t have it both ways – he can’t be in the limelight and make millions while he’s doing well, and ask to slink into the shadows when things don’t go his way.

And neither can we. We can’t say we want the benefits of micro-celebrity and the value of social interactions that come with the web, but refuse the intrusion of privacy that comes with it. It’s tough, but that’s the way it is.

So what can you do? You are left with one of two choices, in my opinion.

1. Refuse anything that comes with branding yourself/getting known on the web, and get your privacy with it. This means minimal or no Facebook or social networking, no blogs, etc. You lose the huge opportunity the web gives you to stand out, but you gain your privacy. Some people are perfectly happy with this option, like my mother, and manage it quite well.
2. Embrace the social web, and everything that comes with it. Make use of it to develop your personal brand and build connections. Try to be as authentic as you can, and with nothing to hide, of course. But be prepared that if you have secrets (and face it, we all do), they might easily come back to haunt you. And learn to manage that scenario accordingly.

I think it’s obvious that I’m in camp number 2. What about you? Are you ready to accept that you have little (or no) privacy, as a trade-off to the benefits of the social web? Or do you think there’s a middle ground?

Photo by stevendepolo

Tags: micro-celebrity, personal brand, privacy, secrets, social web, tiger woods

3 Stories, and 2 Lessons

Dec 24, 2009 Marketing, personal branding

First, let’s go back to 2007, before I even started blogging. I had been reading Seth Godin’s blog and was really inspired by his writings. I emailed him a couple of random thoughts (as a completely unknown 16 year old). And he replied, giving me encouragement and saying that my thoughts weren’t all bad. That encouragement was what spurred me on to this blog, and one of the reasons why I admire him so much.

When I first started blogging, I reached out to Chris Brogan, asking him for advice and suggestions on how to improve my blog. He not only replied and gave me good advice, he even made a post about my blog, giving me my first boost of subscribers. Since then, he’s continued to be really helpful in everything.

Just last week, I finally got a hold of Trey Lockerbie‘s EP. How did I get it? I emailed him asking him for it, basically saying that I wanted his EP, but it’s only available on the iTunes music store which is inaccessible from Singapore. Long story short, he left a copy of the CD at the hotel’s front desk last week when he stopped by Singapore for a show. I’ve always really loved Trey’s music since I first heard him a couple of years ago, but this brought my appreciation  (and fanhood) of him to a whole new level.

What am I getting at? Firstly, from an individual’s perspective. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Your heroes are not always really that out of reach. More often than not, they’re happy to hear from you. Even business owners have said that what matters most to them is “customers who appreciate what we do.” Reach out, ask for what you need, and you never know, you might just get it.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, for brands (both personal and corporate). How open are you to your customers? How approachable are you? Do you communicate with your customers, are you willing to help them when they reach out to you? Because you should. That little bit of approachability goes a long way.

Tags: approachability, brands, chris brogan, courage, personal brand, seth godin, trey lockerbie

In the News

Nov 11, 2008 Announcements, Personal, personal branding

I have the huge pleasure and honor of being featured in Today (a local mainstream newspaper). You can check out the article here (pdf).

Yes, I’ll admit, it feels really good to get featured. It’s a huge step forward for my personal brand, that’s for sure. But more than anything, it’s great to be able to share my thoughts, and get my message out to a whole new audience.

To those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now, thank you, you are why I love blogging, and why I keep doing this. And for those of you who are new here (maybe you came here because of the article), thanks for dropping by, and I hope you’ll find value here.

Oh, and one final thing. If I can do this, so can you. I’m nothing that special, I’m just a kid from Singapore.

It’s easier than ever to build your personal brand. What’s stopping you?

Tags: audience, mainstream media, news, personal brand

“There is no reason, in 2008, to do shit you hate.”

Sep 24, 2008 personal branding, Personal Development

So says Gary Vaynerchuk, and I couldn’t agree more.

There’s really nothing much I can add to what he says. If you haven’t already, you really should watch it – it’s more than worth the 15 minutes.

Tags: gary vaynerchuk, passion, personal brand, web 2.0 expo

Your Online Identity

Jun 12, 2008 Personal, Personal Development

Was having a chat with a really intelligent friend, Wan Lyn today. She’s apparently been a regular reader of my blog for a while, but I never knew until I met her at the second Social Media Breakfast in Singapore a couple of weeks ago. Talking to her is really interesting because she’s got some great thoughts (which will inspire some other posts for sure).

As a side point, I just want to say that this is the reason why I blog. Above anything else, the pleasure of connecting with new people and making new friends.

But what I want to point out is this. She knew a lot about me because of my blog. When we first talked, she already had judgments about what I was like as a person – and most of it is accurate, in my opinion.

That shows her insightfulness, but more importantly, it shows the power of your online presence. Daryl Tay recently asked a question about how important it is to manage your online identity. And here’s my answer: yes, it is definitely very important. Your online identity reveals a lot about you. People can easily judge and conclude what you are like through your online identity.

In real life, whatever you do and say play a huge part in people’s opinions about you.

Online, that is amplified, especially because the people who are reading it may not yet know you personally.

The chat with Wan Lyn has confirmed the importance of managing your online identity, in my mind at least. Things that I didn’t even put much thought into went some way into forming her opinion about me.

Every little thing on your blog or your online identity – your blog design, what you put on your blog, your style of writing, everything – it all affects what people think of you. And personally, I think it’s really important.

What is your online identity (your blog, Twitter, etc) saying about you?

Tags: online identity, opinion, personal brand

It’s not all about the money

May 26, 2008 blogging

Picture via About a week ago, Digital Life (the tech-focused section of the most widely-read newspaper here in Singapore) had an article about blogging. The online version is only available to paid subscribers, I think, but it basically asked the question of whether people are earning money from their blogs – and as such, whether blogging was worth it.

Reading it kind of got on my nerves. The shortsightedness of it reflects part of why blogging hasn’t picked up in Singapore.

Blogging shouldn’t be about how much you can earn. Some of the best bloggers I know – Chris Brogan, Dan Schawbel, Robert Hruzek (among others mentioned on my recommendations page) – bloggers who provide amazing content consistently, don’t run ads on their blogs, and as such, I don’t think they make an direct income from their blog.

There’s nothing wrong with putting ads on your blog in the hope of earning from your content. But that shouldn’t be the focuus of it. You shouldn’t be blogging to earn money. That isn’t the point of it. The point of it is to let yoru voice be heard.

And the benefits go far further than direct income. The benefits are how it builds your personal brand, the number of relationships you can build, etc. It’s not about how much you make from it. If anything, the money comes indirectly from building your personal brand.

If you’re starting out just because you want to earn money online, it’s not going to work. Blogging should not all about the money.

Picture by monkeyc

Tags: blogging, earning, money, personal brand, singapore

Background Sounds

Feb 24, 2008 Analogies, Marketing

Ever noticed how you tend not to hear background sounds after a while? When you first turn an air conditioner on, for example, you notice the sound. After a while, you don’t hear it anymore. Same goes for a clock ticking, among other things.

Our brains have “novelty detector neurons“, which respond to newer sounds, and stop firing if a certain pattern of sounds is repeated over and over. Because of that, sounds that don’t change fade into the background, and we don’t hear them.

We have a natural instinct to not pay attention to things that stay constant. And on the reverse side, as marketers – and face it, we’re all marketers – you need to be different to get attention. You need to keep changing with the times, adapting your medium and message to fit the audience.

You need to provide something that others aren’t used to hearing.

Whatever you’re marketing – be it your personal brand, a corporate product or anything else – how are you getting attention, and stopping yourself from fading into the background?

Tags: , attention, background, Marketing, novelty detector neuron, personal brand, sound, stand out