So far, I've read only the article on personal branding: "Personal Branding for Librarians: Distinguishing Yourself from the Professional Herd" by Karen G. Schneider (p. 34-37). It's interesting to me, because I've been making a personal brand for a few years now. When I first was trying to think of an online "username" I typed "librarygirl" into a field and found the username was already being used on Google. Google suggested "megalibrarygirl." I thought, why not? I was raised in a library, my mother was a librarian and was working on becoming a librarian at the time. Plus, I will always love libraries, reading and the communities that libraries touch. This random username became an online identity for me that I hope describes me as a person who really loves libraries and is happy to share what she learns and loves with others.
The article discusses the pros and cons of personal branding, and how branding can be something that can evolve over time. Brett Bonfield says in the article that you can't control how people perceive you (p. 36). I agree, but I also think that you can have some control as to how you present yourself. After all, that's why we dress the way we do every day--unless we're wearing uniforms, our clothing says a lot about who we are and what we think of ourselves.
It seems that the best advice for anyone that wants to create a personal brand is that it really needs to be able to encompass everything that you love and are. I think that if a person is truly authentic both online and in real life, their "personal brand" aka their "personality" will shine through.
Schneider, K.G. (2012). Personal branding for librarians: Distinguishing yourself from the professional herd in American libraries 43(11/12).34-37. Chicago: American Library Association.
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