Tuesday, 5 June 2012

Thing 3 - Personal Branding


In all honesty, this was the 'thing' I least wanted to look into.I struggle with the idea of seeing myself as a 'brand,' however, I understand the importance of giving an accurate impression of yourself to colleagues and prospective employers. 
I am perhaps not as organised when it comes to my social networking spaces as I should be; my name is not the same on my blog as it is my Twitter account, I do not have a continuous background/theme on either profile, and despite checking them both often, I don't write/tweet enough as I probably should. This is something that I should be doing more often, otherwise I may end up coming across as a bit of a lurker! Besides, I have enjoyed reading other people's blogs and articles, and found many to be really insightful. 
Having an online networking presence has become so commonplace now, but I also feel it is equally (if not more) important to be active in meeting other librarians face to face. After all, I am based at the service desk of my library, and converse with other college members (be they students or staff) constantly throughout the day, and I love this aspect of my job. Creating a friendly and comfortable environment for people to study in is incredibly important, and having helpful, approachable staff in the Library makes this happen.
So, to sum up, whilst I'm happy with how my 'brand' is on a day to day basis in the actual work environment, my online presence needs smartening up!