Your brand is what you claim yourself to be. Your reputation is what others claim you to be.
I read that today, and it stuck with me.
Lately I’ve become more and more aware of companies, blogs (ha, perhaps my own since I let it starve for so long) and people who have brands and reputations that just don’t match. By that I mean that their reputation, or what I learn about them, isn’t of the same quality as their claimed brand. Too often an entity is claimed to be a leader or the best in a certain space or industry, and upon closer inspection, it’s just not true. And it doesn’t take a leader to realize it.
Sure that may be mean or cynical, but I think situations like that are becoming more obvious — and more of a concern. See, I think a good reputation can keep a brand strong. But too often it seems the brand’s fragile facade has a crumbling reputation inside. And you can’t hide something like that for long.
Anyway, it’s just a thought — and it makes me wonder what will happen to these entities in the future.
For the past few months I’ve held back from posting here. It’s a special place, and I really don’t want to just put up random posts. However, I have started a few other blogs in the meantime, where you can find me blogging somewhat regularly (especially compared to this!):
Life with Cerebellar Hypoplasia: My cat has this condition called Cerebellar Hypoplasia, which basically means his fine motor skills and coordination aren’t that great. I adore him, but kitties like him need extra patience, attention and an owner who knows a few tips and tricks for dealing with the condition. I post my suggestions, stories and notes about adoptable cats with his condition here.
Love it. Matt and Amanda plan their wedding: Now this one’s a bit more obvious. My best friend asked me to marry him in September, and this blog chronicles our adventures and choices together.
Matt and Amanda Go Paleo: This blog was my fiance’s idea. He’s trying a new diet for 40 days (I’m trying it too!) and we’re blogging our successes, failures and thoughts.
Anyway, thanks again for reading! Hope to be back soon.
As of Feb. 25, Facebook Fan Page status updates should begin appearing in Google search results, according to Read Write Web. This means we’ll start to see updates from roughly 3 million fan pages, but not the updates from the 400 million profiles. What are your thoughts on this? Do you welcome Facebook updates in Google? Do you wish the profile updates would be included? Or is all of this unnecessary?
Blackberry users—Amazon.com has released its new, free Kindle application for Blackberry, according to PCWorld. While you can access the 400,000-some digital books available, users cannot access newspapers, magazines and blogs like they can on the Kindle. What do you think? Will you use this new app? Do you have a Kindle?
“Facebook officials claim the new settings give users more control over the information they share. For example, users will now have the option to decide who can see each update by selecting the audience of “Friends,” “Friends of friends” or “Everyone.” However, if you have a public profile, “Everyone” no longer means everyone on Facebook; it now includes everyone online (except for minors).
Some bloggers disagree that these changes promote privacy. “It’s not about privacy at all, it’s about increasing traffic and the visibility of activity on the site,” writes Read Write Web author Marshall Kirkpatrick.”
What do you think? How do you feel about these new changes and how Facebook brought them about?
I’ve admired the members of the Social Blade family for the longest time, so it was fantastic to be a guest on their show this week. In Episode 17, Patrick, Erin, Jason, Victor and JD (who made an appearance even though he was traveling!) chatted about the new StumbleUpon, the “Spam King,” Seesmic and Twitter Lists, Twitterad.io (ha!) and more.
I’m trying to learn how to best help our readers on Net Worked, and so I’m trying to gauge 1) Their publication’s level of integration with the Web and 2) Where their skill levels are when it comes to social media. If you have a moment, could you please vote and share your comments? — Thanks so much!
I’m so excited to receive my Google Way invite – unfortunately I’m still waiting for the one I was promised to receive last night. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to see everything Wave has to offer. There seems to be a bit of a learning curve (i.e. Wave has its own terminology), but it seems like that shouldn’t be a problem after playing around with it for a while.
What’s Wave? Check out this video -
Have you received your Google Wave invite yet? Either way, what do you think? Will Wave change the way we communicate? (Do you want it to?)
Check out my latest post Using social networks as reporting tools, which covers how journalists can use sites like Twitter and Facebook to find sources in a flash. You can also find a list of 6 of the best Twitter and Facebook searches for finding folks by interest, profession and location.
The past year has brought about many changes -- one, I'm no longer at the Chicago Tribune. After a great two years there, I've moved on to Creative Director at Consumer Media Network. I'm also no longer "acmaurer" technically, since I married my best friend in June '11. I'm now Amanda Woodhead, but between you, me and the Internet, I'll always be acmaurer. So thanks again for stopping by, and here's to some great conversations.
Want to find me on the Web? I'm acmaurer on most social news and networking sites.
PS, I doubt I have to say this, but this is my personal blog and doesn't reflect the opinion of my employer.
