DISQUS

Great debate here, so allow me to throw in a commercial break ;) Chris and I had a very blunt discussion about this all late last night, and it was recorded and posted in the latest episode of my Podcast, Six Pixels of Separation. Chris did not hold back and I certainly didn't either, so if your readers would rather "hear" what happened instead of interpreting the semantics of typing, they can check it out here: http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/spos-13...

It won't come as a shock to you that, by law, I believe he must respond in both official languages as well. I do a lot of events for Governments across Canada and in those presentations I always say that the rules have to change. Well, they're going to have to change faster if the Government really does want to be a part of this. They will soon have to move away from their "one voice in both official languages" policy.

We're going to miss you :) But, really... no Blogging? Well... now what am I supposed to read?

Hey Ninja,

I don't disagree. I don't think Pixelated replaces a conference, it's just something else. I like saying it's more of "mixed tape" of great speakers. Clearly, you know I believe in the power of real-life events.

It's not to replace that. If anything, Pixelated adds by bringing together the same great speakers in one great place :)

Thanks for the shout-out Scott. There's one other huge component when it comes to understanding your personal brand and how it works in this new digital world: the concept of forever. Your personal brand may be shifting, advancing, etc... but that first page of Google Results is still fresh as a daisy.

We all have to be more aware of what we put out there and be certain that we'll be ok with it in the coming years for future employers, clients, friends and family to see.

Most don't think about this side or speak to it.

For example when I Google your name, I see the roast that was done for you and when you asked the community to help you out with a snowblower, etc... You, as Scott Monty, may have moved on from that, but it's a huge part of your personal brand - now and forever.

People tend to think, "If I have a Blog, I can increase the visibility of my personal brand" what they tend to forget is that when they complain about a company or some such, that is now forever more linked to their name. It may only take a second to publish thoughts (which make for some great visceral commentary) but that content becomes how people perceive your personal brand going forward, so you might want to think more long term.

The jury's not our for me on FriendFeed yet. I'm there... but not so much ;)

isn't this the coolest part of twitter - we're all finding our own way to manage and engage... I love it. This one has some suggestions I had never heard of :)

Agreed, but I am not "blocking" anyone. I hope many people will connect and get value out of what I tweet. I won't follow everyone back.

I wish I had said that! That quote actually belongs to Chris Anderson - editor of Wired Magazine and Author of The Long Tail.

After listening to what Seth says - I agree. Who cares what others think. I don't think it keeps Seth awake at night that some people don't consider his Blog, a Blog.

Thanks for Blogging about this. I had fun doing. The reality is that I am a huge fan of the Apple brand too :)

Awesome job Ben!

You look/sound great. Clear message. Well spoken. Great delivery.

All the best to you, the team and all.

Stand out performance ;)

As I get older (although I am not that old), I am consistently fascinated by how much more I learn about Marketing from sources that are "Marketing." I guess perspectives like that come from age, or the realization that most standard Marketing books are saying the same things.

Ben, I just finished reading the book, Presentation Zen. It's really good and answers a lot of questions about how to prep and , more importantly, how to be prepared :)

I enjoyed it.

Another great post Ben.

While I appreciate the link love, I should say that it is not easy. Being a good writer, speaker, etc... takes work, time, and years of practice. To create relevant content, build community and the subsequent trust that follows is a full-time job. I'm lucky to now have three business partners and about fifty staff members who do all of the stuff that really drives the business of Twist Image.

It's all fine and dandy to talk the talk, but the end product has to stand up on its own. So, I would advise people to perfect the product and service and do some of the image building while that's developing. I think it's detrimental to be a thought leader(whatever that means) and not have a product/service to back it up.

Lastly, video. I know this will be a sensitive subject based on your involvement with StandOutJobs, but lately, I'm seeing a lot of videos in places like Seesmic, Facebook, YouTube, etc... of people whose Blogs or Podcasts I follow, and I have to say, it takes them down a few notches in my book. I think it's hard to be great on video, and a lot of people who are brilliant Bloggers or superb Podcasters (great voice/content) - wind up looking goofy, unprofessional and cheap on video.

If video is done right, it can be awesome, but when it's not it's brutal because I can't get the visual out of my head.

I think it is something to talk about and discuss. It falls into the, "just because you can, it doesn't mean you should" category. I've even seen people who come off great in person, but when you see the video it looks like a bad quality local cable access show (with even worse production and presence). That being said, I have seen (albeit a few) that do take it to the next level - and those are the leaders that we should model ourselves after.

Happy New Year Ben - thanks for always providing fresh and relevant content. You really are a treasure to the Blogosphere.

No clue how I missed this post until now.

Thanks Dave - you're a true gem. Your support of this space is crazy huge ;)

Happy Holidays from your Montreal Boob.

Ben, Chris Brogan has an excellent post on this very topic called:

100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write.

http://chrisbrogan.com/100-blog-topics-i-hope-y...

There are some gems in there.

Hi Nora,

I came via Hugh's suggestion. Very excited that the CBC is creating Podcasts like this.

I've subscribed via iTunes and will be listening.

Thank you!

Thanks for being a part of the show. I tend to look at it more as a conversation and less of an interview (but that's all semantics).

You're welcome to hop into the Six Pixels of Separation community whenever you like.

Some great insights Ben. I was with Mike Lipkin again this week. Man, is he full of strategy :)

Thanks Heri.

I'm a huge fan of gapingvoid and Seth Godin, but I had not seen these posts before.

I'm going to check them out this weekend. I just tagged them to my del.icio.us.

Much appreciated!

Thanks for the kind review Ben.

Personal branding is a new concept. I think people confuse it with "selling themselves," but that's completely contrary to what I talk about.

We are all personal brands. I read a great quote the other day by Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com) in talking about what a brand is. He says: "a brand is what people say about when you are not in the room." It also applies to our personal brands.

You (and this Blog) are a prime example. As you build trust economies with great content and openness for your readers, people are either investing or divesting in you... and that is a component of your personal brand.

Life is like that. Yes, a strong personal brand can help you increase sales in business, but knowing what your personal brand is can also help you establish yourself as a credible authority on whatever your passion is.

We're going to hear a lot more about personal brands in the coming years, mostly because of new channels to communicate like Blogs and Podcasts.

I truly believe that in the not-to-distant future, there will be regular individuals (along with people like Oprah, Bono and other celebrities) who will have personal brands as powerful as those produced by corporations or individuals with mass media fame.

Not because I am speaking, but if you are interested in honing your presentation skills, this is great day of learning. I attend these events as a participant all of the time. In fact, I'll be in Ottawa in a couple of weeks, just to check out the speakers.

David and H, you're both right, regardless of how you feel about Clinton's politics he is an incredible communicator.

Thanks for mentioning the event Ben - much appreciated.
I hope you can both make it to the event.

Sorry I missed it. I've added the March date to my Outlook. See you then. I'll bring my M-Audio for some recording fun.

I liked the idea of Cafeteria on St. Laurent.

I'm not sure I can make it on the 13th. Ironically, I am speaking to the entrepreneurship class for McGill's MBA.

:(

Maybe we can hold the breakfast in the class!