Googled your name lately?

Do you pay attention to your online presence? And, why would that be important?

Some of us assume that everything being said about us online is funny, true or complimentary. Some of us are worried about what others think and what is being said online. Still others post online without thinking about the potential consequences. Regardless of your opinion it is important to remember that everything you post online is data that is used to identify your likes, dislikes, attributes and weaknesses. And, with big data now a daily part of your life that silly selfie you took in a compromising situation may come back to haunt you…without you even knowing it.

Today your online presence shapes public perception about you. And, like or not, we are all public personalities. There is no way to avoid this (unless you become a hermit). However, there are a few simple things you can do:

·          •     Accept that you have public presence

·          •     Freedom of expression comes with responsibility

·          •     You can’t control what people say about you

·          •     Posting online is serious business and can have negative consequences.

Everyone is now a brand.

In the past, conventional wisdom said that “branding” was the exclusive domain of advertisers and corporations because what we saw and heard was controlled by a select few. Today over 2 Billion people a day create “content” on social media. Rather than passively receiving branded messages roles have been changed: we are now the brand. We are now responsible for our online persona. We are now judged based on our online messaging.

Have you ever stopped to consider why you post what you do and what the long-term impact may be?

Taking the time to understand who you are and what you want to do will enable you to create a messaging strategy based on you…not what others say about you. It’s not as hard as it sounds. It only takes a few minutes to understand the basics (more).

This is crucial for musicians. Without having an identifiable online presence you may confuse your audience or, worse yet, drive fans away.

Humans use stories to communicate with one another. Don’t you think it about time you thought about the story you are telling?