I've heard of the new t-shirt slogan "I Google therefore I am" but it would seem that I am not! I entered my name into Google and gave up looking for myself after the 7th page of other lovely people called Laura Parsons. One, in Northamptonshire, has recently had her GCSE results - yay for her. Another is the President of the American Folk Art Museum - way to go! But I am nowhere to be found.
This isn't a huge surprise to me. It is a long time since I appeared in Google searches. The internet grows at a fantastic rate, as does the population, so it is no real wonder that my name could be shared by many others and I should therefore dissappear. My Facebook account has the highest Privacy settings and I don't tend to use my full name online too much. My online identity is determined by my surname followed by my initials - as in my blogspot url. I search for that I found I am all over the first page, albeit with one curious reference to a court case in 1902 in which a Mrs Parsons is mentioned but the print has been mis-read by Google!
I maintain two identities online. My personal identity for friends and family, and my professional identity for work related activity and networking. Evenso, I do think I have a similar attitude to the two. I just don't tend to give away too much of my private life when using the professional identity.
I had a look at the recommended reading and although I knew a lot of what was said already, I did find some parts interesting; in particular the post by Andromeda Yelton - Personal Branding for Life. I agree with the view that our careers are more than just the institution we work for; our professional development is up to us and we need to make our own opportunties. Also in the same post I think that Lisa Carlucci Thomas made a good point when she said a strong brand can make it easier to start a conversation with someone when you meet in person.
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