Yes you need to. Everyone does. Even if you’re just on Twitter, even if you’re not. You need to pay attention to what others are saying to and about you online. I know many of you do this for your library but it is important to do it for yourself too. Why? Carie Lewis lists 5 different categories or reasons Brand – mentions of your name, including acronyms, misspellings, etc Current – issues that people are talking about that involve you right now Detractors – people you know don’t like you but talk about you Competition – people in the same space as you Staff – prominent people in your org, like your CEO There are some paid services out there but with some time and effort you can monitor your personal brand for free. Step 1. Pick your RSS reader of choice, netvibes, igoogle, google reader, bloglines whatever. Step 2. Create feeds and add to your reader or page Use Search Twitter to create a search for your name – “bobbi newman” Use Search Twitter to create a search for your “handle” without the @ - librarianbyday Use Search Twitter to create a search for your blog title – “librarian by day” Use Google
