So, you might have read the presumed advantages of treating yourself as a branded product. Now, where do you start? I'd suggest your Facebook profile and your blog. I don't think you need to "spin" anything really, but be certainly aware that whatever you put in there will be visible to everybody, including co-workers and prospective (or current) employers. Therefore, less pictures of drunken parties might be in order.
Another key aspect is of course differentiation. What do you do/are/think that makes you different? Do you play in a band? Have you got a blog with a huge readership (that's definitely not me, LOL)? Were you born in a foreign country? Even seemingly minor details like the way you dress will make people remember you.
And of course, you have to build your brand. Trust and lots of hard work will take you far. Otherwise, it's got no substance.
You might have read it on the news, or on their blog, but it’s out there at share.ovi.com, and it’s been live for over a week. With support for storing and sharing over 100 media types, unlimited storage and bandwidth and posting not restricted to the PC, we’re very excited indeed, so please send your feedback this way!
We held a Q&A session in Barcelona with selected bloggers (video excrepts below).
In Europe, if you speak 3 languages you're trilingual. If you speak 2 languages you're bilingual. If you speak 1 language you're English, French or Spanish.
One thing that I couldn’t stop noticing when I was in Barcelona was the amount of foreigners and people from other parts of Spain who call the place home (which I personally think is a good thing). Whereas before Spain used to be a point of origin of emigrants (one only has to remember the large amount of people who fled the Civil War and the resulting Franco rule) now there is plenty of people from all over the world here, which doesn’t detract from its “Spanishness”. Now, the small neighbourhood stores are operated by Chinese or Pakistanis, many waiters are Filipinos, Ecuadorians or Argentines, and I have Mexican and British acquaintances who operate IT consultancy companies there.
Even though the immigration climate doesn’t seem hostile, it’s not all rosy and fine, as anybody who’s been shouted “sudaca” in the street will tell you. I was, however, pleasantly surprised with the relative peace I found between the different communities (then again, I was not there for long).
This week I was in Barcelona in a very important trade fair. I really enjoy visiting the city, as it is beautiful, has very pleasant weather, the food is generally good (but salty) and I have many good friends living there.
One thing that always surprises me a little bit of the city is the character of the locals: Barceloneses are generally proud Catalonians who have their own language and customs different to the rest of Spain (or, as they say, FC Barcelona is more than a club for a slightly less than a country).
Regardless, visit it when you have a chance, just don’t do it when there is a trade fair as the place will be absolutely full.
Funnily enough, one starts to think that spring is coming when you leave the office after five and there’s still some light (even if the weather’s not that great). That’s what a dark winter does to you.
There were a few events today that reminded me of the importance of friendship in life (not that I ever forget).
I spent a day and a half in Tampere with some very dear friends. Even though they're not people I see very often, they are very dear to me, since they've been with me since my arrival in Finland and we've had quite some history together. That they laugh at my stupid jokes is just a plus.
I agreed to meet a friend in Barcelona whom I haven't seen in 5 years or so.
My ex-girlfriend, with whom I am still in very good terms, found me again as we had lost touch for quite some time. I'm glad to hear she's fine.
On a sadder note, I received a contact request from a person I have never met simply because, as her profile reads, she moved to a new city and is feeling rather lonely. I'm really sorry I can't be of no use, as I don't add contacts I don't actually know (the Myspace approach is so out of vogue…).
An interesting book I read in the December holiday period, it details how audiences relate to different properties accross media, and what are the new behaviours we are finding as a result. Even though some of the cases and examples shown are already a couple of years old, if you are trying to understand what are the ways people are actually using, dissecting and mashing content this is definitely the book for you.
