Busy is no longer a differentiator
November 9, 2007 at 11:36 am | In Personal Branding, social media | 8 Comments
While at work (yes I do have another full-time job at EMC as their social media expert), I overheard an employee say “busy is no longer a differentiator.” Despite his emotional stress, work exhaustion, deliverable overload and the fast pace of technology, there is a parallel we can make to social media and our brands. Social media has exploded, as there are over 70 million blogs and as many as 4 people are added each minute to LinkedIn. There are actually so many social networks, media devices, RSS feeds we subscribe to and content to digest that being busy is no longer a differentiator. This media keeps us busy and for long periods of time, so complaining that we have too much work, too much to read and too much email won’t go over well with fellow employees.
Tip: Don’t complain to your boss or co-worker that you are busy, especially one whom is active in social media.
Our personal brands are always busy, soaking in new knowledge and networking with like-minded individuals virtually and physically. Either way, we are all busy and cannot differentiate our brands based on this anymore. We join countless social networks, such as Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube and have to keep updated with the latest blog postings through RSS feeds. This is only a small fragment of our total work, as we have either full-time or part-time jobs or are students attending colleges. By adding additional work through branding ourselves using these services, we become (inadvertently) busy. Imagine what Robert Scoble, Mike Arrington, Jeremiah Owyang, Om Malik and others go through by posting between 2 and 10 times per day, running multiple websites, podcasting, dealing with the press and then paying homage to their families.
Tip: Escape the clutter and focus on valuable content that will help you build your personal brand.
One issue I’ve seen recently, is gen-x’ers explaining how they already have enough work to do. “Why should we use social media, we are busy enough”? Social media is obviously an advantage for a gen-y’er who wants to develop a reputable brand early in his or her career to see more results later on. I run into situations, where even when presenting the value of personal branding and social media, gen-x’ers pass on the opportunity due to multiple obligations. This leads me to believe that personal branding isn’t for everyone. Some are content with where they are in life and want to be incognito, while others already have an established brand name. Those that invest in their brands will reap the benefits and those that do not, will lose opportunities they would have had.
Tip: Personal branding and social media is not for everyone. It is geared to those who want to advance and become known in their niche.
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Hi, Dan:
You raise a couple of interesting points. I would argue, though, busy has never been a differentiator. It’s about the prioritizing and executing, not necessarily activity or quantity of output.
Check out the Debbie Weil’s clip of Tim Ferriss speaking on managing (social media) information overload – specifically the “futility of results by volume” and “cultivating selective ignorance”.
I also think an affinity for social media is more a function of curiosity than age, but I understand you’re staking out your Gen Y territory. : )
Comment by Nina Burokas — November 9, 2007 #
Great insights, Dan.
One caveat. You said “This leads me to believe that personal branding isn’t for everyone.” I think personal branding is for everyone. Everyone has a brand, whether or not they realize it. The difference is that some choose not to manage their brand.
Comment by Steve C Wilson — November 9, 2007 #
@Steve – To clarify, I mean that those with personal brands aren’t always ready, able and willing to communicate their brands to others to social media, networks,etc.
Good point though!
Comment by shwibbs — November 9, 2007 #
Definitely some great insighst here, Dan.
It seems that everyone these days is “busy”. That being said, I have always felt that the concept of “too busy” does not exist. It takes a well trained runner to stay at the top of the pack, and if you decide to take a break, you might drop down the rank.
I’d have to say that “busy” is an addiction to some…
*raises hand*
Comment by Piotr J — November 10, 2007 #
Good topic, Dan. The differentiators have always been smart with information overload and delegation. No integration and no planning is the mistake “busy” people make.
Comment by David Sandusky — November 10, 2007 #
As a branding agency I like to go out and scour the net for really great articles. It’s tough to find one that’s right on point and yours is. Thanks for the read and keep up the good work.
Scott White
The BIG Kahuna
Comment by swhitey — November 11, 2007 #
[...] saved the site in my RSS reader, and it’s the Personal Branding Blog of Dan Schawbel. He states, “Personal branding and social media is not for everyone. It is geared to those who want to [...]
Pingback by On Personal Branding » msdanielle - just another ego blog site » Blog Archive — November 12, 2007 #
Hey Dan! Like your points and your clarification about personal branding and social media. I, too, agree that busy is not a differentiator. It is about who can work smarter nay not harder. I’ll direct you to Mark Forester’s site for some insight on that. Not a big fan of Tim Ferriss- ethically I don’t like what he teaches and is not a fit for my brand. But, to each his own.
I invite you to check out the podcast from The Connections show where he does go into quite a bit of depth about “Twitter”. I realize that many are returning this weekend from the BlogWorld conference in Vegas where everyone was “twittering”. I delve into some social networking yet I’m still evaluating the importance and value of “twitter”. Not sure yet. Anxious to hear your point of view!
Comment by Maria Elena — November 12, 2007 #