I serendipitously came across an article on Techcrunch (after the article we posted earlier about professional images) that shows a very prominent tech blogger in a potentially brand-damaging position. Below I give you exhibit A and B.
This is Robert Scoble of the famous Scobleizer Blog. Apparently there was a big party in London (that I wasn’t invited to!) run by a few entrepreneurs over there that seemed like it was a big hit. As you can see from the pictures, Robert seemed to be a little out of it and just enjoying himself which I personally have no problem with. Everyone is entitled to do whatever they want and share it with whom ever is willing to listen. The point of this post is to demonstrate how to deal with a “personal branding gone wrong” incident and still maintain your dignity – and your job.
So what can we learn from Mr. Scoble?
1. Embrace criticism and join in the conversation:
If you read the original article on TechCrunch and scrolled down to see the comments, you would see Scoble sprinkled in there a few times. His personal brand is obvious through the way that he handles himself. Obviously, it would be hard to spin this if an employer came upon it, but what’s done is done so you need to deal with it.
2. Damage control. Don’t make it worse than it has to be:
Something like this is going to make a buzz and some controversy. A lot of the comments on the article were not that friendly, some down right obnoxious and mean. Why add fuel to the fire? If you were to argue with someone, especially online, it can be an uphill battle and sometimes even a lost cause. Scoble pokes at himself here to avoid unnecessary arguments.
3. Maintain your cool and keep true to your personal brand.
Moving forward, this will all blow over. But it is vital he does not break character. Not to say that he is playing a part, but even in compromising times, he kept true to his brand. In times of need, urgency and scrutiny, people have a tendency to turn into something that they’re not and make something small a lot bigger than it needs to be.
The lesson to be learned by this is to not put yourself in a comprising position like this. He is one of the few people that can get away with this because he has worked hard to be where he is and has a sterling reputation. A picture is worth a thousand words, so don’t give anyone an opportunity to put words in your mouth.
Please check out our other posts on how your online presence can affect your personal brand:
- Personal Brand Management Tips? DON’T Learn From Sarah Palin
- Do it RIGHT: Her Online Brand Got Her Fired!
- Your Online Identity: Necessity or Fear?
- Guy Kawasaki: How will his “ghost writers” impact his personal brand?
Trace Cohen is a rising senior at Syracuse University and bleeds orange! He is double-majoring in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Trace has always been fascinated with technology and how stuff works. Once he gets his hands on a new gadget, rest assured it will be taken apart and put back together in a matter of minutes. Trace is a hands-on kind of guy whose first love was video games, which he loves to this day.
