I had a conversation with some associates today about what we did before internet search to find things. How did we access information? How did we sort, filter and locate trusted companies? What will the internet change in the future how we interact?
Back a generation or so, identity and trust were simple things. They were based on a personal relationship; you lived and worked with a relatively small group of people. You could know people or businesses based on their reputation or your personal experiences with them. In the past decade, that has changed very rapidly. We now move, interact and transact in a far more global world.
Things have changed from a handshake and a business card, on to a brand and an identity. If you are a business your website has in a way become your business card. If you are an individual you probably have an email address and belong to some social networking site.
As the internet becomes more and more crowded, having and maintaining an online identity becomes more important.
What do I mean by an “online identity”?
- A way for you to share who you are and what matters to you
- A tool for communication and a means of connecting, with friends, with customers, and with the world
- Your place to express your brand, your uniqueness, your piece of the internet
Not everyone will see or use a website in the same way to create an online identity. Some will blog others will share pictures and some will create elaborate websites to express who and what they are. Businesses, even those that have no need to sell or advertise online will need some sort of website some form of online identity.
The questions I get asked by lots of people are; “How do I create an identity?”, “Where do I start?”, “If I’m not a technical person what can I do?”, “How much will it cost?”
The answers are far easier and less frightening than you might think.
I will answer them in a follow up blog post next week…
Stephen Nichols
V.P. Sales and Marketing
SoftCom Technology Consulting Inc.
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{ 7 comments }
Hi,
This is really an interesting one.
Its very true that people crave for online identity.
Things have changed drastically in the past few years.
Regards
Mellisa
I agree that this is a great topic. The whole idea of an online identity always seemed a little frightening to me before.
How did people express themselves to the world before the Internet? Funny T-shirts?
The only scary thing is that for some people online identities seem to be their primary identities, and they are disengaging from the real world more and more.
I love the Internet because it’s such an equalizer. If you have a strong identity, it will come across no matter how much money you have.
An online identity can help you engage with the world as much as disengage. For one thing, it helps you remain in contact with people you never would otherwise.
it can also help you spread your message or your products to people and places you’d never be able to have contact with in the offline world.