Thing 3 - I have a brand already? When did that happen?!

I stare at screens all day long, just one of the reasons I haven't yet made the leap to things like Facebook and Twitter. I was quite confident until embarking on Thing 3 that my online presence was minimal if not entirely absent. Personal branding wasn't a concept I was familiar with, so I was a little disconcerted to learn that I already had one, even though I wasn't aware of it. And so I took the plunge suggested and googled my name: Leigh Bunton.

Unlike surnames such as Smith or Jones, Bunton isn't too common and I fully expected to find only references to the Spice Girls. Following the initial shock that I'd apparently died suddenly aged 33 (rest in peace, Benjamin Leigh Bunton!) I was surprised to find that 5 of the 10 hits on the first page referred directly to yours truly! This was quickly followed by relief that each hit reflected either something that I'd written as part of my chartership activities, my membership of the Multimedia, Information and Technology Group (Scotland), or staff information from my workplace website. Nothing too offensive or damaging then, and thankfully along the lines of how I would like my personal brand to develop.

As this course progresses, I fully expect to be staring at more screens for longer as I journey into the sci-fi world of Facebook, Twitter and the like. I'm grateful to realise at an early stage, though, that it's important to have a clear idea of my personal and professional identity - it's out there whether I like it or not!

Thing 2 - Commenting? Surely Not?!

I've always been such a lurker when it comes to blogs, message boards or anything web-related with the option to comment. Like many who aren't natural to blogging, I would constantly ask myself - why would anyone want to read my opinion? As a result, the closest I'd gotten to posting comments on the net was to answer some movie related questions on the IMDB. Not anymore!

One of the reasons I decided to follow this course was to improve my confidence and to get involved. The fact that the blogs I'm visiting are part of this community certainly makes it easier, so I don't think I have to worry about starting any flame wars! I must confess that I've been drawn to blogs with quirky names, which makes me wonder if I should have put more thought into my own blog title. That's probably Marketing 101.

So I've taken the plunge and commented on some of the blogs that caught my interest. I had expected to maybe just run in, say hi, and run back out, but it doesn't take long to see how much diversity is out there - far too fascinating just to say hi! I think it's going to be a great way to speak to people I would never have the chance to otherwise and find out about the information world beyond academic libraries.

Thing 1 - Jumping into the Blogosphere

I'm really interested in social networking technology and different ways to pursue professional development, but so far only from the sidelines. To be honest, it feels like jumping in at the deep end to start off with a blog of my own. In the last few hours, though, I've already learned that my browser is way out of date and that I'm overly obsessed with template themes, so I think this process is going to be much more educational than I first suspected!

I'm looking forward to setting myself challenges as I work through these 23 things, so this blog will help to chart my progress - the successes and the pitfalls.

Here goes!!

Leigh 23