DavidL (4/16/2013)
Am I the only one who finds this idea of 'me as a brand' demeaning and de-humanizing? It seems to me to represent all the worst aspects of crass commercialism, where even people are 'commodit-ized'. In this case we are doing to ourselves! I'm not opposed to working, to working hard, taking pride in fine craftmanship, and when necessary selling my services to a new buyer. But I really do resist treating myself like a new salsa trying get space on a supermarket shelf.
I think you're confused about what branding means. It's about making statements about who you are, which aren't necessarily a point in time effort with a resume or an interview. Branding displays what your skills are, how you think, how you solve problems and what you've accomplished. It's not so much about advertising as a push mechanism, but making information available when it's needed. I don't necessarily expect most people's blogs/LinkedIn/etc is viewed except when someone is looking to give you a job, or maybe trying to decide if you get a raise/bonus.
I'm not sure why you think this is de-humanizing. I would say that it's the opposite. It provides a richness that shows individual people are different, with different skills and fits with different jobs. I think the lack of showing who you are ends up de-humanizing and commoditizing each person.