Before the advent of Web 2.0 and the widespread use of social networking, to have your own personal website was probably viewed as narcissistic or the ultimate form of self-promotion.
But sites like LinkedIn and Facebook have served to change that thinking. With LinkedIn recently passing 50 million users and over 200 million users on Facebook spending 3 billion minutes per day, these platforms are becoming the standard form of communicating and sharing information, both professional and personal, even surpassing e-mail.
Because of this phenomenon, we are on the doorstep of the next evolutionary phase in Web 2.0 – creating your own personal website. If you believe in the concept of personal branding and the notion that you are CEO of BRAND YOU, then having your own, distinct personalized website to serve as your brand central makes cents (use intended).
It is accepted wisdom, that you must have a website if you are a business (Fortune 100 or sole proprietor) to establish credibility, allow prospective customers to find you and to communicate your brand, expertise, and value to your target audience.
As an individual, in charge of managing your own career, why should it be any different? The fact is, it’s not. You probably have a profile on LinkedIn and/or Facebook, but that should just be the first step in establishing your online identity. For as good as these social networking sites are, they are still third party platforms, where one size fits all using a standard template and you are just part of the crowd.
In today’s environment, it’s about standing out, being unique and separating yourself from the competition. What better way to do it, than having your own personal website with a unique domain name that truly communicates your brand and is yours and yours alone.
The trends are there. The time is now. Better to get out in front of the bandwagon rather than jumping on after its already down the street.
