personal branding

Technology And Image

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We are nerds, geeks and otaku.  We love technology.  We love gadgets.  We're into them.  We're fully 100% out as raging technophiles.  From the youngest geek to the oldest profan and protaku, we love our gizmos.

We use technology all the time.  We take our gaming systems on the train to kill time.  We take our smartphones to conventions to stay in touch and take photos.  We take our iPad to our job interviews to overwhelm people with how cool we are.

In many cases, we may realize that technology says something about us.  Having a DS is an invitation to trade Pokemon (even if you don't play it).  A smartphone will lead people to assume you have a GPS (which they may not tell you until they're lost).  An iPad says you're cutting edge and have spare cash.  We usually enjoy what these things say about us.

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Stereotype-Fu: Stereotype Evolved

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This is the wrap-up to my original "run" of Stereotype-fu columns.  I'm sure there will be more, but I've covered most of my intended materials. 

I'm going to close with a piece of advice near and dear to my heart: Being Stereotype Evolved.

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Stereotype-fu: Choose your stereotype!

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This is going to be the first in an ongoing series of columns on what I call "Stereotype Fu" – the art of using stereotypes to your advantage in your career.

A lot of us fannish and geeky types end up stereotyped – as we well know.  Trekkies, fanboys, lifeless gamers, nerds, fangirls, etc.  We're use to it, and often a little afraid of it – we're used to being viewed negatively due to simple associations, even when the stereotypes are not totally negative (or negative at all).

BOOKS could be written about why this happens.  My simple summary is that on the neutral side people like to find ways to classify things easy, and on the negative side some people need a group to look down on (and that drags into issues of the culture at large).

However, when we're starting businesses, interviewing for jobs, at work, etc. we have to deal with them.

I want to talk about using them to your advantage.

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