I saw that Christy Tucker was working through Michele Martin’s Web 2.0 Wednesday task to discover what was her personal brand. I loved the word cloud she showed using Wordle so I too gave it a try.
Michele suggests that the top 5 words should give you a picture into what brand you are portraying and to think about if it is truly what you want to concentrate on.
Mine seems to be LMS, Learning, Know, and Training. I know that LMS has been my focus over the last year and is the subject of many of my posts, but it is not because I want to be branded as such. This is just my primary concern currently and therefore the item that I post the most about and look for feedback on from peers.
Can a word cloud truly project your brand? Perhaps, it certainly would reveal the focus of your blog. Cnn’s cloud currently looks like this (http://www.cnn.com/)
This wordcloud wouldn’t surprise anyone given the current news. I think the use of a cloud definitely can help a blogger to pinpoint the subjects they are posting on, but you will need to discern if you are looking at your current focus or your brand and are you content with either.
Good point, Tracy, that a tag cloud of your blog indicates what you’re writing about, not necessarily your “brand.” At the same time, if people only know you through your blog, then in some sense what you’re writing about IS your brand–it’s what you’re known for. I think that’s the challenge of being a blogger because your online presence will be linked to what you blog about, so if it’s not the brand you want to convey, then you have to consider what that means for your blogging practice. That’s something I think a lot about in trying to find a balance.
Thanks for sharing your tag cloud!