BTW, Michael Wu came up with an idea that puts this whole Influence Project in its place. He suggested that for whoever wins, beside their face on the cover should be the long list of all the tweets they put out promoting themselves and their link. He called it “Social Shame.” After reading his ideas I was thinking it'd be great to have those spammed tweets watermarked over the entire cover. Fast Company, are you listening?

Here's Michael's post. It's a great read: http://bit.ly/clFpga

So couldn't we hijack the process by putting up an “objectionable” photo and convincing lots of people to click through from that account? I'm not actually advocating that but it could be kind of funny, at least until they caught on and removed it. :)

As for personal branding, that's a complicated issue. It's a really narcissistic concept, but we're in the middle of a narcissism renaissance. Sad, huh? Thanks to social networks, everyone does have a brand of sorts. The word is annoying but its purpose is just to remind everyone that social media is an open stage. You're not anonymous anymore and everything you share in social media is public and being judged in a similar way to how consumers have always judged products and national brands. Someone is always paying attention so you have to be more careful and think about how the “gestalt” of your personal presence is being perceived.

As for your personal brand “Beth Harte” and the company “Serengeti” having different levels of influence, that's an incredibly interesting question! I for one don't think I've added Serengeti to my Hootsuite and if I'm not alone, a lot of your regular followers aren't seeing it either. I don't think you lose influence by being associated with a brand. I think your other brands you represent haven't built up influence in the way you have personally. If you were to stop tweeting under Beth Harte and tell your followers you were moving all activity to Serengeti, you'd see something different than you're seeing now. I think every account has to exude its own personality and build its own following, regardless of who is tweeting behind it. What do you think?

Fast Company is a smart publication, I wish they weren't sold on this contest (yes, it's a contest…) because it has made them lose credibility with a bunch of folks.

As far as influence goes, it's something no one truly understands (yet)… I am convinced of that. If they did, they could answer one simple question for me. Why is it I have some 'perceived' influence regarding Twitter and my blog and yet when I tweet as @SerengetiCom or blog on EndlessPlain.com (as me!), I have none? Is it that I somehow loose all influence because I am associated with a brand? I find that hard to believe… [And please, let's not even discuss personal branding -- I don't believe in it. Reputation, yes...personal brand, no. Waiting for that ugly plaid skirt of a trend to die off... ;-) ]

Beth Harte
@bethharte

My irreverence was more a result of a few blog posts and Twitter comments I've come across that kind of do the eye roll at not just the word authentic, but the action of expecting authenticity. I commented on a post recently where at least half of the readers were in agreement that it's okay to write behind-the-scenes of a blog and put a CEO's name on their writing. I'm all for blogging and writing on behalf of a company, and even helping a CEO clarify their thoughts, but I think it becomes deceptive when the reader trusts a blog as personal communication, but the company is treating it like another carefully-manipulated marketing channel.

Yes, I believe blogs and posts should be polished. But I think authenticity is lost when the spirit and honesty of a blog is sacrificed. There's a fine line, I know. Because sometimes executives need help articulating their thoughts. But it's painful to watch marketers and writers charge ahead without admitting that personal blog posts should be held to a different standard than other forms of communication. Just that one moment of pause at least, please!

If we want to preserve one of the great things that has come out of social media, authenticity, preserving the sanctity of the blog should be at the top of the list.

The only point I might argue with you is whether authenticity was thrown out in the trash like last months trends, or the the truly authentic marketers do not have to strive as hard as everyone else because they are always authentic. Moreover, if you look close enough I bet the most authentic marketers, brands and individuals are the influencers.

Your mentioned the Old Spice campaign in the comments. This campaign is a great example of how a company is generating an authentic online buzz – that's refreshing. It's growth has been exponential because of the fun and engaging way it delivers its key brand proposition.

One of the things that worries me about companies rushing to develop apps for iPhones/Pads, etc, is that this will also change the sphere of influence open to online vendors. It's in their interest for apps to succeed. Apps will give companies more leverage to control how we use their content and engage with that as they attempt to “lock” us into the app. Having purchased an app you're more likely to stick with it and accept what's thrown at you.

You should go check out this post by Michael Wu. In it he talks about “social shame.” I was cracking up it was so painfully brilliant. http://bit.ly/clFpga

He decided to come up with an idea to “fix” the contest and created a social shame aspect. He proposes that whoever wins the contest and gets their photo on the cover should also have a listing by their face of all the tweets they posted to get people to click on their link. You really should read the article!

The whole Fast Company thing was a brilliant promotion for the magazine so it is what it is. I love Mari but heck, she played the game to win. Now she can add “Fast Company's” most influential online person to her website along with the Pied Piper of Facebook or whatever she was. Good for her. Those of us who know the guts of what the contest was about may scoff but we'll all be gone and she'll still have her title on her website to impress potential clients.

Some of the pundits whined that this was nothign but a popularity contest. Well guess what. It's ALL a popularity contest. : )

Thanks for the great post!