It always amazes me how many people exist in the world – and are actually making money giving people advice or “consulting” or “coaching” on things that are available for free. The question is: what do you have time for, or more importantly what has the most VALUE to you. For me it’s time. More than likely for you the answer will be the same. So if you can afford it then pay someone to manage all of this stuff for you, after all your time is better spent on more profitable things. Like sipping margaritas with your friends – of course only if that’s how you make MONEY and provide for yourself and your family if you have one.

Of course if you are not named Ashton Kutcher, or Madonna, or that guy that just has a symbol for his name – or does he call himself Prince now??? I don’t know, anyway… if you need to manage all of this stuff for yourself for now – until you get your first big break… read on.

You are a brand, whether you want to believe it or not in today’s world you are actually a brand.

Do a search in google for your name. When someone new meets you in a club, at church, at the local show you just attended, a friend of a friend and yes especially at work, or a potential new job. You are actually being looked at online. Do you know what the internet says about you? Do it yourself, what does google say about you?

A couple of months ago I did this for myself and realized there were quite a few people that shared my name:

• Of course there is me: Patrick Shaun McNicholas (PSM) Hence the name PSM Design
• Then there is my wife La’Shaun Jenae Paschal McNicholas – a wonderfully beautiful and talented singer/model and yes we actually share the name!
• Then there is this guy in Australia (http://www.unisa.edu.au/CELUSA/about/directorwelcome.asp)

There are probably more people but that is all I can find now in the first few pages of google search results. And I don’t mind being confused for a moment with a guy who is a Director for the Center for English Language.

I think the best advice I could offer anyone in the professional world today is to go through this practice yourself. If you can’t find yourself online – then you aren’t saying anything and you need to register on as many free web sites, portals and social media sites as you can; and start talking. You are probably a great person, a professional with valuable skills and a high level of integrity. Maybe you are thinking about breaking out of the corporate world to go into something you are more passionate about, perhaps you have lost your job and just need to get your name in front of as many people as possible so that your skills are out in the open and you can be found be prospective employers. Maybe you just like attention and you just want people to know who you are. Hey go for it! You don’t necessarily need to be selling something to have a presence online, and more than likely there is a presence online. If you don’t have one you are building yourself talking about your good and admirable skills and qualities, people will simply get directed to a site like intelius.com where for a small fee they can find out every location you have ever lived and much more embarrassing information like that time you spent in jail for driving on a suspended license when you were 19 years old. Or that drunk and disorderly from college. There are much worse examples but I’ll leave that up to the rest of you to imagine what embarrassing things there are as a matter of public record that people might find out about you.

On a much lighter note – for me: I just moved back to my home town of Tampa Florida from Chicago and started aggressively marketing myself as a consultant and designer/illustrator. So it was important to me that all the places online that might have my information or a profile about me have complete and up to date information. I found many sites referencing past places I had lived because I registered at one time or another and never used the site and never went in an updated my information. So I took some time and went out there and updated my information everywhere I could find a reference to the person who is supposed to be me.

Next thing: get yourself registered everywhere! Linked-In, Facebook, Twitter, Google
Most of the social media and profile sites are free.
Here is an interesting practice:
Check this page out! http://www.prelovac.com/vladimir/top-list-of-social-media-sites
That’s just the top 100 – there are thousands of sites out there the important thing is to be on all of the top ones, and make sure your info and the description of who you are and what you do is accurate. Especially for your industry!

Here’s a challenge – get your name registered – pay for a hosting package and just start a basic blogging site for your name, you can do this for under $50 per year! (That will be a different post) Then register in all 100 top sites and make sure your name, phone, email and about you description are all up to date and pointing to your blog. Then register for the free google analytics package (MORE FREE STUFF) and start tracking your results. You’ll be surprised how quickly people start finding you online!

If you want or need help with anything shoot me an email – I am always glad to offer help. I only charge for complicated things that you couldn’t do for free somewhere else!!!!! And in today’s internet society you would be surprised how much power you have in that little box on your desk with the keyboard attached to it.