Even more: I guess you can safely switch statuses: from one that has interest in acquiring a large mass of followers to one that has no interest in that. You are free to do whatever you want.

At the end, that’s the beauty of it, I presume…

I just entered this “universe” on September 1, 2008, having had no previous experience with membership in online interactive social networks to guide me. In fact, I literally burned my bridges behind me by virtually shutting off my offline income streams and shifting to a consistent 16 hour daily “commute”, much the way I left Macon, Georgia in 1980 to move to Los Angeles without knowing a soul in advance.

Like most readers, I can validate your identification of differing sets of rules that apply on different social networks, but your word pictures helped me articulate a specific hierarchy of those networks that not only most appeal to me, but which most welcome the online persona most comfortable for me.

For example, hands down, Ecademy fits that bill in most particulars, while
My Plaxo account was suspended because I failed in time to recognize or avoid the system-imposed discipline/limitations. Facebook, with which I began my exploration, in fact, faded from my consciousness because the effort became more demanding than the result warranted.

That brought the second nudge. . . the Obama factor. I was born in Macon, Georgia in 1958. After the third killing (John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert Kennedy), in 1968 my mother grabbed me, shook me, and warned me that her grandfather had been lynched for “asking” for money owed to him by the sharecropper he worked for an hour early because he needed to buy some medication for his sick child, and that America would never allow a Negro kid to be “accepted” into “their” world. . .

. . . and yet, I can mark election day, 2008, as the day I felt the final strands of the invisible ropes with which I had been binding my hopes, ambitions and dreams dissolve, although my mother died eight years before that, and 3000 miles away.

Which brings me to the final nudge. You failed to factor in one consideration – what if I don’t care about the limitations that “followers” can or may impose on their own reactions to my change and growth?
To me it seem that living within the consistency requirements of an online persona would be more restricting than any physical pen or prison could ever be.

Thanks for the nudges.

About the branding stuff, what can I say: I secured both my name and this nickname as domain names and I chose this nickname as a brand. Over the years I observed that people found me more often by this nickname (being it in my email address or on my nickname in various social networking areas) and it just felt right to me to use this for my blog. Sometimes branding can be a question of luck, you know.

There are famous examples for both choices: problogger.net for Darren Rowse, mashable.com for Pete Cashmore, scobleizer.com for Robert Scoble, as examples of non-name-based famous blogs. On the other hand we have of course stevepavlina.com for Steve Pavlina, since we already talked about him in another post…

Personal branding is something so special, after all …

Something stroke me while reading your article. Ever since I’ve heard about you (on Twitter, yes), and started reading you once in a while (depends on Twitter, again), been asking myself why do you use this “edragonu” brand, instead of your real name – especially since the blog is in English. Don’t you think it’d be more powerful, or let’s say, helpful along the lines of your goal with this blog? Just curious.

On another note, congratulations for getting international comments, while I kept my blog in English, I didn’t manage, as I was a disaster in terms of my own blog.

@Kathy Thank you for the nice words

@Mike King Great point! Social networking and real life relationships are in fact just two different ways in which you can relate. But the core of the relation is always gratitude and generosity , regardless of the form in which you manifest it: digital or real. Thanks for commenting!

@BunnygotBlog thanks for sharing your thoughts and commenting here. Especially in the business of consulting – in which I understand you are acting – personal branding is indeed a key component for success.

This does have the rippling effect both areas, real world/blog world.
The beauty of it is that you discover a means of self improvement along with some wonderful people you would never have known of.

Networking is a great tool. You join the right forum and I know I usually get fast results. We are reaching out to a wider community.

If you are lucky, a few more experienced people take you under their wing.
As Mike said above it is all about the brand and PR of your blog.

Yes – Yes -Yes – “Social networking” definitely does have different “rules” than real life networking. I was grinning like a fool as I read your “imagine approaching someone on the street and asking them for Linux tips.” SO TRUE!!!

I also issue a hearty amen to the point on consistency! Right on!