With a "Z"

By Liza Sperling
Liza Sperling
Liza Sperling

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Identity VS. Personal Brand: Say My Name

Say My Name. Out loud. I wish I could hear your response!

You may have noticed that I moved my blog back to Posterous.  I am simplifying the technology clutter as I explained in a previous post, What Works.

I also changed the name of my blog to "With a Z".  

Rebranding? No, expressing my identity.  

So few people can say or spell my name, so "With a Z" may help remind people that my name is Liii-zaaa, NOT Lisa, Liz, Eliza or Leeza.  Liza, just like Liza Minnelli.  By renaming my blog, I hope to: 1) increase the amount of people who know how to say and spell my name, and 2) remind readers of the importance of identity.


"Identity" is not the same thing as "personal brand".   

"Identity" is the combination of values, traits, experiences and countless attributes that make each of us different than anyone else. Each of us has our own unique identity, but it takes a lifetime to fully discover it. Consider a jigsaw puzzle that requires arranging hundreds of seemingly unassociated pieces.  Some fit perfectly into place, while others appear to belong to a different puzzle.  Those challenging puzzle pieces will not fit into the incorrect position no matter how hard you push.

"Personal brand" is a misnomer - it is not at all personal. It's is the elevator pitch used to define a person or shorthand used to summarize a person in sound bites.  A personal brand will never represent even the most transparent, brutally honest person, because people are far more complex than even heaps of communication and content can convey.

My personal brand is not my identity.  Defining, discovering and accepting our identities is a messy, complex and lengthy process, so why do so many "experts" claim that we should package our identity in a a neat and tidy personal brand?  My solution, I am focusing on defining my identity, and I will let the personal brand take care of itself. 
 
What about you? What do you think?

And can you say "Liza" now? 

 

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Posted 2 days ago

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What Is The Question?

How do you use Twitter?  Many us who use Twitter are trying to answer this question and fumbling for the words.  As soon as I craft an intelligent and honest response and offer up my answer, I am met with blank stares and more questions.  I start all over again and grow frustrated with my inability to answer the recurring question.

Finally, clarity!  In a rush to respond, to quiet the noise, I recognize that I am answering the wrong question.  Huh? 

How do you use Twitter? has nothing to do with a desire to know how I personally use Twitter.  I look beyond the language of the question. What is actually being asked is, How can I use Twitter?; or Why should I use Twitter?; or, in some cases, Can you help me understand Twitter?  It depends on who is asking.

My answer is yet another question: What are your objectives? 

Some questions can only be answered with a conversation.
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Posted 5 days ago

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Wonder If This Kid's Mom Feels Bad About This

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Posted 21 days ago

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What Works

I've spent the past few years bulking up, shrugging off any technology or tools that seem light-weight. Comprehensive, feature-laden and sporting a multitude of bells and whistles is better than focused, stream-lined, simpler applications, right? Just like my 47 word Starbucks order, my application requirements have become a laundry list of features.

Where is the value when everything can sync to all devices, sort on the click of a mouse, spit out the entire Twitterhose, post to Facebook and send an email to my mom on her birthday?

My demands don't stop with apps and are bleeding into my physical space. My apartment and office are filled with gadgets, adapters, chargers and, uhm, widgets to outsmart other widgets. I carry no fewer than three ways to take a photograph most of my waking hours. Is there something wrong with this picture?

I am typing this on my Blackberry and will post it by sending to Posterous, but I have a laptop, charger, and dongle beside me. My literal tipping point. I am tired of big, heavy, bulky, dense "stuff". It's time to embrace the really amazing technology that does not feel like an arsenal of guns. I like what works. 

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Posted 21 days ago

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Why I Rarely Use Google Search

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Posted 1 month ago

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30 Days of Creativity?

Consider it long overdue spring cleaning for the brain...mucking out the stall and pulling something shiny (or goofy) from the depths of my rusty brain every day for a month.   Yes, today I am pledging 30 days of creativity. My coworker, Deanna, and I collaborated on Day 1.  We made a picture and named our pal "Hay There".  What do you think?

Hay There
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Posted 1 month ago

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