Self-Branding...
As I mentioned in a previous post, I had lunch with my friend Melissa the other day. One of the topics that came up was Scott Ginsberg (http://www.hellomynameisscott.com/landing.aspx). Melissa's all over it; she's ordered his books, even. Which makes sense, her JOB is to be a personality, she's a dyed in the wool extrovert, getting her energy from people. If I had to be like that all the time, I'd have a breakdown. Now, for the most part, I get what he's after, it makes sense. Basically, he's a speaker who encourages people to be more open and to get out there and network. It's smart in terms of business, and he's basically telling people to just, well, meet people. Ok, I'm hip to that, although, it seems cheesy and phoney, I get it. But something makes me uncomfortable.
One of the main things that makes this guy marketable is his stance on nametags. As an experiment, he started to wear a nametag in university. He started to make friends very quickly, his circle seemed to widen everyday (even if most conversations started with "hey, dare me to ask that dork why he has a nametag on?", it was still a conversation). He really believes in this nametag thing, he's got it bloody well tattooed on his chest. Perhaps you won't think me so rash for calling him a dork now.
Speaking of rashes, this whole concept makes nervous. How many of us want to go around displaying our names to everyone? Yes, a name is very commonplace, everybody has one. But it's also very personal. I like the concept of being introduced to someone through someone else: "Amy, this is Chris, Chris, this is Amy." Or by chance. Not forced chance, as in the sense of a nametag. If I hadn't met Chris in the more traditional sense, and saw him walking down the street with a nametag "HI! MY NAME IS CHRIS". I would be, well, laughing:
"That poor bugger just left a conference and he forgot to take his nametag off."
There's something slightly uncomfortable here again. If you encounter someone wearing a nametag, are you rude for not saying 'hello'? Is the person entering your personal bubble by scrambling for your attention?
I'm moving away from what I had originally intended, here. A horrid digression, I apologize. Working in retail, I HAVE TO wear a nametag on a regular basis, and it's not a walk in the park. Being a dyed in the wool INTROVERT, I believe that everytime I expose a little of myself to another human being, I'm giving away some energy, or some privilege. My name, though profane in both concept and in that it's a commonplace name (how many Amys do you know?), is MINE. Giving it to everyone means giving a little piece of myself out constantly, and it's tiring.
My final issue is probably the only one to be taken really seriously. Safety. Sure, Scott can walk around wearing a nametag. Scott is white, over 6 feet tall, and male. No one's going to pick on him anytime soon (other than to call him a dork in their blog. I'm sure he's crying somewhere; I can be ruthless in my name calling.) While I'm a feminist, and think everyone woman SHOULD feel safe, and that there SHOULD be a level playing field in this regard, there isn't. I don't think it would be the safest move for a woman in, say, Toronto to walk around wearing a nametag all day. Scott can do it, but Sally might meet more creeps this way. And every woman I know already has her fair share of creeps.
(As an aside, I feel the same way about farming families putting their six year old child's name on the sign in front of their house. "Hey, pedophiles, this is my kid's name! Now that you know s/he'll trust you more readily!)
Discussion/feedback/tell kidAmy she's overreacting yet again is encourage. Leave a comment. =D
One of the main things that makes this guy marketable is his stance on nametags. As an experiment, he started to wear a nametag in university. He started to make friends very quickly, his circle seemed to widen everyday (even if most conversations started with "hey, dare me to ask that dork why he has a nametag on?", it was still a conversation). He really believes in this nametag thing, he's got it bloody well tattooed on his chest. Perhaps you won't think me so rash for calling him a dork now.
Speaking of rashes, this whole concept makes nervous. How many of us want to go around displaying our names to everyone? Yes, a name is very commonplace, everybody has one. But it's also very personal. I like the concept of being introduced to someone through someone else: "Amy, this is Chris, Chris, this is Amy." Or by chance. Not forced chance, as in the sense of a nametag. If I hadn't met Chris in the more traditional sense, and saw him walking down the street with a nametag "HI! MY NAME IS CHRIS". I would be, well, laughing:
"That poor bugger just left a conference and he forgot to take his nametag off."
There's something slightly uncomfortable here again. If you encounter someone wearing a nametag, are you rude for not saying 'hello'? Is the person entering your personal bubble by scrambling for your attention?
I'm moving away from what I had originally intended, here. A horrid digression, I apologize. Working in retail, I HAVE TO wear a nametag on a regular basis, and it's not a walk in the park. Being a dyed in the wool INTROVERT, I believe that everytime I expose a little of myself to another human being, I'm giving away some energy, or some privilege. My name, though profane in both concept and in that it's a commonplace name (how many Amys do you know?), is MINE. Giving it to everyone means giving a little piece of myself out constantly, and it's tiring.
My final issue is probably the only one to be taken really seriously. Safety. Sure, Scott can walk around wearing a nametag. Scott is white, over 6 feet tall, and male. No one's going to pick on him anytime soon (other than to call him a dork in their blog. I'm sure he's crying somewhere; I can be ruthless in my name calling.) While I'm a feminist, and think everyone woman SHOULD feel safe, and that there SHOULD be a level playing field in this regard, there isn't. I don't think it would be the safest move for a woman in, say, Toronto to walk around wearing a nametag all day. Scott can do it, but Sally might meet more creeps this way. And every woman I know already has her fair share of creeps.
(As an aside, I feel the same way about farming families putting their six year old child's name on the sign in front of their house. "Hey, pedophiles, this is my kid's name! Now that you know s/he'll trust you more readily!)
Discussion/feedback/tell kidAmy she's overreacting yet again is encourage. Leave a comment. =D