A Personal Statement - Application for JD with concentration in entertainment law, copyrights and IP property

Personal Statement - JD with concentration in entertainment law, copyrights and IP property

 

Taking stock of my career to date, I have concluded that pursuing a Juris Doctor program with focus on entertainment law, copyrights and intellectual property, is my next logical learning progression that will bring my career to the next level. While still in High School and completing my baccalaureate in Electronic Music Production and Sound Design, I have taken several academic and professional engagements that not only built up my competencies, earned a Grammy this year for best music video, and consistently placed me in the Dean’s list at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, On the side, I have learned to appreciate the creative significance and business implications of Intellectual Property (IP) and Copyright laws in my profession that have rooted my passion to become a legal practitioner in this direction., .

Looking back, I could not pinpoint the exact moment in time when I rooted my interest in music or the technical demands of music production.  All I can say is that music runs in my veins. Coming from an educated family with my mom a Doctor of Pharmacy and my dad a notable entrepreneur, I remember that music was always part of my life as there was no quiet moment in the house. There was always music around me weather someone in the family was playing an instrument or just listening to the radio or stereo system. As a migrant family taking refuge from civil war in Hungary, my parents rose above the acculturation demands in the United States.  I grew up as a send generation migrant influenced by the western cultural relationships and learning a second language that contributed to my morals and values of human rights, freedom of speech, and equality. These values would root my interest to become a lawyer.in the entertainment industry,

My parents recognized my talents early and brought me to take piano lessons, but I was more fascinated towards percussion instruments.  I was enrolled in ballroom dancing, drumming and DJ classes during high school, which made me realize that music was my life. Competing in Latin-American ballroom dancing and DJ’ing became my serious hobbies. Along the way, I was introduced to the idea that music is not only about giving reign to my talents as a performer,  but also giving it a more purposive dimension in entertaining, making people happy, and producing the music for commercial, and business ends. But there was more to it from a legal perspective.

By the time I was 10, I took my first DJ class where I earned a DJ Mixing, Production and Composition certification from Scratch DJ Academy.  As I worked on my electronic music production skills, I begged my father to study under world-famous record producer Professor Frank Rodriguez “El-Medico”. I barely turned 12 and was still in 5^th grade when my father took me to the SAE Institute to meet him. As we entered the advisor’s office, he just glanced at me, almost ignoring me and then extended his hand to my father saying “Hello Alexander, nice to meet you”. My father and I looked at each other with a smile, and introduced me with “This is my son Alexander”. The look on advisor’s face was priceless. After the initial shock, he asked how old I was and if I had interest in taking classes at the institute. After interviewing me, he said, “Welcome to our college”. This was one of my most rewarding moments in my career journey.

 After turning 12, I enrolled for an online program at the world renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, making me one of the youngest students to pursue a college education.  While completing college, I have performed before large audiences worldwide at numerous festivals such as SXSW Austin, Miami Music Week, Exit Music Festival Europe, Groove Cruise Los Angeles, and SunFest West Palm Beach.  Given these successes, I was recognized as among the world’s top 10 DJ’s and landed as a guest DJ for Ellen DeGeneres.  I then worked closely with Vanilla Ice and was a guest DJ for the 3 seasons on his TV show, Vanilla Ice Project. I also collaborated with many major brands like The Gap, Susan Komen, Captain Morgan, Groove Cruise, and others.

As an artist, I had thought that giving reign to my musical talents was enough to entertain an audience, whether on the radio airplay, a concert stage, or an album in a home entertainment system.  That was clearly not enough in the real world. .Even a mere 20-second commercial jingle advertising a product or service was not so simple. Over the last 8 years, I have regularly released original music that grew my knowledge and competencies from novice to become a professional. Along the way, I have dealt with music publishers involving content protection, copyright and infringement issues, distribution and performance rights, and contracts, among others. My extensive work experience as an artist working for a record label has given me a firmer grasp into the real-world commercialization of talents, the business, and the laws meant to protect the artists, music labels, and independent producers.            

 Learning about the various facets of the entertainment industry attracted me towards the various career possibilities. In particular, I was drawn to the process of agreements, copyrights, contracts, publishing, and distribution between talents and a record label like Universal Music, Sony Music, and Virgin Records. Having completed relevant college courses in music technology, I learned to apply my technical wizardry, business communication and finance, as well as trends and strategies that prepared me to think critically and integrate finance and business management with talent management. But the one area that intrigued me most was the legalities behind the music industry. I saw how talents and the business could easily go to waste if not protected by law. I saw how much more work needs to be done not only to protect the rights of artists, but also ensure that they earn equitably with music producers and distributors. This has become even more compelling with online access to musical content, opening  more opportunities for illegal music downloads that deprive artists and producers of their due income. I have become more determined to address these issues after my internship at the Remote Control Productions in Los Angeles last January. I was exposed to legal aspects involving copyrights and royalties and the need to have strong legal understanding of corporate entertainment law, a field that I am now determined to pursue as my career.

At this point in my education, I know I still have so much to learn to bring my career to where I can find the fulfillment I seek as a consummate musician with a solid grounding in the laws governing the entertainment industry. I am already 18 years old facing the challenge of blending my musical experience with Law and making a profound difference in the entertainment industry. With some due diligence on my postgraduate learning options, I have decided to put my career future at the hands of ______________________ [name of university] and become a corporate and entertainment lawyer.  Insert the sentence (s) here corresponding to the choice of university.  Its extensive curriculum dovetails perfectly with my interest to acquire the skills to succeed in a legal practice providing legal counsel and representation to artists and companies, building their confidence that they are in good hands in contract negotiations, business deals, copyrights and intellectual property compliance.

Ultimately, with a view to giving back to society what I have been fortunate to gain in building my career, I see myself as a legal luminary supporting the entertainment industry and fostering justice among artists, producers, and consumers. I am elated at the prospect of sharing my insights with students in the program while learning from them for a mutually enriching Juris Doctor experience. I hope to commence the program in time for fall enrollment this year. 

 

University Choices

(1)  University of Florida

I am particularly impressed with its stated commitment to the highest standards of the legal profession through the advisement of legal scholarship to best serve the public in promoting justice.  (No need to farther expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of. You would just insult their intelligence. )

(2)  UCLA

I am particularly impressed with its stated primary purpose as a public research university that creates preserves, distributes and applies knowledge for the betterment of our global society through teaching and scholarship in developing successive generations of leaders with skills and commitment to legal and social engagements. (No need to farther expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of. You would just insult their intelligence. )

(3)  Loyola Marymount University

I am particularly impressed with its goals as a Catholic Institution under the Jesuit and Marymount traditions carrying out its mission to maintain academic excellence in the instruction of law and promote legal scholarship and research in the context of academic freedom. (No need to farther expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of. You would just insult their intelligence. )

Pepperdine University

I am particularly impressed with its Christian values in providing high-quality legal education that emphasizes the highest principals in ethical conduct and professional responsibility enabling them to assume future positions in the legal field.  (No need to farther expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of. You would just insult their intelligence. )

(4)  University Southern of California Gould

I am particularly impressed with its mission in enriching enrich human knowledge and the principles of justice through exceptional scholarship that enable graduates to become future legal eagles who can address injustices in our community. . (No need to farther expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of. You would just insult their intelligence. )

Chapman University, LA

I am particularly impressed with its mission in transforming qualified students to become multidimensional thinkers in the legal profession and thrive in a challenging world. (No need to further expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of from their website. You would just insult their intelligence. )

(5)  California Western

I am particularly impressed with its stated commitment in using the law to prevent and solve human and social issues by mounting high level of scholarship to develop ethical, competent, and compassionate lawyers in fostering equitable justice. (No need to further expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of from their website. You would just insult their intelligence. )

(6)  Brooklyn Law School

I am particularly impressed with its commitment to contribute to the advancement of our understanding of law, legal institutions, and society through a community of outstanding legal scholars, professors, and graduates who are among the best and the brightest in the legal profession. (No need to further expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of from their website. You would just insult their intelligence. )

(7)  Georgetown College

I am particularly impressed with the fact that it is the nation’s first Catholic institution of higher learning committed to the Jesuit traditions of an integrated education and  research in the liberal arts, humanities, languages, sciences, and social sciences, harnessing local and international resources to achieve its mission. (No need to further expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of from their website. You would just insult their intelligence. )

(8)  Penn State  Law

I am particularly impressed with its mission to educate students in an inclusive campus, promoting the highest levels of scholarship that will transform them to become responsive practitioners addressing legal and social needs within the country’s legal profession and justice system. (No need to further expound on something the admissions committee members are well aware of from their website. You would just insult their intelligence. )

 

 

Effects of Media in Changing Unwanted Government

Introduction

The power of the media is anchored on its ability to shape the minds of its intended markets through purposive content reaching the widest possible audience (Van Dijk, 1995). Technology over the last 50 years has made media increasingly available to every segment of society. But achieving critical mass of informed people can be slow with traditional print and broadcast media. It was not until the last decade of the 20th century when the internet ushered in online communications that media transitioned to become more accessible, interactive and democratic in the 21st century.

The Arab Spring

The new media enabled by the Internet technology is no longer constrained by time or geographic borders (Lule, 2012). An online post in a blog or social media forum like Facebook can reach thousands of readers within a few hours, and millions within a day. The expression commonly used is “going viral”, an apt description of a message content that can spread like a virus infection. In the same way that mass media is harnessed by governments to shape popular thought through propaganda, the same media can be used by the people to change governments. This was made clear during the Arab Spring of 2011.

The Arab Spring stood out in political history when social media became a change agent for overthrowing repressive governments. A few postings in social media brought people to the streets and unseated leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya while sparking similar protests in Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria. Media has reshaped the politics and governance in the Middle East (Aday, et al., 2012).

Democracy in the Media

Quite apart from its wide accessibility and ease of use, what makes the internet so popular is the convergence of just about every traditional media forms with the functional premium of interactivity. The Internet did not replace old media forms. It converged them into something you can access with a mouse click. Jack Lule (2012) defines Media Convergence as a process where previously separate communications media come together to share a common resource, identity and reach that defy time and space. One integral aspect that makes convergence so powerful is its participatory or democratic quality that enables people across cultures and demographics to interact with each other in real time.

The Internet has become a socio-political equalizer. Today, just about every social media converges with online news reporting, video, blogs, and bulletin boards to inform and interact with people across diverse ethnicity and geographies. such the recent 2016 US elections, as well as on current conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. Media has certainly evolved into a powerhouse creating more opportunities for informed decisions and actions involving both the people and the government in participative democracy than at any other time in history.

____________________________________________________

References

Aday, S., Farrell, H., Lynch, M., Sides, J., & Freelon, D. (2012). New media and conflict after the Arab spring. Washington, DC: US Institute of Peace (Peaceworks). Retrieved from www.usip.org/sites/default/files/PW80.pdf

Lule, J. (2012) Mass Media and Popular Culture, in Media and Culture (v. 1.0. Retrieved from http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/culture-and-media/s03-about-the-author.html

Van Dijk, T.A. (1995). Power and the news media, In Paledtz, D (Ed.), Political Communication and Action (pp. 9-360, Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. PDF Retrieved from http://www.discourses.org/download/articles/

Get Rid of your Sedentary Working Lifestyle

There are many health improvement initiatives you can do to mitigate the growing risks you face as a result of stymied physical activity in 21st century corporate America. But one major area that can make a huge health difference is to overhaul your sedentary lifestyle. Every health pundit knows that spending more time sitting means less physical activity that promotes weight gain and all the co-morbidities that increase your risks to heart disease and obesity. It may be easier said than done, but getting rid of your sedentary lifestyle can be one major strategic health improving initiative that can drastically reverse your body’s descent into all sorts of disease vulnerability. Make a stand towards a healthier working lifestyle. Literally, that is. Consider the following:

(1) Dr. John Buckley of the Chester University in England and a former university colleague, Professor Stuart Biddle, made a new year's resolution in 2013 to spend at least 3 hours each day standing instead of sitting on their desks. They both modified a lectern into a working desk on which they can do their work standing up. The former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was known to work on his office papers standing up. To date, he remains in good health at age 81.

(2) A US survey conducted in 2003 - 2004 quantified the sedentary lifestyle when it showed that Americans spend on average half their waking time sitting, or 8 hours out of 16. That was not entirely surprising when you consider that for office employees in an 8-hour workshift, about the only time they get to stand up is when taking a 15-minute break to the pantry, or discharging a biological necessity. Fast food deliveries make it easy to get their lunch served while doing their desk jobs. This, not to mention the fact that they sit an hour or more driving to/from the office through rush hour traffic, eat with the family on the dining table, and watch TV on their favorite couch or in bed. Weekends could be just as bad if they spend more time in bed, watch the home movies they missed during the week, or play video games.

(3) Sitting is best done to relax the body for a few minutes in between physical activities. But with a sedentary lifestyle, sitting becomes the main activity to get work done on your PC. Sitting behind the desk burns around 80 calories per hour. On the other hand, standing burns around 115 calories per hour. A 35 calorie/hour burn difference may not be much but not when you spend an average of 8 hours each day seated. By the time you call it a day, you will have missed the opportunity to lose or not gain about 280 calories. A little more math will show that in a year, that translates to about 100,000 calories you failed to burn or 28 lbs that was either added to your weight or didn't lose.

Conclusion

Do yourself a favor and say goodbye to your sedentary lifestyle. It's a strategic health initiative that will require you to convert an old lectern into your working desk, modify a bar counter into one, or simply ask a good carpenter to build a 12-15-inch high pedestal to mount your desk. How much would that cost you? Maybe a few hundred dollars of customized carpentry work as an investment. But how much are you willing to spend to lose 28 lbs in a year? This is sound weight management and a healthier body you can get without even altering your food intake, daily routines, or leisure activities. Think about it and resolve to do the same thing as what Dr. Buckley and Prof Biddle did.

Top 5 Red Flags that Scream: SEO Scam Ahead

With just about every business looking to monetize  to website traffic, the need to optimize an online commercial presence thru search engine marketing has brought the SEO business to be quite competitive in winning clients.  But just like any business, there are those out to make a quick income from gullible or misinformed customers, and SEO scammers abound.

These unethical SEO practitioners may succeed the first time, but search engines like Google and Yahoo are just as quick to counter manipulative and deceptive SEO methods with sophisticated algorithms that identify and penalize unethically search optimized websites by pushing them out from the first few search pages,  striking them off their indexes, and outright banning their websites. 

The last thing a website business owner wants is to incur the ire for Google.  This can easily be avoided by simply knowing what can realistically and ethically be accomplished  with search engine optimization.  Seasoned SEO practitioners  know this but many others will promise you the moon with optimization strategies that either don’t work or could get you into trouble with search engines.  Consider the following  top 5 obvious red flags that say you are dealing with SEO scam:

(1)  Promising to bring your website to #1 position on Google.

This is a common promise and already betrays a scam. No ethical SEO professional can guarantee #1 search result position on Google or other search engines.  How far up the search engine results pages (SERP) you land after a thorough SEO makeover on your site also hinges on competition.  The higher the completion, the lesser likelihood there is that you can make it to 1^st page, let alone 1^st place.  Moreover, even getting to 1^st place is no guarantee you will remain there for long. Remember that the competition is also optimizing its website.  And should you get there using unethical SEO tactics, you run the risk of your website getting demoted or banned outright from search engines.

(2) Promising noticeable SERP results in just a short period of time.

Achieving first page visibility or significant movement up your SERP position in Google takes weeks or even months. Any promise of instant results immediately raises a red flag. Such unrealistic claims are not only unlikely, they also expose you to deceptive or manipulative SEO schemes that can get you into trouble with Google and other search engines.

(3) Promising to generate thousands of visitors to your site.

This is what commercial website owners want but the promise only be achieved if your website lands in the first 1-2 pages of a search result. A higher SERP ranking generally translates to more website visits. But getting there depends on other factors such as the number of times your relevant keywords or keyword phrases are used to make searches. Driving significant traffic to your site requires ranking high for searched keywords. If the SEO practitioner does not use the right keywords, all the other SEO tactics could be rendered useless.

(4) Promising the “highest or premium quality” SEO service at a ridiculously low price.

Just like in any purchase, you generally get what you pay for. This truism has significantly more relevance when it comes to services that require time-consuming and labor-intensive code-level reprogramming (i.e., on-page optimization at the HTML level), content relevance improvement, off-page optimization that includes link-building, and understanding your market and competition for the right keywords. Any offer to do so cheaply raises another red flag. Search engine optimization that does the job is not cheap. But while you can find affordable SEO rates, don’t expect to get the “best”, “highest” or “premium” SEO service.

(5). Refusing or avoiding customer questions.

Ethical SEO professionals offer a service to enhance your online presence and deliver excellent value for your money – one that often assumes a long-term business partnership that takes time to see fruition. Unfortunately, many are out just to get your money as fast as possible. A relatively simple way to check is to ask probing questions through their chat line, phone, or email.  (A site that has none of these contact points raises  a red flag. An emailed question that takes days to answer is another.)   Ask questions and expect to be asked about your business as well. If you are unhappy with the answers, don’t get any answer at all, or if it shows little or no interest with your business needs and expectations with irrelevant questions, you are facing an incompetent SEO practitioner or a scammer.  Look elsewhere.

Vatican spearheads internet name revolution

Organizations now have a wider choice when they register a domain for their respective websites. In a recent move by the Internet regulating body ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), Internet addressing currently dominated by .com, .org and .net has been opened up to include a wider choice of top level domain names. 

What better way to bring this new revolution in internet addressing under revised ICANN rules than for a highly visible and widely followed religious organization to make the pioneering move to adopt to the change. The Pope and the Vatican spearheads this revolution as it recently bagged the high level domain name “.Catholic.” 

Apart from being seen as a popular and non-traditional head of more than 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, the newly elected Pope Francis has made headlines by adopting the naming revolution for the Vatican in bringing its religious presence in cyberspace. This makes the Vatican the first organization to register the domain name under the new rules and is expected to go live soon in English, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian. 

With the recent changes in ICANN registration policies, the Vatican lost no time to register the domain name rather than allow any secular organization or individual to use it for less than pious purposes. It was the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications that successfully completed the domain name application processing in 2012. ICANN has recently confirmed authorizing the Vatican to have complete and exclusive control over the new domain address extension .Catholic. 

Contrary to recent media reports that the .Catholic name would go live in October, Msgr. Tighe, secretary of the council, said that websites using the .Catholic extension will still take some time to activate as there are some “bureaucratic kinks to iron out”, technical tests to run, contracts to sign, and clear guidelines to disseminate for potential users of the domain name.

In addition, Msgr. Tighe clarified that Catholic individuals and bloggers will not be allowed to use ".Catholic."  The domain name extension will be confined to organizations with formal canonical recognition such as parishes, dioceses, religious orders, and Catholic institutions like schools, universities, and hospitals.

More Liberal and Personalized Internet Addressing

The Internet is now open to thousands of top level domains that further personalize your website when you register a domain. Current top level domain extensions like .com, .net, and .co.uk have become quite saturated. ICANN senior advisor Sally Costerton said that, “There are 111 million dot com names.” This creates difficulty in finding sites you want to visit. 

The new addressing scheme is expected to create a higher level of personalization that makes finding the site you want to visit easier. You can have .America, .London, .eco, .college, .PS3 .Apple and .YourName, just to mention a few. Apart from .Catholic, religious organizations can now register a domain name with extensions like .Faith, .Bible, .Koran, .Hindu, and .Christmas, among others.

By the end of 2013, ICANN expects more than 1,400 new domain names to roll out as part of its expansion plans to bring around 100,000 new domain names over the next five years. This change is the result of ICANN’s eight years of study and is considered the most significant development since the World Wide Web became popular. To date, some 40 UK organizations have taken initiatives to register a domain for their respective websites under the new rules and they are expected to go live towards the end of 2013. Online users will soon find addresses ending with .boots, .bbc, .itv, .barclays, .jaguar, .hsbc, .williamhill, and .orientexpress, to mention some. Local government authorities are also bagging extensions like .wales, .london, and .scot which are no longer available. 

Not cheap

Applying for brand domain names cost £115,625 and they will be closed and exclusive once purchased. However, broader domain extensions such as .eco, .school, .music, .sport, or .fashion will be open to everyone. In addition, enforcing the new rules come with stringent accepted checks to regulate the application so that groups that may want to register a domain name with extensions like .alqaeda are not allowed along with other socially or politically offensive or derogatory extension names.

What a deer's antler can do for your health

Deer antler velvet is a major curative and health-giving ingredient in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. It comes from male deer, moose and elk which grow new antlers every year. But before the cartilaginous antlers are fully calcified or become bony, they develop soft velvety outer layers which are extracted or harvested in some countries. The stags are not harmed and the extraction often involves local anesthesia and some restraints as supervised by licensed veterinarians. The extract is then dried, processed and formulated in energy-boosting dietary supplements in sublingual spray and capsule forms.

Health benefits of deer antler velvet

In traditional Chinese folk medicine, deer velvet antler velvet provide different curative efficacies based on what part of the antler the substance was taken. The upper section of the antler produces a waxy substance used to stimulate growth in children. The middle section is called the blood piece used to cure arthritis in adults. Lastly, the bottom section or the bone piece is used for treating calcium deficiency and geriatric ailments.

This tradition has not escaped modern alternative natural medicine and the extracted deer antler velvet has found a large market following among athletes and bodybuilders for its claimed promises of boosting strength, performance endurance, and hastening the healing of injured muscles, tendons and cartilages.

What makes deer antler velvet special?

Deer antler velvet contains a growth hormone substance called IGF-1 or insulin-like growth factor 1. These growth hormones are bio-synthesized in the brain and liver to regulate body growth. Not enough growth hormones results in dwarfism. Doctors sometimes prescribe these hormones to children with growth problems. However, too much of it could lead to a type of gigantism or acromegaly.

As a growth hormone, several scientific studies have suggested that IGF-1 naturally stimulates protein synthesis and muscle tissue growth which in turn leads to stronger and beefier muscles. In addition, it reduces fatigue and hastens body repair when recovering from injuries. Despite the preliminary nature of these studies, supplements containing IGF-1 have become a favorite among athletes and bodybuilders to improve performance. While IGF-1 is naturally found in some food groups like dairy products and steaks, it is most abundant in deer velvet antlers.

Deer antler velvet supplements are available over the counter and do not require US FDA approval. However, it should be noted that the FDA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, the National Football League, Major League Baseball and many other sports associations have banned the use of IGF-1 as an unfair performance boosting drug in itself. But as a diet supplement in the form of sprays and capsules, endocrinologist Alan, Rogol, MD of the University of Virginia said little evidence suggests that deer antler velvet has the same potency as pure IGF-1. To date, using the deer antler velvet supplement may be controversial, but it is allowed among professional and amateur sports associations.

The Basics of Personal Branding

When you want to be noticed, whether to get employment, win an election, create confidence in clients and business partners, or simply attract new friends, you need to advertise yourself. In today's digital age where just about every information one needs can be obtained from the internet, that means crafting an online personal brand to your online presence. You would effectively be selling yourself online.

Branding is a common marketing strategy that positions a product or service in the consciousness of target markets or the public so that it gets the right prominence amidst similar products or services competing to be noticed and bought. Its approach makes little difference when applied to creating the online persona that makes you a winner in the minds of the people you want to reach out to. Since Tom Peters, author of several best selling marketing books in the 80s and 90s, first introduced the term in 1997, online personal branding has become the buzzword among people on the move to claim their right to success in their career, business, and socio-political relationships via the internet.

Know yourself and establish what value you stand for

You can't brand yourself if you are clueless about your worth. Take some time to assess yourself. Your personal brand reflects who you are and what value or worth you can bring to society. It encapsulates more than just the explicit information about your statistics, profession, experience, and education you put on the Web, such as an online resume or a profile in a social networking site like Facebook of LinkedIn. Your personal brand must be able to put all these things to bear on what value you can add to your employer, business partner, or constituent. A realistic assessment of what you can do, what you love to do, what your philosophy is and your insights about what's happening around, and how you can make a difference, creates a compelling persona that can win friends, achieve career advancement, and personal success. You don't have to say it, but your actions online will show.

What this means is that you need to be actively involved online. Not only should you have a social networking presence, but be active in updating it. Having a personal blog site or two is instrumental in crafting an online personal brand, as Tom Peters pointed out. Blogs, especially from Wordpress with your name in the URL, not only creates a permanent online presence, but defines your online personal branding identity with what you post in these blogs. Having one or two about your profession or hobby linked to your Facebook page creates a three-dimensional character behind your name. Guest posting, or putting your insights in other people's blogs that interest you can be just as effective in adding the brand character to your online persona.

Create your unique online presence

You can't very well brand yourself without a unique online presence. What you can do is nail down your identity in a domain name. That means buying your own URL or domain name, like www.johndoe.com. For starters, make a Google search of your name and see what you find. If your name is unique enough, it may land on the first page if you have a Facebook, LinkedIn or other social networking accounts. Otherwise, you may find you have several namesakes all over the result pages. This can present an online personal branding problem, like having so many iPhone brands when there's only one that matters. Play around with your name. If you have several namesakes, add your middle initial(s) or spell it out to create a unique domain name for you. Once you have your unique domain name, create your website using conventional tools or use it in Wordpress and Blogspot.

Does your personal brand have to be your name?

Not necessarily. You may have several brands, the same way that Samsung has several cellphone brands like the popular Galaxy brand among them. If you already enjoy brand equity in your name, meaning you are famous or have significant audience following like a newspaper columnist, politician, or celebrity, then by all means, use your name in your URL as your personal brand. If you are also a professional like a doctor, or an engineer, using your own name as a brand is always a good idea. But you don't have to. Corbett Barr of Think Traffic.net suggests having branding identity that is closer to the general topic in your blog. A blog site name can be specific to a project you are doing, such as photography in Africa, or creating dish recipes. And you can have several that focus on any aspect of your life. Even a movie review, if you love movies, can be a blog site. Then just create your personal profile in an "About Us" section.

Get linked from reputable sites.

Having a blog or website creates an online presence but is just the first step in establishing your personal online brand. As they say, no man is an island. Your online personal branding won't amount to much if no one else online bothers to refer to your sites. Just like in a CV or resume, you add credibility with a list of references, having other sites refer or link to your site pages does the same thing. Quite apart from the fact that back-linking is a search engine optimization method to increase traffic to your website, the fact that your site is being linked to by other websites or blogs completes your online personal branding by creating a vote of confidence that adds to the credibility of you personal brand. Just be sure the sites that link or refer to your site are respectable and adds to your worth, not from notorious or pornographic sites.