Personal Branding for Introverts

http://andrew.hedges.name/blog/2009/11/18/personal-branding-for-introverts

by wallflower • 17 years ago

79 22 17 years ago

andrew.hedges.name

rw2• 17 years ago

"Introverts tend to think about what they want to say before they say it. If it’s already been said by someone else, we don’t feel the need to say it again."

Does this imply that extroverts don't? Did I sleep through this lecture in False Dichotomies 101?

SlyShy2• 17 years ago

Yeah, and then in the comment section the author starts to talk about his love of Myers-Briggs, which illustrates exactly my beef with Myers-Briggs. It creates four false dichotomies between personality "types".

segdeha• 17 years ago

Me saying I used to present about the MBTI is very different from me saying I want to marry it and have its baby. ;-)

It's easy to get caught up in the apparent dualism of each of the 4 types. A deeper read of the thinking behind MBTI (and other personality inventories) shows that it is meant to express a continuum of tendencies.

Not every introvert perfectly fits the definition, just as not every extrovert does. If you tend to affiliate with more of the feelings and behaviors associated with introverts, then you more likely fall under that category.

There's no judgment involved. It's just a tool for understanding. If you know your tendencies and the natural tendencies of those around you, it can make you a more effective team member, life partner, etc.

rglullis• 17 years ago

Being a Extrovert/Introvert is not an absolute value, but rather a scale. Notice that he says tend to think.

So, yes, somebody that happens to be a "total extrovert" speaks before thinking. Not that they are dumb, or don't think. It's just that their do their reasoning externally, "out loud".

fnid• 17 years ago

I don't think it is true that extroverts don't think before speaking. The difference between I/E is that introverts think about what they are saying and extroverts think about how what they are going to say will affect those they are saying it to.

Introverts care less about the feelings and emotions of their co-conversationalists and extroverts are more socially motivated to say nice things that make the group feel good or work better.

I think both introverts and extroverts think about what they are going to say. The question is, what do they tend to say once they've thought about it?

potatolicious2• 17 years ago

As a Myers-Brigg-identified extrovert I object to being labeled in this way. I find these sweeping generalizations to be invalid and divisive.

I think before I speak - and I certainly do not use out-loud speech as my reasoning playground. Broad brushes like these really should be avoided.

pbhjpbhj2• 17 years ago

So, yes, somebody that happens to be a "total extrovert" speaks before thinking. Not that they are dumb, or don't think. It's just that their do their reasoning externally, "out loud".

That is not at all the definition of "extrovert" that I use. An extrovert to me is someone who is happy to speak up in social situations, jovial and engaging, socially adept.

I've never thought of extroversion as "outloud logical progression" or "self-argument posing as argument". Indeed that last one sounds rather like an introversion to me as it is ignoring the external stimulus to focus on the internal, a sort of outloud internalisation.

SlyShy2• 17 years ago

I don't see what this has to do with introverts in specific. The general advice applies to any kind of person. When building a brand name you should control what you say. On the internet you have an unparalleled ability to control exactly what is thought of you, based on the limited amounts of information you choose to reveal. If you were to only post CSS tips on Twitter, people who know you through Twitter will think of you as a CSS buff. This is intuitive.

jlees• 17 years ago

If you regularly post on Twitter, and have a sizeable following, you're addressing a room full of (virtual) strangers. Doesn't that make you an extrovert, regardless of how you would react in a similar physical room?

I just dislike the line in the sand between E and I. I'm both, swinging between the extremes sometimes, exhibiting characteristics of both at the same time, whatever. It varies by setting, mood, etc. Having said that, when it comes to the Internet, I'm definitely extroverted - telling the world about my life on a regular basis - and saying what's on your mind is the power of social media, innit? If we all stopped to think about the 'self' we are inadvertently exposing, we'd end up staring at our virtual feet and never twittering at all.

wallflower2• 17 years ago

It really doesn't matter if you're an I or an E. Or switch between I/E. As long as you can accept yourself. The rule of thumb I use for I/E orientation is does that person get energized around other people...

Myers-Briggs is simplistic. Check out Kolbe testing ($$) for a more detailed picture of 'you'

http://www.kolbe.com/

A repost but: We had a team bonding day in which we were split up randomly into small groups. Random or not, the group I was put on was all introverts. We were given a problem [a clever problem-solving exercise] and the observer (who was an extrovert) noted that (to him) 'it was like they were all just staring at the puzzle for 5 minutes. They were just sitting there thinking. No one in the group said much of anything until they arrived at a silent consensus.' Contrast that to other groups where members debated the relative merits of their solutions. We won the game.

In another company exercise, done after a Myers-Briggs session, they split the I's and E's into groups. And then they said (hypothetically) 'You have the day off. What do you guys want to do with the day? You have $100 each'. The I's were like - I'm gonna read a book, run errands etc. And the E's were like - 'Who's going to Vegas? Party at our house.' The E's were planning parties while the I's were planning alone time.

swombat• 17 years ago

That definition is obsolete, though. I get drained by a constant social setting in real life - but I get energised by a constant online social setting. Like Jennifer, I am somewhat introverted (though I oscillate between the two) in real life, and clearly extroverted online.

It's hard to claim to be introverted when you have a blog that's <yourname>.com and tweet private thoughts to 700+ strangers several times a day.

pyre• 17 years ago

> It’s like a dirty word. “Introvert.” Western societies tend to value life-of-the-party types over people like me

I thought that introvert had to do more with whether or not you thrive on social interaction or not. It's possible for an introvert to be a 'life-of-the-party' type.

I consider myself introverted because sometimes social interaction really exhausts me. Whereas someone that is extroverted feels exhausted and tired without social interaction; and social interaction energizes and motivates them.

Even though he's trying to talk about intro/extroverts it seems like he's further perpetuating myths about what those terms actually mean.

yason2• 17 years ago

In my humble experience -- I'm an introvert -- the essence of introversion and extroversion isn't necessarily how you act out socially.

For example, I'm sometimes very extroverted and sometimes very introverted, and often something between. And that's me, so I'm not pretending to be anything else.

However, the key question, it seems to me, is that introverts eventually lose more energy than they gain while interacting with other people. Then they have to recharge themselves alone. Extroverted people seems to gain energy from social interactions, and eventually lose more of it when they're left alone. Again, they can enjoy solitude but it drains them.

Both can do both but an introvert being extroverted or an extrovert being introverted isn't sustainable in the long run.

pbhjpbhj2• 17 years ago

Your description of your extro-/intro-version sounds like how I'd describe myself.

Do you find that online interactions count as alone time vis-a-vis recharging?

yason2• 17 years ago

I would say online interactions consume energy, too. Not on the same imminent level as in-real-life interactions but they do.

Generally if I don't feel like going online to "see" my friends I generally don't feel like going out to see them either. Sometimes I might chat with someone when I wouldn't do that physically but often the said discussion is then less connecting and more shallow.

Personal Branding for Introverts

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