

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

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rw
"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?

~~~
rglullis
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
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?

~~~
astine
_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._

Wow, this would make me an extremely reticent extrovert. That isn't the
dichotomy. The chief difference between introverts and extroverts is not
whether they think about the feelings of others but how outgoing they are.

Extroverts may or may not think about what they say but enjoy the attention
saying it will bring. Introverts are less interested in the attention.

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jlees
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.

~~~
wallflower
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
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.

~~~
wallflower
We'll agree to disagree then.

I mean, I'm thrilled that a random article that I stumble on from the iPhone
PPK post is getting a surge of readers. Feel like I connected people in a
small way.

I know a few introverts who constantly connect with about a hundred contacts
through Twitter (I was relieved when Twitter added the @filter)

Technology levels the playing field for making & building human connections
(whether it is one-to-one, one-to-many, uni/bi-directional). Introverts can
leverage technology to build and nurture communities. And, yes, make a living
doing it.

And, I'm going to assume the extremely influential Daring Fireball's Jon
Gruber is an introvert based on what I've read about him and his articles and
the fact I've never really heard of him making public appearances.

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pyre
> _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.

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SlyShy
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.

------
yason
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.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
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?

~~~
yason
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.

