Google, Disney, and Wal-Mart are not only logos and names of companies. They are also the company’s brand. A brand is everything that a product or service (or person) is made of: its name, the price, the packaging, its history or beginning, its reputation, and the way it is advertised online and offline.

Because of these various aspects and avenues of a brand, it is impossible to own or a control a brand. However, a brand (your brand) can be managed. The Internet, particularly business and social networking sites, are being used to shape and manage a brand. Even if you do not want to have your brand online, even if you do not really care about it, or will make the time for networking and social media, most likely someone is going to ask, “Where is your website? Where is your profile? How do you rank? What do others have to say about you?” And chances are someone has already posted something about you and/or Googled you. So you DO have to be aware of your digital presence. Whether you acknowledge it or not, you are in a fight for survival. There is a ton of competition out there. But the good news is that if you don’t face the facts, you won’t be around long enough to suffer the consequences of not caring about your online presence because your brand (a.ka. you) will soon be gone.