The 7 Online Personalities. Which One Are You?

by Suzan Bond | Featured Contributor

Knowing who you are can really help you with all things digital where social media takes great responsibility and it can be tough to remove every trace of an errant tweet, status update or blog post. Which one typifies your  online personality?

Maker
– Known for their creations whether it be technology, food, animated gifs, short films or books.
– Typically shares content such as technical tips, how to’s, recipes and things they’ve made.

Why successful: Others learn from the Maker’s expertise which builds their credibility.

The Philosopher Poet 
– Content: Lyrics and quotes sometimes known, sometimes obscure.
– The philosopher can also share lots of seemingly non-sequitors posts without context.

Why Successful: The Philosopher inspires others who may be feeling the same way.

Humorist
– Whether sarcastic, snarky or silly, this type is all about the humor and the fun.
– Often trades in jokes, gifs, comic strips or mocking the latest products or foibles of public figures.

Why Successful: The Humorist lightens other people’s day bringing perspective. Who doesn’t need to laugh more?

Content Curator
– This category actually has two sub-types:
– Curator: Carefully picks high quality content, typically reads everything they disseminate.
– Information machine: Typically high in volume, varies in quality, won’t read everything they share.

Why Successful: People trust what the Curator shares.
Why Successful: The Information Machine’s stream means there’s plenty of content to pick from.

Provocateur
– Known provoking others or starting fights on Facebook or Twitter. May write blog posts they know will be controversial.

Why Successful:  The Provocateur gets others to talk about important topics which can advance a conversation or help advocate changes.

The Expressive 
– You’ll know this person by their selfies and the (over) sharing of all the emotional arcs of their lives.

Why Successful: They appeal to other’s curiosity w/ a peek into someone else’s life. Can also be aspirational (i.e. the woman who
Instagrams pictures of her award winning butt) or to make someone else feel like they’re not alone in their tribulations.

The Inter-Actor 
– This person is all about interacting with others. Connecting with others drives them. They may ask how someone’s day is going, ask you for your
opinion on a topic or start a group conversation.

Why Successful: The Inter-Actor is often genuine, making other’s feel good or important. Their interactions can also build communities.

Personally? My strategy is one part Content Curator (I’ve read everything I share) and one part Inter-Actor. Once in a while I’ll throw in a bit of Philosoper with quotes that relate to my main areas of interest. While I strive to add humor to lighten my often deep topics I am not a Humorist. Plus, people would probably be confused if I started tweeting or writing sarcastic jokes. Knowing my online personality directs me in how to approach my online activities and give me a strategy for social media and blogging. It can help you do the same.

How about you? What’s your online personality?

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Suzan Bond – Branding Expert of Suzan Bond & Co. (Denver & New York City)

Suzan Bond is a brand strategist, CMO-for-Hire and the founder of Suzan Bond & Co  Since she was a wee lass Suzan has been obsessed with the study of human behavior, communication and personal presentation.

Suzan started her career helping brands like Accenture, Banana Republic, Sears and Walmart marry their offline marketing and branding efforts with online strategy and execution. She honed her personal branding expertise as an Executive Coach using her unique formula to help professionals craft their personal brand and market themselves. A writer by nature, Suzan wrote a book about intuition and is currently at work on a memoir and a book about personal branding.

Since leaving the corporate world she has guided numerous startups, entrepreneurs and software developers to discover their persona and genuine messaging. She believes that branding should always be organic and true to the person or organization represented rather than artificial or overly constructed. Her favorite saying is: All you have to be is you.

After growing up just outside Detroit, Suzan’s wanderlust drove her to live in San Francisco, Chicago, Boulder/Denver, Minneapolis and finally New York…for now. By the age of 16 Suzan had visited all of the continental states except one. A devout Twitterer, she’s proud that Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction RT’ed her. Twice.

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Suzan Bond