Derek Merdinyan\\ Author + Entrepreneur

Looking for a simple and elegant way to aggregate your personal...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:22:50 -0400

Looking for a simple and elegant way to aggregate your personal brand onto one site? Check out Flavors.me.

Facebook Closes Page for Unemployed Seeking Help

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:01:00 -0500

About a year ago I started a Facebook Fan page called “Damn, I need a Job!” (DINAJ) which I used to connect my friends with job opportunities from other people in my network. I never intended on growing the group, I just wanted a place to share opportunities and help people I cared about. For the longest time, the group never had more than 70-80 fans.

A few days into February, I noticed a sudden jump in the fan base: 20 new fans; a sizable jump but nothing to write home about. A week later, the group was nearly 1,000 people strong and I got to thinking that DINAJ could become a resource for more than job opportunities, but job seeking, interviewing, and personal branding tips as well.

Two weeks later, the group had surpassed 100k fans.

Over these few weeks I enjoyed engaging with the fans of this community and spent a good deal of time thinking about the best way to make this a great employment resource.

The deathnote arrived from Facebook, February 24th.

My guess is Facebook classifies DINAJ as a fan page that ‘represents generic concepts’. It’s the only thing that makes sense. While the page is still live, my ability to publish new content to the page has been revoked. This isn’t a pity story for me, but rather for the individuals seeking employment help.

I’m just sorry I couldn’t contribute more.

Coming soon...

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:04:00 -0500

First Look: Square Mobile Payment System

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:39:43 -0500

First Look: Square Mobile Payment System

Andy Boyer of Spring Creek Group tells us why having a personal...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:09:00 -0500

Andy Boyer of Spring Creek Group tells us why having a personal brand is more important than your resume.

Personal Branding isn’t just for “Business”...

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:40:00 -0500

Personal Branding isn’t just for “Business” People

Whether you realize it or not, if you have a job, you work for a business. If you’re a clown, a nurse, or a social worker, you participate in a line of work that will make you money. From time to time you may have to change jobs or evolve into an entrepreneur in order to support yourself and in both cases, having a personal brand is a major asset.

University of Washington Student Seeks Help With Graduation Project: Social Media Documentary

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:50:15 -0500

As some of you know I’m t-minus 6 months (and counting) from graduation at the University of Washington. I’ve been very lucky in my college career to earn credits by doing things I love like starting a business and write a book. I’ve been aching for an excuse to get a solid film project under my belt and decided to do a documentary for my graduation project. The documentary will explore the long-term viability of social media as a business strategy.

Because this is a one-man production and I’m on a tight schedule (the documentary must be submitted in ten weeks!) - any help would be greatly appreciated. I’m looking to film interviews in-person with the following types of people:

1). Brand managers or individuals from large companies in charge of social media initiatives

2). CEOs/CMOs of large companies using social media.

3). Entrepreneurs/Startups using social media.

4). Individuals from companies with social media success stories.

5). Individuals from companies with social media horror stories.

6). Individuals from companies that are opposed to using social media.

If you can connect me to someone that would be open for an interview, please send me their contact info via email (DerekMerdinyan [at] gmail [dot] com) or @Reply me on Twitter (@DerekMerdinyan). As a modest way of saying thanks, I set aside a few copies of my book to give away to people that help me establish connections with awesome people to interview.

Again, thank you for your help!

Thought I’d get a little creative with my resume....

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:30:00 -0500

Thought I’d get a little creative with my resume. Definitely unconventional but HR Reps are looking to learn what it would be like to work with you as much as they’re looking into your skills. I think this provides a good balance of the two.

"I Hate The Sound of My Voice"

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 04:22:00 -0500

Many of the people I talk with about creating audio or video content for their personal brands are concerned about how their voice sounds when recorded. While many of these individuals are very confident when interacting with other people, they’re surprisingly insecure when they listen or watch any recordings of themselves. I was was one of these people a few years ago until Justin Robert Young and Andrew Mayne encouraged me to podcast for www.iTricks.com. Without their guidance and encouragement, I never would have worked on developing a voice and delivery style I was comfortable sharing with other people. It used to be that listening to my voice after recording a podcast was like thinking about people seeing me naked on a beach - I wasn’t comfortable with putting myself in such an ‘exposing’ position.

Turns out there’s a scientific reason for this irrational fear which I recommend you take a look at if you’ve ever found yourself having second thoughts in front of a microphone or camera.

The rest of this article is an excerpt from Owning YOU where I talk about how nervous I was about creating a 30-second audio recording for iTricks.com - the first piece of content I created for the Internet.

Nervousness (My Start in Content Creation)

I imagine there may be a little nervousness or apprehension about what you’re about to embark upon - and that’s absolutely ok. I was in that position myself. Perhaps the idea of baring your soul to the world is a little scary and makes you feel vulner- able; unfortunately openness and radical transpar- ency is how business relationships are being made today. It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in, whether you’re a teacher, or a doctor, or an entrepreneur: the people who work with you tomorrow are likely to know personal details about you including your hobbies and interests in addition to your educational and professional credentials. It’s how we dif- ferentiate and stand out. The old resume is dead. Letting people know what gets you excited and makes you different is going to count big time.

I sympathize with those who are nervous about people reading their writing, listening to their voice, or seeing them on camera. But guess what? 1). That’s not what’s important (your ideas, knowledge, opinions, and enthusiasm) and 2). You can get better or get over all those things. If you don’t care what other people think and are dedicated more towards success, over time you’ll get better at these skills.

I was about 15 years old when I first got started with online content creation. I remember when I started writing product reviews for iTricks.com and the editor asked me to start recording an audio review podcast to go alongside the text-based reviews. I was fine with the writing - it’s the reason I signed on and I wanted to get better at it, but recording my voice and sharing it with people scared the *expletive* out of me. As an introverted teen, talking with other people was not my forte and I decided to do something about that. To get me started, the editor asked me to record a short, thirty-second recording saying what my favorite video was on our sister-site iTricks.TV; that little testimonial was to be played on iTricks’ next weekly podcast.

It took me two hours to record those thirty sec- onds of audio. I have no idea how many takes I did; how many times I started recording, stopped, restarted, listened in horror to my voice, and tried again. It was an intense two hours of sitting in my bedroom, door closed, nobody home, with my laptop on the floor recording my voice, again, and again, and again. Eventually I bit the bullet and submitted the audio. Gradually, I got better at recording audio and became comfortable listening to my voice with- out becoming too critical of how I sounded. A few months later, I could record several audio recordings a day with no extra takes. I subsequently graduated to video content and am now a public speaker.

What’s my point? If you want to get better at something, be persistent, keep trying and overlook your insecurities. At the end of the day, what’s the worst that can happen?

Chiaka's Hermes

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:19:20 -0500

Picked up this painting tonight from a homeless-artist. The guy clearly has talent and is working hard to share his passion with other people (it was below freezing outside and yet he was out on the streets working his craft). Chiaka is a prime example of someone working their ass off to build their personal brand. While he may be sleeping on concrete tonight, if Chiaka continues to show as much dedication and passion for his work as he did when I met him, this guy is going to have a fantastic chance of bettering his life and get off the streets.

I offered to help Chiaka share his art with more people and I sincerely hope he takes me up on the invitation. If a person is serious about building their personal brand, I’m willing to help.

Cyber Monday Pre-Release Book Sale!

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Owning Y.O.U. doesn’t officially go on sale till next year, but I have a small stock of books that I’m making available for the holiday season.

This may be the only time the book is available for sale before the official release next year. If you’re the parent or relative of a young adult or college student, Owning Y.O.U. will teach them how to stand out from the crowd and get recognized for the jobs and opportunities best suited to their skills and interests.

Owning Y.O.U. may be purchased via the link on the right sidebar.

Thank you for your support and Happy Holidays.

As a younger guy working to build his personal brand (and...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:56:00 -0500

As a younger guy working to build his personal brand (and encouraging other young adults to do so too) the question of age vs. credibility comes up from time to time. A large portion of building a personal brand takes place online - something the younger generation was born and raised with; it’s in their blood. With that said, young adults typically have fewer life experiences and are seen as less credible than someone 10-20 years older than them.

The generation before mine may have more credibility and insight when it comes to certain topics, however they aren’t as intrinsically linked to the online tools that are being used to build personal brands.

Question is, which is better: knowing how to communicate or communicating from experience? I asked author Gary Vaynerchuk (Crush It!) who’s got the advantage when it comes to building their personal brand.

"The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor..."

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:05:00 -0500

“The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his body and his mind, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both.”

- Lao-Tzu

Why is it so important your personal brand centers around...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:58:11 -0500

Why is it so important your personal brand centers around something you’re passionate about?

"It’s 2009, and yet many people still act like it’s 1999. In Internet time that’s..."

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:15:32 -0500

“It’s 2009, and yet many people still act like it’s 1999. In Internet time that’s like the difference between 1929-1999. Things are very different; stop procrastinating and catch up.”

This video talks about how to think about what topic your...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:46:24 -0500

This video talks about how to think about what topic your personal brand will center around. Your personal brand is about you and what you’re passionate about - but it’s not that easy for some people to pinpoint what they’re *passionate* about because a person can have many diverse interests. This makes it difficult to pinpoint what “Y.O.U.” is really about.

I’m officially a published author. BIG Thank You to...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:15:40 -0400

I’m officially a published author. BIG Thank You to everyone that helped me get here.

Overview of what the book, “Owning Y.O.U.” covers.

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:42:00 -0400

Overview of what the book, “Owning Y.O.U.” covers.

What Does Your Personal Brand Center Around?

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0400

Haven’t figured it out yet? Here are a few clues to get you thinking:

- It’s a topic you frequently bring up

- You feel a mild adrenaline rush through your body when the topic comes up

- You feel compelled to voice your opinion or dominate conversations when the subject of Y.O.U. comes up.

- Your friends identify you as the “__________-Guy/Gal”

- You unconsciously day dream about your subject and or imagine sharing your ideas with others.

- You wish you knew more people that caught the same “bug” as you.

Question: What does YOUR Personal Brand revolve around?

What is "Y.O.U." ?

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:00:00 -0400

What do you love? What are you passionate about? What is the one thing that would get you out of bed every morning that makes you so excited you could (almost) skip the double tall latte because you’re so fired up? Does playing the violin or racing sailboats get you going? Do your friends know you as the “__________ guy”? If you could be a professor in any topic you love, what knowledge and ideas do you crave to share with others?

Owning Y.O.U. is about all about reaping the benefits of owning Y.O.U. an acronym that stands for “Your Own Universe.” Y.O.U. refers to the central passion of your life. It’s that thing that when someone starts talking about it, you can’t help but light up and dive head first into the conversation. Your Own Universe is powered by enthusiastic passion; it’s what truly identifies who you are by the subject matter that you go crazy over.

What if your life revolved around Y.O.U.? Take a moment to think about what that means. Think of all the fulfillment, happiness, and esteem you get when you do or talk about Y.O.U. Can you buy those feelings in a store? No. That’s because those feelings trump the value of money a billion to one. You can live a more fulfilling life exploring and partaking in Y.O.U.-time than you an with a 40 hour work week lifestyle.

image credit: Smithsonian Institution