With the advent of social media,we are what we publish.  We each have our comfort levels in what we are and are not comfortable saying about ourselves. But in the world of social media, others will know more about you from the social web than ever before. And in many cases that can be a good thing.

But the proliferation of social media tools leads to “network confusion”.  Most of us belong to many networks - some personal, some business. And all of our personal information is not right for all networks. So whether it is Facebook, Myspace, You Tube, Linked-In, Twitter, or a corporate network, all of our information does not need to be shared in all environments.

Some of us are going to benefit from a singular persona and become very proficient at being very open. I use the example of colleague Paul Greenberg as someone who does it well, and almost by second nature. Openness is truly Paul’s persona. Others are not going to naturally share personal information as easily.

Today none of us really knows where this new world of engagement is going to take us and how we best decide what to publish about ourselves. One thing is for sure - the shelf life of personal information on the internet is infinite. So what you say about yourself today will influence other’s perceptions for a long time to come.

This podcast explores the world of personas. It comes to few conclusions, but shares some thoughts and some of my personal experiences to get you thinking about your identity - Who are you and who should know?

Music Credit to George Wood 8 Bit Junkie Podsafe Mashup