Browsing through some Twitter profiles the other day, I came across someone’s which read that they were interested “marketing, social media and personal branding”.

Not very unusual, as an unusually large percentage of Twitter users are “social media experts” according to their user profiles. I think I get why so many people feel they are “experts” at social media. Twitter has a way of making new users feel as though they have discovered something completely new. And in a lot of ways, they probably have. It’s practically impossible to find two people who use Twitter in the exact same way. Not only in who they follow, but also in what content they share.

That’s where “Personal Branding” comes in. What content are people sharing on Twitter, and more importantly, why are they sharing it? Each individual has a motivating reason for being “on” Twitter. As the service becomes more mainstream, it would stand to reason that more people are joining out of a sense of feeling left out. Just like when I turn on the TV just because I want to make sure I’m not missing anything. Do I really care what’s on TV? Or am I just doing it so as not to become “that guy who doesn’t know what happened on American Idol last night” to everyone I meet.

So back to “Personal Branding”. The difference between turning on the TV and joining a social media tool like Twitter, is that Twitter requires participation. Sure you can just read what others are writing or ‘tweeting’, but that doesn’t really open any doors so-to-speak. The pressure is there from the minute you sign-up to send out that “first tweet”. As odd as it may sound, that’s really the reason twitter is so compelling. It’s like water-skiing for the first time, or riding a roller-coaster. It’s thrill seeking on a very small level. “What will happen if I say this?” Or, “what if Oprah actually replies to me?” It’s the thrill of the unknown.

Maybe that sounds very uninteresting to you, but seriously this does relate to “Personal Branding”. Among the motivating factors for joining Twitter, the ethereal concept of “Personal Branding” is probably in the Top 2. Somewhere between the invention of Reality TV and proliferation of Text Messaging, it became socially acceptable to share all kinds of odd information about yourself to the entire universe. But instead of just labeling this behavior as “TMI” (too much information), which sounds a little too derogatory, we’ve somehow collectively decided to give this behavior a more professional moniker. After all, we wouldn’t want other people thinking we’re just wasting our time.

“Personal Branding” is one of those undefinable terms that one day falls out of the sky. Somebody promptly picks it up and starts using it in everyday speech. The funny thing, at least in my view, is that people who try to do personal branding aren’t actually doing anything. They’re just regurgitating information that’s all around them. Whatever it is they think they’re doing, its just adding noise.

“So why is this post was about Personal Branding. So far all you’ve done is ramble on about Twitter!”

Okay, point taken. Now let me get to that.

“Personal Branding” is a fad, a phenomena, a flash in the pan. But YOU are a person. YOU exist in reality without any need for a “brand”. YOU carried on just fine before – just as you will after – the invention of Twitter, or Facebook, or YouTube or whatever. If you are simply you – the same smart, like-able, hard-working person you’ve always been – then you’ll never have to worry yourself about ridiculous, impossible-to-define, buzzworthy terms like “Personal Branding”. You simply won’t.

If everything you do online is a fabrication, a figment of your imagination, then your “Personal Branding” efforts are bound to fail. Building a personal brand is like saying you going to develop your personality. You can’t be something you’re not. You can only reveal something that you are. No matter what platform is ‘ground-breaking’ or ‘the new thing’. You can only fabricate reality for so long. Just look at “The Hills” or “John & Kate Plus 8″. If the heart isn’t there, it can’t last.

So that, my friends is “Personal Branding”. If you ever hear someone say “You really need to develop your personal brand!”, just laugh at them. Be yourself, share it with people who care, and let the “social media experts” waste their own time.