If you want to project a strong Personal Brand, you should start by ridding yourself of the Gmail, Blogspot and WordPress baggage.
And secure You.com – to stamp your identity at first sight.
I have lost count of the number of people who act surprised when they read my email address – ajay@ajayjain.com. “Oh, you have your email on your own domain?” is the common reaction. What I also can sense is some sort of an impression being made on the other person when you flaunt your own domain. Why don’t you get one too?
Once you have your domain, use it for your email, blog, website etc. There are ways to integrate your Gmail account with mail@you.com. And you could be still be on WordPress but the blog URL could read as you.com/blog.
Tips for get your domain
Have a URL for your name, something like jackbrown.com. No matter who says what, .com is your high street property. If your namesake has taken up .com, go for some other TLD (Top Level Domain) like .info, .net, .me, or even your respective country TLDs like .in, .co.uk, .us etc.
Any domain you finally select should be easy to speak out. If you have to repeat or clarify, you increase the risk of people noting the same incorrectly. If your parents gave you a name that others fumble on, abbreviate or shorten it. In any case, a shorter URL is always easier to advertise and recall.
Don’t know what to do with this domain? Don’t worry at this stage. Just book for now at any reputed registrar like GoDaddy.com or Netsol.com. The website or blog you set up under this domain will form the centre of your personal branding universe.
How do you make full use of You.com? Read more in my book on Personal Branding – SUPER BRAND YOU (http://superbrandyou.com). Still have a question? Ping me on ajay@ajayjain.com.