iRevolution's Advice to Phds -- Check it out!

Hi guys!
I hope everyone had a productive month of June, whether or not you were taking summer courses, teaching, writing, researching, or a combo of more than one of these!

I wanted to pass along this great post I found while reading through some other graduate school blogs. This one is from iRevolution, whose writer is a Phd who believes strongly in the power of advances in media and technology to change and improve the world and the status of the individual in the world. They say, "iRevolution features short thought pieces on how innovation and technology are revolutionizing the power of the individual through radical self-sufficiency, self-determination, independence, survival and resilience." This particular piece that I'm sharing is all about getting a graduate degree in our modern, increasingly globalized society, but the blog is generally always great read if you ever have time to check it out!
This post gives seven pieces of advice for Phds and graduate students in today's world. It says things like "the blog is the new CV," and to "consider your Twitter account the new business card," and talks about packaging your skills, communication, social media presence, projects, research, expertise, career, and publications into your own personal "brand." Check out the article here.
     After reading it, I began to think a lot about creating a "brand" for yourself as an academic. What do you think about that? What would it entail? One advertising industry speaker explained the idea of branding this way: "The brand is the impression, the reputation, the ideas people have about you in their minds. Branding is the art of trying to change or enhance that." For academics and scholars, how would that work? Would it involve a logo, a product, a series of publications, user services, and public speaking events? How would you establish your brand for your academic self? Interestingly, the WhereBrands blog compares branding to teaching, saying, "The best activities of branding can be subtle and time consuming  like earning people’s trust and repeating simple, substantive truths, almost like teaching."
        But, is it wrong to consumerize our academic world and activities? In other words, is thinking about our academic careers in terms of marketing and advertising strategies helpful, or hurtful? I want to hear from you, and know what you think!
Until next time! -- Liza