What's in a Name?

Last July, I wrote a blog entry on my old site about my last name.

A while back, I got in contact with a friend I hadn’t spoken to in several years. He had started college and mentioned how he had heard my name several times and that people knew me. This surprised me, as most of the people that I had gone to high school with would have already graduated college. Then a little later, my mom mentioned how people she ran into, or patients she had, also know who I was. The name of Charland has been spread far and wide, but always with good things to say.

Giving someone “your word” used to mean something. It used to mean you’d follow through with your promises. Being “as good as your word” was how you were judged as a person. Well, that doesn’t really exist anymore, sadly. However, your name still means something. I’m very proud of the fact that when people talk to my mom or to other people that it is something good. I’m happy that I bring some pride to my family name.

As I become more involved in social media and work on building my professional identity, this blog entry brings new meaning. Online, my name is quite literally my identity – my brand. My name precedes me into public. Most times when I go to a new club or networking event, I hear “Oh, YOU’RE Katie Charland.”  Much of this is due to Twitter, which means it is even more important what I put on my account.

I need to leave people associating my name with positive experiences because they are my “brand” ambassadors. My name means very little without people willing to share it with others. My name is now connected with the caliber of work I put out and I want my work to continue to bring pride to the Charland name.

So thank you to my “brand ambassadors” – you know who you are.