Steve Pavlina Branding (Blog)

[Steve Pavlina]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Steve Pavlina's blog:

Steve Pavlina Branding

[Raymond Fernando]

This was an interesting social/blog experiment! Steve, you have shared a small spectrum of your life through the writings in your blog and I found it fascinating to see the posted responses.

This branding experiment brings me back to my middle school days where a lot of my peers hit puberty, then they realized that everyone was making associations about who they were by what they wore, how they acted, etc. It was also a fun time where my peers started to explore with different personalities, clothing, trends, etc.

This is good stuff!

[Lola]

Quite an intriguing experiment Steve. Thanks for letting us participate. (you're like awesome, man ).

I found this aspect of your results most interesting:

What’s really unsettling about this — the most disturbing part of all — is that when I look at this list, I’m forced to admit it’s more accurate than anything I could have written myself. Each person only submitted a few words, but the final result represents the collective beliefs of 1,101 people. It’s like everyone held a piece to the puzzle, and when all those pieces were assembled, the final picture is unbelievably close to the real me.

I think this phenomenon speaks to your success at portraying your authentic self in your writing (with each participant picking up on the three pieces of Steve that most resonate with them), and am curious why you characterize it as disturbing?

[Hyperchiller]

haha that's so funny that you'll always be able to win an argument with Erin with all the supporting evidence

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by Lola

am curious why you characterize it as disturbing?

It reminded me of the Borg collective from Star Trek, whereby a collective consciousness is created from individual minds, and the individuals completely lose themselves in it.

[Lola]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

It reminded me of the Borg collective from Star Trek, whereby a collective consciousness is created from individual minds, and the individuals completely lose themselves in it.

Of course!

[mikew]

This book seems pertinent!

M

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Hyperchiller

haha that's so funny that you'll always be able to win an argument with Erin with all the supporting evidence

Of course, that is until Erin's own results are tallied.

I can imagine the discussion:

Steve: More people said I was honest then you.
Erin: Yeah, but more people said I was physic then you, so I can determine the truth easier!

[Lola]

I'm also curious, in regards to the collective consciousness, if you believe the attributes chosen more frequently are more strongly visable in your persona than items lower on the list.

For example, do you believe yourself to be more self-disciplined (#4) than reflective (#190)? Does the fact that a particular response occurred more frequently mean you possess or exhibit more of that characteristic?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

That's interesting, Lola.

What I found curious is that the three attributes I listed were all found near the bottom of the list.

[Lola]

Originally Posted by {aspiring_to_clarity}

What I found curious is that the three attributes I listed were all found near the bottom of the list.

That's because, as we all know, you look deep beyond the superficial.

[aquadog]

Though "smart" and "intelligent" are generally regarded as synonyms, I tend to think of "smart" as having the connotation of applied intelligence. I know a few intelligent people who are actually kind of dumb. Just my $.02.

[Jake Birkett]

Haha, that bit about Erin and you was classic. However, Steve, you should realise by now that backing up any argument with logic means absolutely nothing to a woman because they go on "feelings". So even if you can prove they are "not accurate", it doesn't matter because if they want to feel like that, no one can stop them ;-)

I used Geeky btw in preference to Nerdy as Geeky implies specialist skills and nerdy implies kinda dorky (socially awkward). A geek does not need to be socially awkward.

[Nathan]

Hahah!
Thanks Steve that dialogue at the end gave me a good belly laugh!

[Bonkers]

I'd like to see you run another experiment asking us to give 3 adjectives to describe ourselves, and write up a table of the results. As a general feeling on how we see ourselves on here.

Perhaps 3 adjectives describing how we see ourselves in 10 years too, and you can help us get there (we'll you can see where people want to go and what they want to learn about and help everyone more).

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Bonkers

I'd like to see you run another experiment asking us to give 3 adjectives to describe ourselves, and write up a table of the results. As a general feeling on how we see ourselves on here.

Perhaps 3 adjectives describing how we see ourselves in 10 years too, and you can help us get there (we'll you can see where people want to go and what they want to learn about and help everyone more).

I think it would be interesting to write down three adjectives about how we see ourselves and then ask others in the forums to write down three adjectives. Comparing their list and our own list should be useful.

I also would find it interesting to ask if the other forum members had perceived any changes in us since we started participating in the forums.

I have observed a lot of changes and personal growth in members as they work on personal development here and elsewhere.

[Lola]

Originally Posted by Gene

I think it would be interesting to write down three adjectives about how we see ourselves and then ask others in the forums to write down three adjectives. Comparing their list and our own list should be useful.

I did this. Two of the three adjectives I used to describe myself showed up in responses from forum members. Additionally, I thought it would be interesting to get this same feedback from people who know me well IRL. So far only my 15 yr old niece has responded.

[Yasmine]

Hello everyone,
Just wanted to explain my use of the word straight.
It was just the best word I could find to express something like to the point, without bend or detour. It takes to be extremely open-minded and determined to be able to proceed that way, I think, and it's a quality I used to refer to as "simplicity".
From now on I'll use straight, no matter how many swirls of confusion I'll leave behind me

PS: It's so cool to use one's popularity to run such nice experience ! Nice one

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Lola

I did this. Two of the three adjectives I used to describe myself showed up in responses from forum members. Additionally, I thought it would be interesting to get this same feedback from people who know me well IRL. So far only my 15 yr old niece has responded.

Hi Lola,

I have decided to use this same experimant with my friends and family members. I will request the three word response freom family members. I am undecided about adding a paragraph which tells them it is all right to write more after they have chosen and written the three words as we have in the experiment here in the forums. I think that in my circle of friends I will ask for the same feedback.