Why do you need to know about online personal branding? Well, because Imogen Heap wore a Twitter dress to the Grammys last night, obviously.

Heap’s outfit demonstrated once again that the internet and social media continue to penetrate popular culture and our lifestyles at a rapid rate. While most stars opted for designer couture on the red carpet, the British singer wore a neck piece with a wireless router embedded into it which enabled a live Twitter feed, and her bag was a small television set.

Throughout the Grammys the outfit displayed pictures and videos sent in by Heap’s Twitter followers, enabling them to join their favourite artist at the awards show in a unique way. Despite being deemed a fashion fail, the ‘Twitdress’ is an interesting landmark as it hints at the possible movement of internet technology from our desks and briefcases to our actual clothing.

Corporate branding can easily be confused with personal branding online, as companies do their best to promote their profiles. While the two are not entirely separate, confusing them can be dangerous. Look at my sideshow on how corporate branding online is different from personal branding to see what’s really different between the two and where their advantages lie.

Corporate and Personal Branding in a nutshell:

• Personal Branding is “all about you”.
• You have a personal brand even if you don’t choose to have one.
• It’s about how you appear to the world and what (or what company and values) you represent.
• What you can choose is how you maintain and present your personal brand.
• Personal branding is very important for a company to give a personal touch to the company because a personal brand is the reflection of a person’s identity and values behind the company.
• More generally, Richard Branson used personal branding very successfully to foster loyalty for his companies.