[Philip Lelyveld comment: the ETC's Hyper-Personalized Entertainment Offer project includes the idea of generating new revenue from content creation by turning the people involved in content creation into celebrities with fan bases. This article addresses issues and concerns related to that concept.]
A growing number of professionals are using social media to build a personal, public identity—a brand of their own—based on their work. Think of an accountant who writes a widely read blog about auditing, or a sales associate who has attracted a big following online by tweeting out his store's latest deals.
Co-branded employees may exist largely below the radar now, but that's changing fast, and employers need to start preparing for the ever-greater challenges they pose for managers, co-workers and companies. Their activities can either complement a company's own brand image or clash with it. Companies that fail to make room for co-branded employees—or worse yet, embrace them without thinking through the implications—risk alienating or losing their best employees, or confusing or even burning their corporate brand.
See the full story here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443995604578003082273743230.html