Yes, it’s a new year. And no, this isn’t another “Top trends for 2008” piece. For the last 12 years, you’ve been reading how to leverage online tools to amplify visibility for company brands. In 2007, it was all about how to leverage Social Media to “engage” brands, and the people behind them, in the “conversation.”

Well, this isn’t another one of those articles, either.

Instead, we’re going to focus on you. That’s right. In 2008, the most important online brand to focus on is you.

The Web has become socialized and with it, content is now largely user-generated and globally democratized.

Social Media is becoming more pervasive every day and one by one, we engage deeper and more extensively with each media property that undergoes “social” reconstructive surgery as well as with every new social network and micromedia tool (Twitter, Utterz, Seesmic, Tumblr, etc.) that emerges.

The one thing that connects everything together is you. You are on the frontlines for everything not only related to you, but everything you represent now and in the future.

You are the hub of your online activity and therefore, with every comment, every new profile, update, every post or image/video uploaded, you are intentionally or inadvertently constructing an online persona that, at the very least, creates an online personality that is open to perception and interpretation—with or without your implicit direction.

In 2008, it’s time to think about the impression you want people to have when they encounter the pieces of the puzzle that you place across the Web for them to reconstruct.

This is your online identity and, your online brand. It’s yours to create, cultivate, define, and yours to manage.

Think about it.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, part of a company, or a student, remember that your Web activity is an open book that remains open for all to read for years to come. Those who are strategic about how they participate online will elevate above the masses that choose to experiment and learn the hard way.

Bottom line is, whether you’re applying for a job, pitching a business prospect or representing a bigger brand in social media engagement, you will be Googled for reference. That’s just the way it is. Besides, you know you Google yourself, too. It’s one of our guilty little pleasures.

Did you know that Facebook and MySpace feed your profiles into Google search? Did you know that Twitter updates show up in Google Alerts and also in Technorati? Or, were you aware that Flickr images appear in Yahoo search? One last one, just to nail the point … did you know that your comments appear in search engines as well?

The point of this post is to think about online participation in an entirely different, and more useful and productive way.

You are the brand. Use the power of search and social media to your advantage.

So how do you invest your online activity in a way that pays back dividends to you many-fold?

I was once asked a question at a conference I was addressing, where someone genuinely wanted to know, “How does someone get recognized as a thought leader online?” My reply was simple. It all starts with being a thought leader.

OK, maybe you don’t have to be among the illustrious or the elite. But, have something to offer to the community. Your experience can be shared with various niche groups of like-minded people who can learn from you, and in turn, you can learn from them. This is the foundation for resonance and community.

It’s about the demonstration of expertise and the reinforcement of good ideas mixed with mistakes and lessons learned. This is how you consistently build and support an online brand. It’s about what you share and how you participate. It defines not just your brand, but it also affects the brands you represent. The rest is just the tools that facilitate the exchange of information and dialogue.

So in 2008, focus on you and the brand you wish to portray online. Doing so will yield tremendous benefits for not only you, but those around you as well—now and in the future.