People talk a lot about building their personal brand or building equity in themselves or their online business or any type of business for that matter. In no time in history has this been easier to do than today with the free access anyone with an internet connection has to social media and networking tools.

You can head over to blogger.com, start a free blog, and start disseminating your message to the world. You can buy a webcam, hook it up to your computer, make a video, and upload it to Youtube. Someone across the country can watch the video you made today a few minutes after you upload it. And this costs you nothing. Well, that’s not quite true. It costs you time. But it’s time well spent.

Still, like most people, you’re probably wondering how to get started, or you’re probably thinking, “just what does creating a personal brand mean?”

Your personal brand is about honesty. It’s about providing value. It’s about transparency. There is no more hiding when every one is walking around carrying a video camera attached to their phone. Shady business deal are harder to pull off when people can Twitter a thousand people and let them know about the jackass who tried to rip them off.

The new way business will increasingly be done is through a more direct, personal channel. I don’t care if you’re a writer or a real estate agent. You can start building your market share by accepting the fact that you are your brand and you need to take the responsibility of how you do business. If you provide an amazing service or an amazing product and have a sincere desire to do right by your customers or audience, you are the kind of person who will succeed in 2009 and beyond.

Personal branding isn’t about a logo, or a header on a piece of paper, or a sign on a lawn. The new branding is about service, value, and transparency–three keys to success that really aren’t that new.

The best way to be successful in the “new economy” is to do your best to serve your “audience.” There is no marketing better than having a few “fans” who love what you do and tell everyone they know about it. The way you get these evangelists is by bending over backwards for them and providing amazing service and value. Nowhere is the idea of good karma more evident than in building a personal brand. You give a lot and you will get a whole lot in return.