You have a brand that your carry through out your life. It is on your driver’s license, your passport, and you are universally known by it. It’s your name. So consider owning your name as a url.
I just purchased www.markegoodman.com . Five years ago, when I was working for Motorola, I would have never have thought about it. I felt that I was a subset of the Motorola brand. But with job changes and the fact that search has become the yellow and white pages of the 21st century, how can I insure that I can be found. Not only be found, but insure the continuity and integrity of your brand.
Granted, social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter can help give you presence. However, they can come and go. Who remembers Prodigy? These sites often require membership from the searcher. In addition, for the most part, they control the routing.
Think about it. What is more important than your own brand? When it comes to building your image and furthering your career, who is more important than you?
Mark E Goodman 