As an American-born Chinese, I grew up during a time when people used to describe us as “Chinks” or “Slanty-eyes.” I got angry at these derogatory remarks until I realized that maybe these people just didn’t know any better. Perhaps they came from a part of the country where there wasn’t very much cultural diversity. Or, maybe, they were just afraid of other cultures that they knew little about.

But, guess what? I grew up in this country. I’m pretty much as American pie as everyone else who has lived here for any length of time. I just happen to also know how to order Chinese food, as well as Italian, Hungarian, Thai and, yes, steak and potatoes.

The thing that irks me the most, though, about the Barack Obama racism is that there are some well-heeled people stirring up the pot who should know better. One famous talk show host recently suggested that Mr. Obama is somehow causing racism throughout the country. He tried to label it “Obama’s America.”

How can any intelligent person possibly link an un-related school bus beating with Barack Obama racism? The only logical conclusion that most people have come to is that this talk show host is looking to create controversy for his own financial gain. After all, controversy does seem to sell and it certainly seems to be the tactic of today’s hyper-tensioned country.

I’m not sure when America lost its “innocence.” But, I can remember the days when Camelot died … when JFK, Bobby Kennedy and, yes, even Ronald Reagan passed through our lives. While there was controversy during their times, at least there was general civility and respect amongst their colleagues and civilians.

Who would ever have thought that a “jackass” would stand up in front of congress and call the President of the United States a liar? This is not kindergarten folks! What kind of example are we passing on to our children, let alone to the leaders of the “free world?”

The Barack Obama racism issue is not a Red State vs. Blue State issue. It is an all state issue. At a time of unprecedented unemployment, health care inequity and education disparity, how can we allow our country to digress into this shameless act of self-destruction?

Ex-President Carter may or not be right that some people do not believe that an African AMERICAN could possibly be capable of leading our great nation. But, if a person with a Political Science degree from Columbia University and a Magna Cum Laude law degree from Harvard can’t lead this country, who can? The talk show host with NO degree?

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The sheer ferocity and speed by which Mr. Obama spread his presence online can only be attributed to one thing … a strategic team and a blogging army. Internet fame and fortune do not come from a single action, but from a series of well-targeted initiatives, supported by a laser-focused plan and executed in unison.

The reasons to extend your brand online, both on the Internet and on mobile devices are compelling … witness Mr. Obama’s wide campaign coverage. But, the Internet is also a double edged-sword. Today you might be a rock star, tomorrow yesterday’s old news.

The business of online marketing requires a solid understanding of the ebb and flow of the Internet and mobile users. The reasons are simple … velocity and boundless opportunities. Information moves so rapidly and the options available so vast that many users simply take results served up by search engines as gospel.

It’s no wonder that many stars, athletes and franchises carefully craft and extend their brands online. Who you are offline is one thing, but how you are portrayed and propagated online is another. In fact, one might argue that extending and protecting your brand online is as equally important as it is offline, if not more so. In our “always on” society, whether Twittering or texting, we’ve become accustomed to knowing the latest gossip about our favorite celebrity or up to the second sports scores.

If you’ve been considering extending your brand online, make sure you have a solid strategy and team in place and follow some simple rules:

1) Reinforce Your Message. You’d be surprised how many individuals, let alone global companies, who confuse the message with the product. It’s not about features and functions; it’s about the “what” and the “how” of the message you’re trying to convey.

2) Be Consistent. Once you start your campaign, sustain it. Many novice Internet marketers will create a website and forget about it. The biggest way to lose followers is to let your information get stale. Refresh yourself.

3) Be Bold … Broadcast. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Find every web 2.0 property that is related to your topic and blog, bookmark and link. You’ve got something to say … say it!

4) Socialize It. Tell every friend, family and colleague about your online presence. Get them to be your biggest advocates. It’s truly through this network effect when it can become viral.

5) Protect It. Just like in the offline world, there will be times when adversity will rear its ugly head. It can come in the form of negative press or simply a damaging blog from a disgruntled fan. You need to have an arsenal at the ready to counteract these potentially tarnishing remarks.

Extending your brand online, whether it’s a product or service, a company, or you as an individual is a great way to develop a new following or maintain an existing one. Either way, make sure you create your online presence with a sustainable process.

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