“All that I am my mother made me.” A thought offered by John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States and son of the second.

The message: Who he was as a person and the perceptions people had of him was a result of his upbringing. Particularly the influence of his mother, Abigail.

In effect. His brand.

We’re all products of our environment. Who we are today and the impression we leave with others was shaped by many influencers. Not the least of who were our parents.

But what if someone doesn’t get to meet and interact with your personally?

We now live in a world where, as Eric Schmidt former CEO of Google said, “everything is available, knowable and recorded by everyone all the time.”

It’s the power of social media. We’re all public figures now.

Regardless of what image you try to project, regardless of how you perceive your own brand – personal or professional, you are who your friends, followers, and the person the next table over in the restaurant who is listening to and tweeting your conversation say you are. It’s what can be learned about you through any number of search engines.

If John Quincy Adams were alive today, he would still appreciate the influence his mother had on his life, but he might also offer some further words of wisdom.

“All that I am Google made me.”