Today I went with a colleague to pick up our media credentials for the Presidential debates on Wednesday. We’ll be covering the debates through social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ (check us out at #debatedenver, or @uofdenver).

Our badges have large pictures of us together with a bar code, a QR code, and strict instructions regarding appropriate use. Another woman was picking hers up at the same time, and I noticed it has some extra stickers – apparently easily identifying her as ‘more important’ than us – she will have access to extra areas on Wednesday. It got me thinking that visible credentials really can make a difference, which is why people wear uniforms in many professions. So why is it that in ‘management’ we don’t have formal uniforms that mark our expertise or contribution level?  Maybe we do have a ‘dress code’, but it isn’t as obvious as a uniform or a badge.  Not that I’m advocating for a uniform (save us all!) but how we mark ourselves in person and online is an interesting social question.