If you don’t exist on the internet do you really exist? Just a joke, but it points out the importance of managing your online reputation. I turned to Caroline Black a blogger who really understand social media for some tips on managing your online reputation. Here is what she had to say…
After maybe weeks or months of reaching out to people, you’ve finally landed an interview for a great job or a sales meeting with a great potential client. You go and everything goes great, but then, out of nowhere, communication drops off. You reach out a few times more but still get no response. Puzzled, you move on with your life. Then, one day, you are scrolling through Facebook and realize a friend posted a not-so-flattering picture of you the weekend right after this meeting. Now it all makes sense.
It might seem unfair, but this happens all the time, and in this day and age, it can happen to anyone. It’s an incredibly common practice for potential employers and customers to head to Google or social media to do research on a person or brand.
Because of this, as a potential employee or as a company, you need to take on the responsibility of managing your online reputation. But one of the hardest parts of this is that you aren’t always in control of what gets posted about you to social media or other outlets. So, let’s take a look at some good methods for filtering out things you don’t want in the public eye so that you can develop and maintain a quality online image.
Own Your Social Assets
Without owning your social assets, you leave open the danger of somebody else claiming your brand or “name” on high-ranking social media platforms. You should own the official domain name, Facebook page, Twitter profile, Google+ and YouTube channels for your brand or name. Owning these channels enables you to own most of what will show up in a search engine result for a keyword.
Once these channels are in your possession, you can fill them with whatever you want. In this sense, what once may have been a weakness is now a strength. By owning your social assets, you now have the opportunity to showcase your creativity and skills via multiple outlets.
When starting a new company or business, be sure to register the business name with a website domain registrar as soon as possible. This should also be the case with social media channels. In fact, searching for the potential business name on Google and social media sites to begin with is good practice, as it could determine whether that name is worth pursuing or not.
Use Privacy Settings
Most of us own and run our own personal social media profiles these days. The content on these profiles differs, and sometimes we’re “tagged” in posts publicly, which are out of our control for a certain period of time. These channels and types of content can be a concern for people if they want to appear professional and worthy of a position with a company.
However, there are ways you can prevent potential future employers or clients from seeing personal social information about you online. This involves altering the privacy settings of your social media profiles. For example, Facebook allows you to block posts or any other information about you from anyone who isn’t a “friend” or connected to your profile. This is possibly the most effective solution.
Other privacy concerns can be related to “leaks” in information. This could happen when connected to public WiFi in any number of areas including within a company building. For added security and peace of mind, using a secure network will prevent this kind of thing from occurring.
Be Smart
At the end of the day, effectively managing your online reputation is achieved by using digital common sense. If you wouldn’t share it at the interview or business meeting, you probably shouldn’t share it online. Owning your social assets, keeping privacy settings updated and securing your connection are useful steps to take to help you stay in control of your online reputation.
Being in control of your online image shows you are serious about getting that job or landing that client. Take these precautions and show the world the best you possible. On the other hand, team and social collaboration is very important in engaging to your employees. Bitrix24 is a team management tool offers a practical approach to manage company. Well, there are lots of Bitrix24 Alternatives that has the same program with the original one.
What do you do to manage your online image? What tips can you share that have worked for you?
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