Building a sound reputation online can be a tedious and time-consuming task. But given the nature of the internet, you cannot afford to take risks by neglecting your online reputation. If your fair name is damaged you will have difficulties finding a suitable job and business owners will lose customers.
To build a god online reputation, follow certain golden rules:
Be upright, respectful, and consistent online. Treat others as you want to be treated.
Be active on social media and post frequently.
Write blogs responsibly and positively about topics that are important to your industry.
Participate in appropriate online communities. This will help contribute to the quality of online discourse.
If you are using major social media channels, link all your accounts together to optimize search engine results.
Try to use a consistent email address and the name that prospective employers/customers would use to search for you.
LinkedIn is a business-oriented social network meant for professionals/business owners to network, communicate, and join groups. If you have a LinkedIn profile, keep it updated and make sure that each section reflects your positive strengths and achievements.
Constantly monitor the web for content that contains your name by using Google Alerts and take suitable action.
Make it a point to read other people’s blogs and write positive and constructive comments that add new insight to the post or thoughtfully answer a question.
Google yourself periodically so that you know what others see/read when they Google you
Remember to use privacy controls on your social networking sites to limit personal information that you don’t want publicly viewed.
Select an email address that reflects positively about your net reputation and enhances your personal brand.
Make it a point to interact with online content rather than merely consuming it. Frequently commenting in forums will demonstrate your expertise and problem solving skills and thereby enhance your online reputation.
If you use Twitter, review your tweets to make sure they reflect your professional image and the manner in which you desire to be branded.
In today’s scenario, you have to be proactive. You may use Google’s tool for reputation management: “Me on the Web”
Review also your Facebook and other social networking content. Facebook is the most popular social networking site on earth and it’s likely that you have a profile. Conduct regular cleaning operations and update your status.
Be discerning and avoid spending huge money at online reputation repair companies as far as possible.