3 tips to protect your online reputation

February 4 2010, 9:31am

Early this week I read an article about protecting your reputation online that fell nicely into some conversations I have been having with employees at ICUC Moderation Services and people interested in what I spend the better part of my days talking about - social media. Since social networking really requires that we are all so transparent and open to sharing, does it have to mean that we display our entire lives online? Do we really want to create an open forum for people to discuss our lives while we simply watch and listen? Don’t we get enough of that from our friends and family? The simple answer is yes - and I will explain it in the basic rules of the schoolyard. “Gimme gimme never gets, don’t you know your manners yet?” So basically, it’s not all about you. You have to give to receive. Becoming trustworthy online requires that we share, however it’s reasonable that we have concerns for our reputation. The web is worldwide after all, and it’s safe to assume most of us have one or two regrets. Staying in front of your profile is the best thing you can do for yourself in today’s industry. Here are a few tips to keep in mind: 1. Moderate Yourself Don’t start swearing up a storm on Twitter because someone called you out on something. Be respectful. Being the bigger person is hard - but it’s always worth it in the end. Think before you act. 2. Those who live in glass houses… If you don’t want it online - don’t put it there. And for goodness sake, don’t give it to someone who will. You’re smarter than that. 3. Google Alerts Here is something free and easy. Google Alerts sends you a message once a day regarding any name or phrase that you want to follow. Set it and forget it. This way you will be alerted if your name is used and you can make informed decisions on how to best react. If you have any other suggestions on how to protect your reputation online - we would love to hear them. Leave us a comment below.