It doesn’t matter who you are, reputation is important. I think the first time we learn this rule is probably in high school. That’s when we really first get gossipy and feel the need to brand each other as one thing or another. You might have a reputation for being the smartest kid in class or the easiest girl in school. Reputation can be a bad thing or a good thing, but usually, you’ve done something to help it along. Not in every case (the rumour mill can be cruel), but you get what I’m saying.
Ever since our high school days, we’ve each been managing our individual reputation. Everything you do when you’re in the public eye defines how other people see you, in one way or another. The same is true for your online reputation, except here it’s visible to just about everyone. The internet is like the most gossipy friend you ever had growing up. She’ll tell anyone who asks that you “liked” a few too many pictures of cats or posted something slightly obscene on a friend’s wall. Oh yeah, she’s always there for you; I’ll give her that. But, I’d be careful about trusting her with any of your secrets.
You really have to take care to manage your online reputation, just as you would in real life. There is one tool that can help you do just that. It’s free and it can be found at Reputation.com. All you have to do is answer a few questions about yourself, and Reputation will begin scouring the web for information about you. You might find things you’re aware of, like your Facebook page or LinkedIn profile, or you might find a few surprises.
You can also ask to receive an email update whenever you’re mentioned online. In this way, it’s kind of like setting a Google Alert up for your name, but it narrows things down a little more for you. For example, there might be 500 people with my name around the world. I don’t really need an email update to find out that Christina D., the paralegal from Duluth, Georgia, won an award for her stellar paralegaling skills. But, if someone in my town is talking about someone with my name, I sure do want to know (spoiler: it’s probably about me).