Through the convenience of technology and social networking, any person in a position to review your reputation for the purposes of employment, volunteering, or other public interface can find out a great deal about you and your past. The time of relying on the technological inability of some people has long passed––everyone can check out details online, or find someone who can do it for them. If you’re prone to spilling your life’s stories online, this can spell trouble. What is your online reputation saying about you right now? And how can you protect it better from this point on?
Whenever you join a site that allows you to add a good profile, use each profile opportunity as a chance to show your best side. Write the profiles carefully; highlighting the things about you that really matter to you and that you’d like other people to acknowledge you for.
Try to be consistent concerning the information that you provide in profiles. As things change, keep these profiles updated.
Thoroughly proofread and copyedit any online postings or resumes before submitting them. In most cases, employers frown upon and likely will turn down hiring you if your resume or other important applications are littered with mistakes. Additionally, your friends, family, or coworkers who can see your social network posts may find consistent grammatical errors annoying.
This means sharing information, photos, videos, and other online items that reflect well on you and improve the general nature of online communications. Things that are not productive include embarrassing photos of you or others (in the latter case, you show poor judgment in hurting someone else’s feelings), defamatory or degrading content, filthy jokes, crass comments, flaming or trolling commentary, and so forth. If it’s negative, degrading, and hurtful, it’s unproductive and will saddle you with a poor reputation.
• Focus on shining when online. What good things can you say about others? What fun and interesting information can you enlighten others with? In what ways can you share entertaining things with others that are thoughtful and considerate?
• Take responsibility for the images, information, stories, and videos that you share online. Your friends, followers, and family expect this, just as you expect it of them.
With so much being said, we must keep an ardent watch of the things relating to our privacy!
