Result #1: My personal Facebook page
Result #2: Someone else’s Facebook page
Result #3: Image results for “Rachelle Morris” (The first few which actually are me. Sadly, I cannot claim the one of the skinny bikini-clad model…sigh)
Result #4: Article of someone named Rachelle Morris, who is about the same age as me and shot her ex-husband in front of their children in 2008. For the record, THIS Rachelle Morris is not me. I am happily engaged (to a living breathing man) and the closest thing I have to a child is my 7 year old Pomeranian, Peanut.
Lesson learned? Well, from a professional standpoint, it’s important to know what the Internet might have to “say” about both you and your business. And there are a number of ways you can keep tabs on this. Here are a few that I suggest:
Google your name and business name
If the pages and articles you would prefer to be listed first in the search results do not appear there, then work on some SEO techniques that might improve chances of your preferred pages making it in the top results. Comb through the Google results for anything pertaining to your business as you never know when your business could be the target of malicious and incorrect information. I also suggest looking through the complete image results to ensure there aren’t any photos online that you wouldn’t want the world to see.
Here you can set up alerts that email you directly when any relevant and new content based on your assigned keywords hits the web. Examples of terms to consider:
- Your name
- Your company’s name and acronym
- Your products/services
- The names of your CEO and other key team members
- Industry keywords
- Important industry figures
- Events your company hosts
- The names of your competitors
Use a social media search tool
SocialMention* is such a tool which allows you to conduct a search in the social networking world to see what is being said about you and your business across a number of social platforms. You can conduct a search as you like, or even set up alerts (much like Google Alerts) that will email you directly with new content that is based on your keywords.
Change your social networking profile privacy settings
Social networking sites sometimes have privacy filters that will allow you to customize who can and cannot see your information, posts, photos, etc.
Let me paint a picture for you to demonstrate why this might be of some importance:
Let’s say you have a Facebook page and your privacy settings currently allow for ANYONE to see your photos from last month’s bachelor party in Vegas, a funny-yet-naughty meme you shared with your friends, or perhaps some political rant you posted at 1am after one-too-many glasses of wine. Now let’s just say an important customer, investor, colleague or even your grandma stumbled upon this sensitive material because you haven’t set up your privacy settings to shield them from this sort of content. This sort of content might sway their opinion of you and your level of professionalism and ultimately might not have the best outcome for you or your business.
Check out your social networking sites to see if they offer filters and customizable privacy settings. Or, to ensure sensitive material doesn’t become a problem in a sensitive relationship, it is probably just best practice not to post it. But, if you must, at least set up your privacy settings so you save yourself from a world of hurt if it ever falls into the wrong hands.
These are just a few of the ways you can keep a watch over your professional brand on the Internet. The most important lesson is to be mindful that, whether you like it or not, the Internet creates an identity for you and your business. Arm yourself with the knowledge as to what identity it has created on you and your business’ behalf and do what you can to mold it into an identity that is professionally appropriate.
Other recent posts by Rachelle:
- How I (Accidentally) Accessed a Former Employer’s Twitter Account Without Their Password
- DS12 – What a Show!
- Instagram, Hashtags and First DEMA Show…OH MY!
- Well Isn’t That Pinteresting….
- Tweet, Tweet…Anybody there?
- Twitter Me This…
- How to Gauge the Success of your Facebook Page
- Searching for a Perfect Social Media Plan
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