Your Online Reputation Matters!

If you are engaged in any type of formal training then it’s quite likely you are aspiring to improve the quality of your life and future. In today’s world of technology and social media it is very easy to tarnish your reputation and jeopardize future opportunities - unless you make a conscious effort to manage your online presence. The fact of the matter is, the absence of online presence can be just as damaging as a scandalous one.

Here are some simple steps build presence and ensure your online reputation is giving people the right impression of you:

1. Ask yourself “where do I want to be in 1 year, 5 years or even 10 years” and based on the answer, you should begin to conceptualize the expectations of that future person you’re aspiring to be.

2. Create an inventory of social media platforms that are available, include the ones you use and the ones you don’t use. Research ways to use these tools and gain understanding of what they were meant to be used for.

3. Search for people who have the jobs, education, lifestyles, positions & characteristics you wish to acquire and observe their online presence and use of social media. Use this as a road map to guide you while you build your own reputation over time.

4. Most importantly: learn to keep private matters private and public matters relevant. Know your audience. Share personal things with personal people. Use multiple accounts to target multiple audience types. Understand privacy features and use them wisely.

5. Stay current. Social sites and apps change frequently so be vigilant in following best practices of social networking.