Cleaning Up Your Online Identity

Creating and maintaining a professional online identity is an important part of any overall job search strategy. Unfortunately there is a lot of information on the Internet that is either inappropriate or just plain wrong. As a benign example of this, I googled my brother Eddie to see what the world was saying about him and discovered that we are related to the actor Judd Hirsch. Apparently this is a very well-guarded family secret since no one in my family can trace any relationship whatsoever to Judd Hirsch. Fortunately this isn't the kind of misinformation that is particularly harmful to anyone (which is why we chose to laugh about it rather than get upset). But some people have discovered that there is information floating about in Cyberspace that may actually be harmful to them.

If you want to know what's being said/printed about you, start with a Google search of your name and see what pops up. If there is misinformation that you want corrected, you can then go directly to the content provider and talk to them about having that information removed. Another option is to subscribe to a service such as ReputationDefender.com and work with them to have the offending and/or erroneous information removed. Of course, it may not always be possible. There is still a First Amendment Right to Free Speech in this country that can make it hard to get rid of information about you that is not flattering, especially if that information turns out to be true.

Consider this fair warning for those of you who are devotees of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. The things that you say about yourself can come back to haunt you. So be very very careful what you choose to publicize about yourself.

It's never too late. Even if there is offensive content floating around, you can actively bury that information under a pile of new content. If you publish a website, write a blog, and create lots of new content that is more consistent with what you want people to know about you, the older content will get pushed out of sight and you will be in a much better position to market yourself effectively.

One of the most interesting ways to establish and promote your good name is through Naymz (www.naymz.com). They bill themselves as a Reputation Network. At this site you can create a profile, invite references to comment on your work, and use their search engine to promote that information. Through a systematic approach like this, you can control the flow of information and create an online identity that works effectively for you.

Creating and maintaining an online identity is now part of the professional landscape and an important tool that you can use to establish a professional identity and enhance your reputation. It's definitely worth the time to learn to use these tools to your own advantage.