The Basics of Managing Your Online Identity

As social- and becomes even more ubiquitous you need the tools to manage and control your personal identity and reputation online. Use the the following 10 steps to enhance your toolset.

  1. Buy yourname.com Even if you don’t plan to start a or build a web site immediately, you should own your own domain. Having a single point on the web for authoritative information about yourself is key to managing your online identity. I recommend buying domains from GoDaddy (it’s only $8 a year!)
  2. Set up Google Alerts for your name. 
  3. your name (or for a more proactive approach, set up a Alert for your name)
  4. Make a list of all the places where you have on the web, boards, chat rooms, blogs, websites, comments, etc. All of this is traceable back to you, make sure it reflects your online identity goals.
  5. Decide what social-networking sites you are going to spend more time on than others, also look at what an appropriate amount of conversation and information is acceptable at each site.
  6. Monitor what , messages, and are hitting your social-networking site profile pages. Have a MySpace? Delete the from your wall. Have Facebook? Untag yourself from questionable photographs or ask the poster to take them down. And certainly if you have photos or messages in any of your social-networking sites that don’t fit well with your online identity goals, take them down or delete them.
  7. Don’t delete your accounts! Having a presence on the web isn’t a bad thing, just make sure that the information available puts you in a positive light.
  8. Read and comment on blogs. This should probably be higher up in my list, but participating in the numerous happening at any given moment is a huge opportunity to meet new people, gain , and share which is what social- is all about. 
  9. Give back what you take in. If you learn something online, spread it around. Share the , both in the form of , emails, instant messages, etc. If you appreciate what someone is doing let them know.
  10. Each of us has our own set of and , you know things that others don’t. It isn’t difficult to reach out and connect with others who have similar , or who know more than you. Find those people and connect with them. Social isn’t social without you.

Managing your online identity takes some time when you’re just starting out, but it’s worth it in the end when you have networks and connections with people you never knew existed. The sharing and the and the that happen each day are amazing, and if you’re a part of it, your online identity will prosper.