How to Protect Your Online Reputation in the Social Media Age

As an entrepreneur who has spent a lot of time building a positive and powerful online reputation for myself, I need to make sure I’m working alongside others who have done the same. Thanks to social media and Google, it’s quite easy to find personal and business histories on nearly anyone — especially if they aren’t careful with their social media activity. I’m not the only one interested in this type of information. Now, every individual and potential hire is under a magnifying glass before their employer makes any final decision.

Mark Cuban recently did an interview with Inc.  on the massive transformation of digital media and how personal data is being shared at an alarming rate. The majority of this personal data is collected through social networks and shared with various applications, sites, partners, and more — usually without the end user’s knowledge.

Todd William of ReputationRhino.com agrees that data is potentially putting social media users at risk: “The pressure to share on social media is intense. But oversharing has a number of unforeseen consequences, like the boss discovering you at opening day instead of taking a sick day, your kids asking about those funny-looking cigarettes, or a burglar finding out you are away from home on vacation.”

It’s not just about the sharing of your data — it’s also about what data is being shared, how it’s being used, and how your past updates, shares, retweets, and likes could possibly come back to haunt you.

Cuban mentioned that networks are now building personal profiles on every individual out there based off the data that is already available on the Web. This information is priceless to marketing companies and companies that are hiring. It is completely changing the landscape of technology and the way we live our lives.

Re-Examining Your Digital Footprint

Your digital footprint is already out there, but it’s not too late to make it smaller and remove any connections or content out there that could potentially harm you down the road.

With the recent news that Google will start indexing Twitter updates within its search results, it’s now more important than ever for individuals to take control over the content they have online and not let their past social media digital footprints potentially harm them in the future.

The first step is going through your main social profiles on networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and doing a manual audit of your updates, pictures, and friend relationships. A manual audit will give you an idea of the type of content you’ve put out there in the past. By cleaning it up now, you can prevent it from harming you in the future. In almost all cases, there is no need to leave potentially harmful content within your social profile history. All it takes it a simple click of the delete button to remove it from your profile stream.

Another option is to make sure you have a good reputation management plan or first impression in place. When someone searches for you or your brand online, you want to make sure they are finding quality content that puts you in a good light. For example, there are hundreds of other people who share my name in the world, but I’ve done my work to make sure I rank on the first page every time you search “Zac Johnson.” I’ve created my own site, blog, and managed social profiles, and I’ve highlighted my expertise on other high-authority sites across the Internet.

No matter how big or small your online footprint might be, there is no better time to start cleaning it up than today. Removing just three pieces of potentially harmful content per day equates to more than 100 removals over the course of a month. Take some time to invest in your future and your online reputation.

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This post originally appeared on BusinessCollective. 

Zac Johnson has 20 years of experience in the online marketing and business space. You can learn more about Zac at http://zacjohnson.com and through his latest online learning course and community at http://blogging.org.