I offered a list of six easy steps to personal online reputation management back in November 2007. It’s been one of the most popular pages on this site. A lot has changed, and I’ve given the subject a lot of thought over the past year. It’s become evident that simply creating social media and blog profiles isn’t enough. They serve one purpose, but also leave you vulnerable to misunderstanding.

If I boiled down the message of this post into one sentence, it would be this: Every profile you create should be visited and used regularly.

The focus of search engine based reputation management used to be all about rankings. If you could artificially populate the top ten Google and Yahoo results for your name, you were doing well. But this mindset was limited to one basic principle of ORM: push negative search results lower than page one of search results, and your reputation will be spared most of the loss.

But what happens when someone clicks these results you’ve created? What impression are you making? A first impression is still a first impression. Research still tells us something about the person we’re searching.

I know there are 50 “gurus” out there now who will manage your personal reputation by building these profiles or recommending you build them yourself. But think through this strategically. You want to BUILD your reputation, not just sweep bad comments under the rug.

That’s why you need a REAL STRATEGY for reputation management. It’s not enough to read a few blog posts and go flying off to create some half-cooked scheme. Building your reputation involves proactively creating a positive image. A bland, neutral image cannot combat the negative comments, nor does it impart a positive vibe about you to the searcher.

What are your goals? Get a job? Establish credibility? Sell leads? Impress potential clients? A deadpan profile does none of that. If your prospect finds an abandoned profile, you WILL appear to be just another colorless Joe who doesn’t make things happen. You’re just another guy or a girl with a lame profile page.

How does a winner sell himself in person? Take that creative energy and apply it to your online reputation. This is no place to cut corners, people. In fact, what is found online is more permanent than the words you speak. Handle with care, and see a professional before executing a premature campaign.

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