Online Image Management - Digital Professional Branding - Your E-Image

In today's business world, the single most important thing to manage is your e-image. More advanced organizations are now including specific guidance of on-line presence. Some organizations such as Razorfish encourage an Internet presence. Some companies completely prohibit it. Most are somewhere in-between. The bottom line is active management not just for the target audience but also for the company that you hold a duty and honor to - your image must match your employers. That is the unspoken agreement which is finally being talked about. Your job, your career, your livelihood demand upon your on-line image. People have lost their jobs. Careers have been damaged. Protect yourself, protect your family.  Learn how to be cyber savvy.  Listen closely and learn.

In either case you must manage your electronic image - everything about you on the Internet. The image you have created (even if it is no image - complete anonymity) must be actively managed. How effectively you do your job is often determined first by the personal equity that you have built and the foundation for your personal equity is directly tied to your electronic image or e-image.

Step #1 Review Your On-Line Identity

Your on-line identity might be non-existent, might surprise you, might be confused with a person with the same name. Know what happens IF someone googles you. And you can be assured, someone will google you. Several years ago I had an associate in England email and inform me that I had unclaimed property listing under my name in Illinois - I know about it via the mail wasn't expecting people across the ocean to know about it!

Review What Recruiters Friends and Associates Will See

Simply type in your name across the three major search engines - Google, Yahoo and MSN. then try this with your name in quotation marks.

Why the quotation marks? Using quotation marks is often more effective than leaving them off. Quotation marks force Google to find the exact phrase within the quotes. Remember the search engine is built around wild cards. The quotation marks help narrow your search. Afterwards, you may need to add in geography or unique characters - accreditation's (MD, Esq.,MBA, etc.) middle initial, middle name, maiden name, etc...

Be Clear - Be Transparent

Make your e-image transparent. No confusion is permissible. If your name matches an infamous person, you might want to consider changing it, amending it in some distinct manner to keep the distinctions clear. If your name is common, you might need to add in the geography.

If your name matches a family member you know in another state, and their image is clean, this is acceptable. In all cases, make your e-image transparent. Explore the entire universe out on the web for your name then narrow by geography. Be sure to see and fully review what they will see.

Twitter Follow Review

Be careful of who you choose to follow on Twitter. Some of the follows are not associations you want. Some of the associations are not presentable. My advise is never to follow automatically. I have had my Twitter name and my personal name associated to "follows" to website that are age restricted and are beyond movie ratings of R.

If you are not reviewing your follows on Twitter on a regular basis - you could be harming your e-image.

Be Careful Who You Friend Link To Or Associate With on the Web

The Internet is the World Wide Web - www and as such you will find many people with similar names - if not today, perhaps later in your regular reviews. I Linked to an associate who I thought I had worked with - the name was the same, the industry was the same - but not the same person. I reviewed the profile and the background had nothing objectionable but that is not always the case. On Twitter and Facebook I have been contacted more than once with sites that demand my age - first tip - this is not where you want to be associated - don't even sign in. If you do want to sign in - check out the stealth surfing services now available.

Get Regular Reports on Your Identity

Google alerts along with websites such as Pubsub and also Feedster can report on what is hitting the Internet. Remember, you want to make sure the information about you on-line matches your target audience.

Google alerts is my personal favorite - simple and easy to use. It is your personal assistant placing the terms you need right in your email inbox. I highly recommend weekly updates. IF something is happening of momentous importance in your career, your life, do change the setting to daily.

If you write under a pen name (highly recommended), you will need to set up alerts for your pen name also. I find it interesting when the articles I write hit the Internet. I closely review the dates and the promotions that I have done in order to determine what best serves the Internet.

For example, I have 3 standard alerts seaching all content delivered to me on a weekly basis, my pen name "GmaGoldie", my real name and the name of my boss. Additionally, when I want to learn something or I have a subject in mind I add other topic to the alerts. This way I can easily learn what the Internet is saying about a certain topic.

Step #2 Review Your Needs for Your On-Line Identity & Compare

For most professionals, you need an on-line image. For some industries, you need complete anonymity. Again review your target audience. You are creating a personal brand to actively market on the world wide web. What do you want people to know about you.

If you write on-line and are active, consider a pen name. And consider multiple pen names. Don't put all your eggs in one basket as Grandmother would say. You can start centralized but plan on branching out especially if you are a prolific writer or write on various subjects or if your professional and personal interest run a wide gamut.

Internet Rule - "Once on the Internet Always on the Internet"

The rule on the Internet is "once on the Internet always on the Internet', the computer is the complete keeper of information indefinitely.

If you find something you'd rather the world didn't see, first contact the web site's support staff and ask that it be removed. If that doesn't work, create a new positive on-line presence. Write a blog, create your biography (specific steps are provided below) and publish on sites specific to your industry. Dilute the negative and expound upon the positive.

Sheltering Past Negative Internet History

The best way is to never have it occur. The simplest way is to add valid positive content that pushes the negative to the past. And the most comprehensive is to use a program that promotes their ability to wipe out that history. Likewise IF you desire complete anonymity on the web, you might want to look at some of these websites.

Need Anonymity - Here Are Some Helpful Tools

Once you have reviewed your target audience, you will know what e-image you need - IF any. If you are in an industry where you know you don't want an on-line identity you might find this helpful, How to Hide Your Identity Out on the Internet

Also, when surfing the web, be aware of website that hide your IP address. Start Pages provides stealth surfing. This is great for competition reviews and for possible medical searches. To find more similar websites, try the search terms "hide identity".

The Computer Knows and Remembers Forever

Remember your computer knows and retains everything - be extra careful at work - have a specific purpose for each and every search. Be accountable and save your job - for both you and your family! Stealth surfing the web may not protect you at work - may only protect you form the sites you are viewing seeing your IP address. Be smart with your surfing at work.

Blocked Searches

Blocked searches. If your computer administrator has blocked certain sites, here is a quick and simple way to get through. "HideMyAss" (HMA) - yes it is a real website! HMA also hides your proxies, enabling you to surf the Internet without with complete anonymity. Fun fact - if you are blocked to view any particular web site, HMA will help too.

Delete Services

If Facebook is problematic for you, try the “anti-social network” Seppukoo.This web site is a offers a full "kill" complete with a customizable memorial page.The website moniker is from the term "seppuku" which is a ritual suicide practiced by ancient Japanese samurai warriors. Interestingly, Seppukoo acclaims to restore a samurai’s honor and the “liberation of the digital body.”Social networking is now complete with cross cultural associations and including another social experience out on the world wide web!

Step #3 14 Steps to Create Your E-Image Biography

There are a myriad of sites from social sites Facebook, My Space to professional sites such as LinkedIn. If you are a college student, a professional (for most industries), or an entrepreneur, you need an on-line presence. For your convenience, here is a step by step approach to a complete review. Like all great things, it will take time. Chip away at it little by little and you will create an on-line profile that properly reflects the skills and experiences you offer to your company, your associates, your friends and family.

NUMBER ONE - ALWAYS KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

1. Know and match your image to your target audience. Remember you are marketing yourself. Do not proceed until you know who and what your are promoting and why. Is your target audience a creative industry or "facts and figures" orientated? Some industries specifically prohibit an on-line presence. The tone, the words, the photos all must work to one cohesive product - your image. There is a direct parallel to your target market and your target audience - one is promoting a product or business opportunity, the other the target audience is promoting and relating your personal brand identity. Your target audience is always your first reference point and should be actively referenced each step of the way in building and maintaining your on-line biography.
   
2. Keep it short. One page or less - yes, you have all the room in the world - start with the long version and then edit.
3. Highlight what makes you different. If your GPA, your sales, your awards standout - include that in your biography. Computer skills and social media savvy sell - tell them about your on-line presence.
   
4. Showcase your knowledge, your expertise and problem-solving abilities.
5. Include achievements and awards. If your industry knows the acronyms keep the acronym - if you are transitioning industries, explain the acronym or abbreviation or don't use it all.
   
6. Showcase your professional presence. Include professional references and links to both professional and volunteer organizations. If you travel allot you can add a trip advisor to showcase the miles you travel. If you prepare presentations, you can add the power points. If you are in marketing, include videos specific to what you market. Again refer to your target audience.
   
7. Link to your most recent publications. If you have not published, consider writing on a subject you are passionate about or an expert - this adds substantially to your e-image.
8. Provide Internet contact information scripted (don't include your email address complete - put spaces verbiage in between so spam will not pick it up and create havoc in your in box).
9. Encourage the reader to contact you.
10. Include a great personal photography. Invest in a professional photo IF you need to. Or be inventive. One of my creative friends did his own photo with a hat - he lives in Texas and highlight his Texas hat - very unique - very memorable and very simple. The red cowboy hat was pure genius. If you are inventive with your photo, remember rule #1 - it must match your target audience. Corporate America would not find the red Texas Hat endearing - his new career of creative artist was perfect for the red hat!
    
11. Analyze your biography with others in your same target market. Find the key words and incorporate them.
12. Pair with an associate in your industry and ask for their input. Remember to tie back to #1 - your target audience.
13. Publish, publish, publish, publish to all directories relevant - you guessed it to your target market back to number #1.
14. Review and update your image on a regular basis.
    

#1 Your E-Image is Your Professional Brand

Your E-Image is your professional brand. It is an integral part of your job to actively manage and in some cases promote your brand.

#2 Everything About Your E-Image Must Relate to Your Target Audience

Your e-image centers around one thing - your target audience. Remember you are marketing this image. Every aspect of your image must be favorable to your target market - your reading audience.

#3 Review Your E-Image on a Regular Basis

Review your e-image on a regular basis. The world wide web is a dynamic social and professional site. Update your e-image as needed. Create an on-line biography. Publish to pertinent websites. If you are job hunting, you must be published on LinkedIn.

FTC Disclosure

The author holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and is an adjunct professor specializing in communications.

The writer of this series of articles has no affiliation of any kind with any of the companies or governmental entities listed within this article. Additionally, she does not receive financial or service remuneration.

The author has a broad range of interests and frequently writes about communications, art, fitness-, health and food safety. The author holds several patents and is the inventor of the EZ Swimmer and President of American Son Products, Inc.