Your 6-Month Digital Makeover, Part 1

In my last post, I promised to provide you with a roadmap for accomplishing a major renovation to your digital reputation in six months.  You may be asking yourself: “Why does it take six months?”  My response:  ”It takes about that amount of time to be solidly established in social networks and social media and, further, to have these achieve prominence in search engines Google, bing and Yahoo!, etc.  You only get positive results, in depth, by doing the right things, in the right order and progressively monitoring and measuring your performance.  It takes time and effort, but the rewards are worth it!  Here’s the task list and recommended approach for part 1 of your digital makeover:

1. Search for and clean-up digital dirt – “Digital dirt” is made up of false, misleading or inaccurate information that can potentially damage your reputation online.  This is best detected through Google searches or by setting up Google Alerts.  Often, you’ll find that the online debris consists of inaccurate information automatically gathered up by various social media sites.  The solution is to update the information from these sites by accessing your existing accounts or, if you don’t have accounts, get them (more about this in “4″ below). 

If your search reveals defamatory information about you, you may want to consider taking legal action.  Let me also suggest an affirmative approach to cleaning up negative information about you.  It involves creating a strong online presence with positive profiles, recommendations from bosses, colleagues, customers, blog articles establishing your professional knowledge and the like.  No one controls the web and eliminating all the unfavorable information is a futile quest.  You’ll get further ahead on your goal of gaining a measure of control over what appears about you by focusing your energy on accentuating your positives online.  As the volume builds, you’ll find that his will outrank the negative entries in search engines.

2. Secure your personal domain name - You personal domain name (for example: tomsimpson.com) is the key to branding yourself online.  You can claim your’ at GoDaddy for less than $10 a year.  There are many other ICANN accredited registrars that can also provide this service.  I mention GoDaddy because of its convenience and reasonable cost.  Use GoDaddy’s convenient search tool to see if your name is available.  If not, you can look for derivative names and register the one that you believe will brand you best. 

3. Get a personal website – With your domain name secured, the next step is to do something with it.  GoDaddy can help you set up a low cost website will allow you to provide a profile and links to your other social media sites.  Another excellent solution is Nombray which offers Basic, Pro and Executive level offerings.

4.  Get LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook and additional accounts in social networks – LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Facebook are just a few of the social media/social networking sites you’ll need to be on to establish your online identity and reputation.  Once you have accounts, utilize their onboard tools to identify colleagues you can invite to join your network and build the critical mass you need to develop your personal brand.

A digital makeover is all about creating “cred” or credibility which the Urban Dictionary defines as “an ability to inspire belief in others.”  It’s an essential of smart job search and active career management.   Need help with your own digital makeover?  Read more…

Next:  Your 6-Month Digital Makeover, Part 2