When was the last time you said something that you wish you had not? When was the last time you wished you could go back in time and erase an incident? Bill Gates probably wishes he did not send a couple of emails. And this public relations employee likely wishes he did not send a certain tweet.

Remember Candid Camera? And if you haven't seen Punk'd, it's worth watching a couple of episodes for a few laughs. But who wants to wake up one morning to a Google surprise? Luckily, you can do many things to hedge against a Google surprise.

Let's assume you're skating to where the consumer puck is going and not still watching the ice where it last was and that you're participating in the social web. I'll also rift a bit from this prior post.

Much of what's online that's been written about you, written by you, linked to either, etc, is indexed by Google and other search engines. This indexing runs the gammut from articles you post on blogs, to tags that people add to their social bookmarking accounts that relate to these articles, to your Facebook activity, etc. You really cannot control what Google and other search engines index, but you can control what you write, post on blogs, share and comment about on Facebook, etc.

A good rule of thumb is to think before you write, think again, then post.

Look ahead to a couple of months from now and ask yourself: "What do I want people to see when they search for me on Yahoo, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc"? Then work backwards to ensure that your submissions to blogs (whether posts or comments), Facebook status updates, LinkedIn interactions, Twitter updates, etc, "roll-up" or "blend" to the "person" you want to convey to your existing and potential clients.

For example, use your LinkedIn profile to post more business-like information, status updates, and engage with other professionals via LinkedIn's Question & Answer platform. Treat LinkedIn like a client or Board Room presentation. You can loosen up a bit on Facebook where you can comment and post photos from your trips, events, parties, etc, but remain mindful of the fact that clients and potential clients are also present (Do you really want that lampshade photo of you swiggin' tequila shots while standing on the band amp to represent you? Do you really want your existing clients to read a snarky status update on your Facebook profile?). Thus, treat Facebook like a party, reunion, neighborhood get-together, etc, where clients are present. Twitter is a social media platform that's very akin to having a face-to-face conversation when you use it. And once you embrace Twitter it can become very adicting as you fire off 140 character missives; and therein lies a danger. Twitter is conversation-like, but it's not like having a "real" face-to-face conversation--everything you post on Twitter is indexed by Twitter and potentially by search engines too.

The take-away from this article should not be that "social media is scary" or that "I don't want to do anything", etc. The take-away is that you actually have a modicum of control over what clients and potential clients "see" when they're searching for you on Google, or through any of the social media platforms. By taking a managed approach to what you post and thinking twice before you post you're well on your way to ensuring that your online reputation matches your offline one.



Posted By: Eric Bryn