As we continuously plough in to the digital world, there are several issues that we need to take seriously; one of those is the understanding of reputation whilst dealing with social media. Prior to jumping to the deep end of the subject many would agree that it’s best to characterise the term social media for readers that are not that familiar with it.

Social media in its wider sense can be defined as a group of internet based Information Systems/applications which its existence and success depends on user participation and user generated content on the social environment (mainly blogs, forums, and wikis). These user generated content are text, audio, video or other multimedia which are mainly published on social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter, or LinkedIn. Others include social bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us, or social news sites such as Digg.com.

Now that we have got that out of the way I’ll put the focus back on the subject. Every day we leave digital footprints of ourselves which is never deleted, at the same time it makes it easily accessible globally at any given period of time. Hence it is vital that we consider the issue of reputation whether you are an individual or a business owner.

Apart from us there are also other parties that contribute to our digital footprints, one obvious example that puts it in context would be if you own a business (e.g. a restaurant) then your customers are bound to talk about your business (service, food, staff, hygiene, etc) on social media as a whole. This means that whenever your business is being searched on the internet, the discussions that have been taking place about your business will come up as well.

The discussions that take place always give your business publicity whether it’s good or bad, as the saying goes “All Publicity is Good Publicity” but it’s only subject to how you or your business deals with it to turn it to your advantage. It is for this reason that it is a necessity that your business needs its’ presence on social media; if you don’t have a say or control, then the opportunity is wide open for others to control your reputation online, allowing them to have a say about your business.

In the case of individual reputation it is the same if you are an expert in any particular field (others might discuss about you or your idea/work). However it is mostly about your actions and digital foot print that you leave on social media. These are your status updates, videos, photos you upload on social sites, and comments that you leave behind. Employers these days search the internet for your digital footprint, if they find anything unprofessional (photos, videos, comments) then chances are, they will lose interest in you. You never know the opportunities that tomorrow might present to you, always be ready for it.

One highly important factor you need to consider at the moment is your Facebook and twitter accounts. Recently Facebook have changed their privacy policy allowing Google to index everything about your profile. To add to your surprise Google has also started integrating real time results from twitter, and many other social networking sites. This also means that others can view your facebook profile even if they are not friends with you, so be advised to configure your privacy settings, and think about what you post on your profile.

If you are in business, it is important that you divide your business and personal social profile. A basic advice is if have a Facebook account, and find yourself in a situation that you have your personal and business under one profile which is too late to separate, then I suggest that you categorise your friends list. This could be done by family, by high school friends, by university friends, and by business friends. This way you can have much more organised control of your profile by customising what each friend list or even each friend sees on your photo albums, videos, and status updates.

Now that we are aware of the necessity of reputation on social media, how do we go about addressing the issue? First on the list comes scanning, which is all about listening to what people say about you or your business so that you can be able to asses at what stage your reputation is?

 Setup Google alerts on your name and your business
 Bespoke dashboard, Google blog search via RSS reader
 You can also use socialmention.com for real time search, analysis & social media alerts for monitoring your company or your own name

Second comes planning, which is all about determining the type of social media you are going to use for which purpose, which also requires determining who you are networking with? Addressing this only requires simple logic; whilst finding a solution to a problem on the digital world it is always a good idea to look at things from the perspective of the real word as it is all comes down to human behaviour. For instance when you go to a party, you do not just go and stand over the wall, or even jump on the table and shout to everyone to look at you. This doesn’t need much explanation as it is common knowledge. The first thing we do is assess the crowd, and then off course all of us have got our own way of getting through the night. It is the same on social media; take time to look and assess which group/community you want to network with.

Third inline is consistency, often people think that social media campaign is like an advertisement campaign which has a start and end date. That is completely wrong, social media marketing is long term, consistency and sustainability are the major elements of it! Therefore it is essential that you allocate more than one individual who are passionate about social media that look after your marketing campaign. Your business needs multitude of voices to communicate with clients who will carry on in a sustained manner.

Finally the most important issue and the core of online reputation with social media is dealing with emergency negative media/image about your brand or you as an individual. Do not respond automatically, and emotionally, as visitors will come and see your anger. This will do more damage; people may have got a genuine problem with your service or making a credible point from a different angle when they are leaving a negative media/image. Take time out and give a measured and balanced response. All of this will be done publically so make use of the opportunity for good publicity. Always remember that we cannot control what happens to us, but what we can control is how we react to it. If your response is good then your reputation will not be related with you as an individual/your company making a mistake, but be related with the way you deal with the mistake or the argument you are making. Sometimes it might be that best response will be no response, however sometimes depending on the nature of the negative media/image you might come across tough times which might require of you dealing with it legally.

To conclude I cannot stress enough the need for vigilance. Always be on the watch as the internet constantly changes, things are much easier to correct whilst they are still immature.

“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it” Benjamin Franklin

Online Reputation Management 2010

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Guardian Article on Kindle“Tech it to the max: great gift ideas”

Whilst talking about internet safety there are different types of categories, the aim of this article is to highlight the important points on staying safe with the individuals you meet whilst networking with them. On my next article I will be writing an interesting article on online reputation management which will be both applicable for individuals as well as businesses.

When it comes to internet safety, a large amount of focus has been placed on teenagers and the use of social networking websites.  Although it is important for teenagers to be careful when using these popular websites, they are not the only ones who should be concerned with their safety.  If you are an adult, who enjoys networking online, you should also be cautious when it comes to meeting and communicating with other internet users.

Although social networking websites are a great place to meet other internet users, especially ones with interests that are similar to yours, they can also be dangerous.  In recent years, there have been numerous reports of instances when individuals were harmed when they went to meet an individual that they met on an online social network, which includes dating websites.  If you are not careful and cautious, the same thing could happen to you.  This does not mean that you should be filled with fear; however, it does mean that you need to be cautious online.

One of the many ways that you can protect yourself, when it comes to using online social networking websites, is by watching what you post online, particularly in your profile. You may not know this, but a large number of networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, FriendFinder, and Yahoo! 360 allow all internet users to see your profile or profile page. These internet users do not necessarily have to be a member of your online community unless you have configured your privacy settings. Not only this but I have also noticed even my friends using my computer and leaving their accounts not logged out, they might be safe for the moment as I’ll be able to log them out. Nonetheless it is not possible to expect the same outcome if you do the same in an internet café. This means that although your networking community may be safe, there are still unsavory individuals out there who could easily obtain your personal information.

In addition to the information that you make available to other internet users, including member profiles, you are advised to be cautious when making contact with other internet users, especially those that contact you.  A large number of social networking websites have open memberships. Essentially, this means that anyone can easily join and become a member.  Just because someone says they are who they are doesn’t necessarily mean that they are telling the truth. If at any point during your conversations you feel that you are speaking with someone who is making you feel comfortable or not telling the truth, so please be advised to end your conversation.

For many individuals it is enough to chat with others online, but for some it is not enough. Whether you are asked to meet with an online friend or if you initiated the meeting yourself, you are advised to be cautious.  You will not want to meet with an individual who you have only known online for a short period of time.  For safety reasons, it is advised that you speak with one of your online friends at least a month before agreeing to meet with them. If and when that meeting does take place, you are urged to have it in a public place. Tell a member of family or friend about the details of the rendezvous point.  That way if your meeting does not go as well as you had originally planned, you will be able to ensure your safety by having others around you.

The above mentioned precautionary measures are just a few of the many that you should take. Although you may be worried about hurting someone’s feelings or losing an online friend, you shouldn’t be. Your safety is far too important to be concerned with what others will be thinking or feeling.

Twitter marketing is a highly effective way to drive traffic to your content and establish an online presence in the quickest amount of time. Here are 7 “weird” ways to unleash the immense power of Twitter in your small business.

1. Be Vulnerable

To be naked is to be human. When you start sharing your hopes, dreams and fears, you connect with people on a visceral level. Remember, people buy from who you are before they buy what you sell.

2. Tick People Off

There’s a saying that when you try to please everybody you will please nobody. Be opinionated and the people who adore your persuasion will become your fervent followers. Polarization creates sales.

3. Tweet Nonsense

This sounds crazy, but hear me out. People hit up Twitter to chill and catch up with news. People don’t go on Twitter to do business, at least not deliberately. Hit their funny bone and they’ll respond by noticing you.

4. Become Yoda

People are addicted to positive thinking quotes on Twitter. The more motivation quotes you Tweet out, the more you get tweeted. The end result: People think you’re a deep thought leader worth following.

5. Start Dealin’ Cool

Again this bears repeating, people don’t go on Twitter to be sold to. Instead, they go to find breaking news and time-wasting Youtube videos. Here’s the key: Give them what they want (the cool), and they’ll give you what you want (the green). So go on Digg and tweet those links away.

6. Be a Master Asker

Don’t be afraid to ask for a specific action on your Twitter feed, for example a retweet. If you don’t ask for retweets, people will not give you one. If you don’t ask for props, they may not give you one. Ask and you shall receive.

7. Ooze Sex Appeal.

Be as suave with people as you would in real life. Offer compliments, be amicable, crack a joke or two. You’ll be surprised how well this translates in the online space.

And this will help you get as much Twitter traffic! as possible.

BONUS TIP:

8. Raise the Banner. Stand for a cause and your followers will start standing in solidarity with you.
And now there is good news For Business Owners Who Are Almost (But Not Quite) Satisfied With Their Twitter Marketing — And Can’t Figure Out What They’re Doing Wrong: Click Here! to find out more.

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