The NBC “Today” show this morning (Thursday, August
22, 2013) had a brief discussion of “protecting your reputation online”.
The “gals” pointed out that most employers Google or
Bing applicants’ names, as do most dates.
And the big hooker for many people is not what they post, but what
others post about them.
I’ve never run into that, probably because I’m “older”. I’ve been flamed in forums a couple of times,
but in circumstances where it was real obvious that the dart thrower had real
problems himself. (I remember an
incident on AOL’s “Movie Grille” back in 2000 where someone was offended by my
libertarian interpretation of the book and film “A Perfect Storm”. It got
wild.)
“Today” pointed out there is a real problem with “digital
doppelgangers”, people with the same name as you online, particularly if you
have a common name. Atlantic has a story
on it here. Unfortunately, employers, and sometimes
lenders, don’t always unscramble duplicate names correctly, and there is no
regulation in the area. I don’t’ have a
lot of problem with it because I have an unusual spelling for an eastern
European last name and can use a less than obvious nickname for writing.
The advice was, beyond hiring a reputation
management company, to put your own stuff out, preferably on your own site or
blog, to make what you want to say about yourself come to the top.
Back in 2000, I had posted a white paper, reinforced
by an announced “site persistence policy” on my own site, suggesting that
employers would probably start announcing blogging policies and not allow
people with direct reports to blog (in “everyone” mode) without supervision at
all, because of possible hostile workplace problems. I even got a question about this proposal
from a Wall Street Journal editor in early 2002 (shortly after my own layoff). During that period, now-famous mommy blogger
Heather Armstrong got famous for getting “sacked” (or “dooced”) for blogging
about her software company employer in early 2002. This notion of having “blogging policies” for
workers long preceded social media as we know it today. The tables have turned, and people almost
have to promote themselves online, because if they don’t, others will. I’ve never replaced my own “blogging policy”
on my “doaskdotell.com” but I see I will have to address it as my next book
comes out. Stay tuned.
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