I can’t imagine what kind of information I might have posted on the Internet had it become mainstream when I was a teen. Kids do stupid things. They don’t necessarily regret them since it’s a part of childhoold and growing up. But when if a prospective college or employer finds such things online?
Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that 47 percent of Americans use a search engine to look up themselves while 53 percent look up information about people in their lives, both for personal and business reasons.
Knowing that a prospective client or employer could do a search on me, I monitor what I post in my blog. While it’s important to be honest and genuine when blogging, there’s a line a blogger doesn’t want to cross that could affect his reputation.
A few companies see this as an opportunity to help people whose names or companies have been tarnished online, but are they effective? This Wall Street Journal story explores companies that help with their clients’ online reputations.
Reputation Advisor, a blog focusing on managing online reputation, points out two lessons learned from the WSJ article as well as problems with the article.
However, the Rip-off Report shares one person’s negative experience with an online reputation management company. These companies can only control so much. One example from the WSJ article references a blogger who would not remove a person’s name.
This Seattle Times article discusses the topic and offers the perfect quote regarding online reputation management, “‘Sometimes you’re out of luck, you’re going to have to live with it,’ he (Michael Fertik) says of Internet nastiness. ‘There is no silver bullet, no button you can push.’”
