We've all typed our names into online search engines, idly wondering what bits of our past and present are floating around the Web. One term for this pastime is "ego surfing"; you might also call it "procrastination."
But there's a practical reason to keep tabs on your online presence, and that's called "reputation management." What if a former coworker is bashing you on a blog? Or a business competitor's forum post makes false claims that cast your company in a bad light? It's better to be aware of and address the situations. On the positive side, what if a client praises you on their Web site? Knowing about the kudos immediately so you can send a timely thank-you note will strengthen your working relationship.
Big corporations may want to pay for heavy-duty reputation management through services like
Reputica,
RepuTrace, and
Brand Intelligence. However, smaller companies and individuals can do a lot on their own, for free.
For example, I rely on the free
Google Alerts, which I've set up to search the entire Web daily for the words "creativepro.com" and "InDesign Magazine." For details on customizing your Google Alerts, check out the
FAQ. The technology and productivity blog
Codswallop recently listed several more tools you may want to try, as well:
- Reputation Monitor, which is free
- Summize (soon to be incorporated into Twitter's free search and track functions)
- Distilled (the trial is free; after that, an individual pays 4.99 pounds per month)
