Category: General Social Media Information

Online reputation is important, and it is one that people are wanting to know more about. As news stories show that colleges, insurance companies, hiring managers, and employers are turning to social media monitoring for individuals, people are checking their online reputation and looking for a “quick fix” when it doesn’t look so good.

Along with this, companies have been created that offer help with “cleaning up” negative personal information online. They offer generalizations of how it is done, and provide services to delete negative information or personal information from online search results. Others will provide services to help you “push” negative results further and deeper into the search engines, assuring consumers that this will forever hide negative information.

Here’s what they’re not telling you:

It’s almost impossible to delete negative information: Why is this? For starters, there is a lot of information that can have negative aspects, such as a DUI record or something similar, that is public record and cannot be deleted. Other online content can potentially be made private, but cannot be deleted forever. This is especially true when content is shared by others who do not have strong privacy settings. Unless those people will remove it or change their privacy settings, it’s out there.

You can push content “down” in the search results, but it still exists: there are companies that offer help with building up content around an individual in hopes that this is what makes the first few pages of a search engine, and those seeking information on an individual won’t go much beyond that. Some of this is, in fact, good general advice – if you are job seeking for example, it is a good idea to build up your online reputation by creating accounts on social sites like LinkedIn. It’s not to hide any negative content, but instead to showcase skills and expertise related to that dream job.

However, posting content online in an attempt to push down negative content may backfire if not done correctly. Why is this? Companies will offer broad advice such as “comment on blog posts and news articles” in hopes that this content will hit the first pages of an online search. First, there’s no guarantee that these suggestions will result in the items being picked up at all in the search engines, never mind hitting the first page. Second, this type of content building, especially if done on behalf of an individual by a company they hire to help with online reputation management, results in a series of comments that are general in nature and do not add to the blog post they’re responding to, or offer insight into that individual’s perception, opinions, or insights. It turns into filler content.

If a potential employer, for example, is doing an online search and sees this type of  filler content in excess, it doesn’t matter that they never found the negative content on the tenth page – what they did see may give a negative perception of the person, or perhaps a perception that they spend an inordinate amount of time online and wonder if they have the focus to commit to their job. It’s just a simplified example, but drives home the point that simply commenting and adding comments all over the internet is not the way to go about building a positive online reputation.

First page or tenth, technology makes it easy to find: one thing these companies are not telling you is that technology has made life easier for those using social media monitoring for individuals. They are no longer using simple Google searches, but instead turning to software programs that will collect ALL public data on an individual. So it’s a little outdated to tell consumers that you can “stuff” negative content in the search engines – search engines are no longer needed.

So, what should I do?

If you are worried about your online reputation and don’t know how to fix it, it may be tempting to turn to a company who says they can help. After learning more though, you can see that this may not be your best bet. There are things you can do that will legitimately help you build an online reputation you can be proud of.

Take a close look at your online reputation from a few different avenues: do an online search, but not just Google – search for your name, city, and state on Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines out there. The results are a bit different depending on which search engine you use, so it is helpful to look at a variety of results. See something you don’t like? Make a note of it and where it shows up in the search engines, as well as what type of site it is (blog, online news article, government based public records, etc).

Step it up a notch by ordering an online reputation report: there are many companies who will provide you with a report detailing your online reputation. These are fairly painless and do not take long – simply fill out a form and provide some information about yourself, and companies will use the same software that employers and insurance companies use when monitoring social media. This will show you what might be picked up if someone were to search for you.

Build your online profile slowly and purposefully: First, think about why you want to improve your online reputation. Are you in the process of a job search? Will you be graduating from college (or even high school) soon? Determine why you want to build up your reputation and that will help you figure out where to start.

If new employment is in your future, start a LinkedIn profile. This is a great way to showcase your work history and achievements that can go well beyond a resume. Better yet? Once you build your profile, make sure to share content regularly, interact with others, and join groups to share your thoughts and be active in your industry.

Take a look at your current social sites and clean them up. Check privacy settings, and make sure that posts or pictures that you wouldn’t want the world to see are behind secure privacy settings. Remember, online software programs that monitor social media can legally only collect public data – if it’s behind privacy settings, it won’t be picked up.

Link your sites together. One way to build a strong online presence is to show the search engines how your sites connect. On your Facebook page, offer a link to your Twitter account. If you’re a blogger (personally or professionally) or have an Etsy page, put links to those sites on your LinkedIn account. The search engines love this and may result in your positive content showing higher in the search results.

Realize that negative content is not the end of the world: If it’s something from a long time ago, but you’ve done great things since then, others will not put as much weight on that negative content. If they see ten good things have happened since that time, it should be okay. This is why it’s good to build your online presence in the right way instead of a lot of fluff to cover things up.

Be wary of a company that says they can delete or hide negative information. A lot of that information is outdated and simply not true. Be aware of your online profile and continue to post great content that highlights who you are, and it will all come together.

Next time a reporter is looking for breaking news, especially in their local area, their best bet may be turning toward social media sites.

Social media has made every user a reporter of sorts; people are quick to take pictures or post comments about things they see around them. Often times, this results in breaking news for reporters to take note of.

When events have unfolded recently, I have noticed news outlets, reporters, and journalists scouring various social sites looking for tips and information. For example, a recent mall shooting was trending on Twitter. What I noticed, in addition to moment by moment accounts from those inside the mall and surrounding areas, were attempts to “get the story.” Below are two examples.

Getting the details, first hand

Someone posted on Twitter: “I’m in the mall locked in one of the stores. We heard there was a shooting incident in the food court.”

A reporter replied to this Tweet asking for their location and if this twitter user could send them a DM (private message) with more information.

Curate content for images to complement story

When breaking news hits, news outlets rush to share the content on their website. Many times it moves so quickly they only have time (and resources) to post a sentence or two and let readers know that this is breaking and to check back on the site for more details.

Social media makes this a bit easier – a Facebook user posted an image of a small plane crash just down the block from them. A news outlet commented on the picture, asking if they could use the image on their website, promising to give credits to the Facebook user who took the picture.

How are reporters using social media to enhance their news stories and be privy to news as it happens? Social media monitoring is the most effective method, and there are a few ways to make use of it:

• Build social sites and ask for participation: this is becoming more common. News outlets and reporters often times build social media sites with local connections, as well as national connections. From there, they post content regularly to create engagement, but also ask followers to share news tips as they happen. By building relationships, reporters can create a network of “mini reporters” who will be willing to share news as it happens directly with them.

• Generalized social media monitoring for specific keywords and phrases: this is a simplistic approach that may be too general in nature. By creating a “keyword cloud” – essentially a series of terms that social media users may include in posts related to breaking news – social media monitoring can be used to pick up content in almost real time. Reporters can easily scan the results to see if any news is breaking in their area and react quickly.

• Location based general monitoring: this is a bit easier than generalized monitoring of online content focused on certain keywords. Location based monitoring is at the next level; local reporters, for example, can put a virtual fence around their coverage area, which allows for live stream monitoring of online content coming from those areas. Coupled with alerts based on specific keywords or hashtags, reporters will have an almost instant notification of breaking news as it happens.

• For breaking news on a national or world level, location based monitoring is best: with location based social media software, reporters and journalists can easily focus on an area where news is breaking and collect live stream, real time social content coming from that area.

Finding and reporting on breaking news has become easier and more efficient, and has also allowed reporters to learn about news more quickly. Making the most of social media as a means of efficiency and speed is a definite benefit for the industry.

So you’ve found a match on a popular dating site and you’re ready for that first date. What do you do to prepare?

It used to be perhaps a few extra visits to the gym, shopping for a new outfit, or something along those lines, but more and more, people are turning to the web to prepare.

While many of the reputable dating sites offer some level of screening for its users, it’s not foolproof. Finding out more about a potential date is easy though thanks to social media. A quick Google search can be a great start, but others are turning to social media background checks to learn more about who they’ll be meeting.

I listen to a local radio station in the morning, and one segment features callers who went on dates, but the person either never called them for a second date, or something went awry and they want closure. The radio station calls the other person, on air, to ask them what happened. No pressure, right?

Last week’s call was a woman who went on what she thought was a great first date, but the man never called her again. They got the young man on the phone to learn more. He said that, while the date went well, it started to turn south when she started asking about his past – specifically about a DUI from five years ago.

Interestingly, he was less concerned with the fact that she found out about this than he was with the fact that she admitted to paying for a social media background check on him prior to the date. Her defense was that he could likely be an ax murderer, and she’d like to know that before meeting him.

This is where there is a fine line in the world of online dating. It’s wise to take a look at someone’s social media sites before the date, or, like this woman, to conduct a social media background check. In fact, there are more and more people who are doing this in recent years. But, it’s not a widely shared fact – most people tend to do the background check but not say anything to their date. Probably a wise move, at least at the beginning of the relationship.

The lesson here? If you’re in the online dating world, it should not surprise you if someone does conduct a background check before the first date – this is a crazy world, and it’s good to fully check someone out. It might not be a bad idea to do one yourself. However, using it as an interrogation tool or announcing you’ve done one and whip out the report on the first date will likely not get you to a second date.

What’s your take on this? Background checks okay, or creepy? We’d love to hear your thoughts – feel free to share in the comments below!

Sharing pictures of your special events, travels, and even mundane activities has become the norm. Have a great breakfast with a friend? Is it your kid’s first day of school? It’s become almost second nature for many to snap a picture and share on their favorite social media site.

There is cause for pause when posting those pictures too readily, at least without taking some precautions. A recent CNBC article shares how posting pictures can lead people to know when you’re not home, or in other cases, where you are traveling and what you are doing.

It may seem extreme, but it has become fairly easy for people to look at images on social media closely and, in a few clicks, figure out where you live, what hotel you are staying in, or where you are traveling.

How can you avoid this? Below are a few simple steps to protect your images on social media:

• Keep your privacy settings up to date – check all of your social sites and make sure your privacy settings are at the level you want them to be. In Facebook, for example, having more stringent settings and “only post to friends” will keep your images more private. Of course, that is if a friend whose posts are set to be viewed by the general public doesn’t share your images on their timeline.

• Check the social media apps –  when you set up a new app, it will disclose what phone features it will have access to. Disable the location and camera options so that the geotagging is not activated when posting pictures. This will make it more difficult for others to use tools to identify your location.

• Turn off your location services all together – at least if you’re not using valuable features like maps or “find my phone” services. It’s not a bad idea to turn off location services when you’re posting to social media if you’re not in need of them at that moment.

Just like social media site privacy settings, taking an extra moment to double check your phone and app settings is important. As social media content continues to be an every day part of life, there will be those individuals who will find ways to use it for unsavory purposes.