More employers are taking the time to investigate potential employees on these social media web sites. Brian Solis wrote a great post discussing this very issue and stated that we are the ones that have the power in controlling what he calls our “digital shadow” – basically, our online reputation.
There have been many cases where people have been fired or dismissed due to what they post on these social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace to name a few. When you think about it – it makes perfect sense. Why do you ask? Well – these are the brand ambassadors for the corporation, and are the ones representing your corporate reputation and brand to their friends, family, and people that they interact with – and have the potential in making your corporation look not so good if they are not representing themselves professional both in real life and online.
Public relations professionals (future and current) have to learn these new skills and strategies to effectively manage their own reputation, but also operate in the digital business environment that we are in right now. Al Krueger wrote a good post about some of the skills that public relations professionals need to have in order to be the most effective. From being versed in how to creatively design a web page and blog to expanding your knowledge on social media to most importantly – walk the walk and talk the talk. I think that this is an excellent point – public relations professionals more than ever have to do everything today. We have to know how to do effective research, have strong writing skills, think critically and strategically, be creative in our designs and strategy implementations, and also have a strong presence when we present and communicate with others.
Why wait until tomorrow for what you can do at this very moment to manage your online reputation? So – in other words, take control of your profiles online, be proactive in your daily interactions, and recognize that what you think is “private information” online can be viewed by others.
Hope all is going well and have a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
0 Comments