Within social media, we have seen many examples of employees, business professionals, and even students and professors sharing more information on social networking sites than they should.  Whether it is an employee admitting that they are not happy with their boss or position at the company to having people write something in their status bar without thinking that others can see it. This continues to be a growing issue across all demographics and age groups – and will continue to impact how others perceive each other and form attitudes towards others.

I have guest lectured on how to effectively manage an individual’s online reputation several times at the University of Tennessee, and there are certain things that students (and other PR professionals) can do to accomplish this.  First, it is important to be online.  Some people are viewing social media like when computers first came out – people are afraid to be online or to have their information for others to see on the Internet.  Well, welcome to the 21st century – information and relationships are being formed virtually, and more than ever people are establishing first impressions about others on what is presented online.  So, if you are not online – people will be asking themselves why not.

Another proactive measure to do is to search for what is being said or posted on you online.  This of course can be done by searching for your name on Google or Samepoint, but it is also important to do this on Twitter.  It is important to see what people are saying about you.

The last strategy that I recommend to the students is to think before you post – be aware that others can see what you are posting.  Whether it is a blog post to a Facebook status update or message to a mutual friend – to Twitter now.  There is a web site now focusing on Twitter updates where people can post tweets and updates from people that seem to “overshare”  too much on what they are thinking or doing with their followers.  There are just some things that should not be said in public, let alone online!  This is important to see to make sure that you do not do this, since it can dramatically affect your reputation.  Once your reputation is damaged, it is extremely hard to get it back to the same place as it was – or ever.

In closing, social media can have numerous opportunities for public relations professionals and others in various business professions – but it is key to remember that the best PR that you can do for your online reputation is to be proactive, strategic, and constantly be aware that what you post, say, and update can be seen by all. Just a few things to think about.

Hope you all are having a great day. 🙂

Best Wishes,

Karen