A Good Name Is Worth…

What is the worth of a good name? The Christian bible states that we should “Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1, NLT bible) In the realm of our professional and personal influence, nothing is more important than having a good reputation. This is why Online Reputation Management (ORM) is so essential to our digital lives.

What is an online reputation? An online reputation is basically what someone sees about you through your online presence. What site do you regularly post on? What are your social networks, and who are your friends on them? What articles or other texts have you published? Some of these places are available to casual observation on the first page of a search, and with a bit more persistence all of them are able to be dug up by a tenacious stalker.

Since we all have an online reputation to some extent, it is important that we take healthy responsibility for it. First of all, we should find what information is out there regarding ourselves. Next, we should discern whether we like how we are portrayed on the web. If there are statements that may be hindering to the image that we desire to create, we should dismantle them ourselves, and if necessary ask the page administrator for assistance. Next, there is the necessity to be proactive about putting out positive and professional sources of information about ourselves. After fixing our image and promoting it, we should be careful to cultivate it and check up on it from time to time. This is the ORM, Online Reputation Management. Always remember: a good name is the foundation of success in any area of the professional sphere. Make certain that your online self is every bit as polished and genuine as you are in person!