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How to Manage Your Internet Reputation

--by Inga Liden

The topic was "Protect Your Online Reputation" and Kent Campbell was our speaker. Greg O'Brien gave an impressive introduction and added that Kent is a Rotarian! Greg pointed out that he had googled his own name and found his reputation was harmed by a comment from an unknown (the writer is always anonymous) individual who felt Judge Greg had been unfair during courtroom proceedings. "Well, that IS disturbing," said Greg. And with that Kent started.

He looked at all of us sitting there on edge of our chairs, scared to learn what harm was done to each of us in space, on the Internet, right this minute. Kent promised to inform us how we can avoid having our reputations ruined by the Internet. Prez Keith was at the laptop clicking PowerPoint illustrations, which are available on Kent's website (see below).

The first question was "how many have googled themselves?" After Greg's comment, I knew we were all fearing what we would find out about ourselves that was not the truth. Kent declared that Google's power and influence worldwide is at such a high that people consider whatever is written on Google to be The Truth. That reminded me of my childhood in Stockholm (Sweden) when there was ONE radio channel and NO TV, and my grandfather listened to the radio news as if it were the absolute truth, which my parents told me was only a newsreporter's word. As Machiavelli pointed out, "the world is not what it seems to be." However, as long as the world thinks Google is the truth, one had better go defensive!

Kent stressed that there is no name when adding dirty information about a person. Kent said it was important for each one of us, personal or business identity, to own our own first page on Google. One must know one's keywords and the variations of those keywords. We are able to check every hit on our own name using: 'google.alert'. The next advice was to buy domain names: Buy all! About $400-500/year.

Still on the edge of my chair nervously sipping coffee, I understood that it was a cheap price for protecting my reputation. My, my what might be next? One should build an online profile, either personal or business, or both. This is FREE! And then take on the first ten slots on Google by building some sites. Write articles and remember: Your objective is word domination.

After achieving that, get it up on page one on Google. To get there and to stay there you have to connect with links, hyperlinks preferably--the more the better in order to be on page one.

At this stage, Kent told a romantic little story from his teenage years of how he aspired to get a date with the hot cheerleader. In the Google world it would be of equal value--or a zillion times hotter--to get a connection/date with a hyperlink who already has a huge number of attached links--admirers for the cheerleader.

Well, I was still on the edge on my chair because I am concerned about the site of my work and will defend it like a tigress, since I love my work at The Canterbury!

Kent added afterwards on the side that his company can help me with that. And I am convinced it matters, like Greg said at the start of Kent's engaging and scary talk.

Kent's PowerPoint presentation may be downloaded at www.InternetReputationManagement.com/rotary. To open it requires the latest version of PowerPoint. For a PDF version, e-mail Christine Barnicki.