Manage Your Online Personality

Why 'Online Personality' Matters? In today's environment and culture, the online world is parallel to the real world. This is not what some people call augmented reality or virtual reality - An ever increasing part of the actual economic and social activity is being shifted to the online world, and as the old saying goes - 'If you are not there, you do not exist". One may even rephrase Descartes words, "Cogito Ergo Sum", and say "Web Ergo Sum".

OK, so the web is important, but what do you have to do about it? How can the web have an impact on you, and why do you need to bother to create a significant online personality?

Rule #1: Search Engine Presence

The story probably begins with the way people dig up information these days. Most of them use search engines, and more specifically Google. Whenever someone is trying to find out information about you, you'd better show up there. When might people look you up? Say you are applying for a job - There is just no way your future employer will NOT look you up in Google. Or try this, a different example, say you are dating someone - More than 80% of the single people Google the person that they are dating before the second date. That's a lot. You do not want embarrassing details about your past to show up there.

What to do about it? In the professional world, we call this SEO - Search Engine Optimization. Brands and website use SEO to promote their services on Google, but there is nothing stopping you from doing the same for yourself. If you are a professional you must appear on the top of the search results for queries related to your industry. If you are a regular joe - make sure you appear on top of the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) when someone is Googling your name. This is of course true and relevant for other search engines as well but the steps you will take to conquer the Google search results will probably help you do the same with Bing and Yahoo, so I wouldn't worry about those search engines specifically.

How to do it? The easiest solution would probably be to find an SEO company, but would probably an overkill for a personal SEO challenge. My tip - do it yourself. Research the subject online for a while (Google the word SEO as a first step...) and you will complete your task in a matter of weeks.

Rule #2: Your own Domain

We talked about promoting yourself on Google, but what should you promote? You can of course promote a blog or your social network profile, but your primary asset should be your own domain.

Take action now: Make sure your own domain name is not taken yet (use one of the top domain registars to do that), and buy the domain. I recommend using .com suffix to your domain name as it would help you rank up higher in Google, but if the .com is already taken use .net or .org. Try to avoid using .name or .info as Google tends to give them less priority in the index.

Domain is not enough. You also need something in the domain: As obvious as it may seem, some people just but a personal domain and leave it empty. While it does have some advantages (Like blocking the competition, other people with the same name, from using your domain), you do need some content there to rank high on Google.

So What content should I use on my website? You have quite a few options here:

1. Write a blog (See Rule #3 for more info)
2. Information page about yourself - Upload a good photo, write a few words and add links to your profile pages in social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Flickr.
3. Upload a few articles that you wrote and are relevant to what you do in life. If you are into photography, upload your best shots and a few tips about photography. If you are a bird watcher, tell about your best bird watching experiences. You get the idea...

Rule #3: Write a blog

A blog may your best chance to express yourself and establish your online personality gracefully. People blog today, they blog a lot, and there is a lot of clutter in this world. Your blog doesn't have to be the best, neither the most updated blog in the world - but having a blog matters. It gives you your own space in the online world, and that can make a big difference when people try to look you up and verify what type of person or professional are you.

What should you blog about? That's a fine question with a difficult answer -blog about your life, blog about your family, blog about your work, just blog. The more content you add to your blog, the more people will be able to find you online. Content matters online, and quantity of content matters even more. I'm not saying you just blog with no quality control - we are trying to establish your online persona here, and we don't want to make you look like a wacko, but you do need content.

OK, I want to blog - how do I do that - There is a range of possibilities. The easiest would be to open a blog with a free blogging service like Google's Blogger or Wordpress.com. A bit better would be to use a premium service like Live Journal or TypePad that feature a few more option and are somewhat more flexible. Lastly, the most expensive, but also most flexible option would be to use your own hosting and blogging program (Go for Wordpress.org or Movable Type). This way you can make sure your blog is super-customized, looks exactly the way you want it to, and it is very personal.

Make your blog rock: Without going into much detail, use web services such as Technorati to make your blog more successful. It is also important to track your blog's success with programs like Google Analytics to know just how many people actually visit your blog.

Rule #4: Social Networks work for you

Social networks are today's equivalent to yesterday's village square. You need to be there to tie connections with peers, clients and potential employers. It is important to make sure your profile is up to date and professional looking. Try to avoid stupid Status messages: "Joe is so Drunk Now" or "Derek is thinking about Vodka". These probably wouldn't bring you too far in terms of social network personality building.

Who should I friend? Obviously not everybody. Create a tight group of friends which include your actual RW (Real World) Friends, Colleagues and people that you do not know yet but do want to get to know in the future. Think about the way you approach these people. You should leverage your other relationships to find ways to get know people who will be your future-social-network-friend. Try something like this for your friendship request:

"Hi Dan. My name is David. I am a friend of X. He told me so much about you, and I think it would be great if we can keep in touch. Thanks, David".

Making personal friend invites almost guarantees the success of your request, so don't just try to befriend everybody with the default invite. Be personal. Be creative.

Which social networks should I go for? There are literally hundreds you can chose from. It mainly depends on where you live, and what are you into. Professionally - go for LinkedIn. In the UK - Bebo. In the US - Facebook. Music Lovers should go for MySpace, and Graphic Designers for DeviantArt. The list goes on and on. Do you research and explore. By the way, it never hurts to be on more than one social network. Just make sure to find the time for each and every network you decide to build your online personality in. Remember, a ghost profile never helps. On the contrary, it might even damage your efforts.

Rule #5: Be active in Web Forums

Social networks aren't enough when you want to make a true digital impact online. The places people actually look for info and make ties are actually the web forums. Is it super important to find the forums that matter to you, your clients and your peers, and leave a significant footprint there.

How do I find these forums? Super simple. Google them. Find the industry of your choice (let's say gardening). Now Google "Gardening forums" and scan the top 10 results. Open accounts in a few of them and engage in the conversation.

Few things to keep in mind - Be active but don't be pushy. Contribute useful information but don't overdo it. Be funny. Use cool smileys to make sure you are being heard in the conversation.

Last and most important - Be consistent

Building an online personality is not a one-off. It takes time (and some money) to do a good job here. Remember that you need to do this over time or your Google Ranking will be hurt. Use your personal domain as a hub for all your online activity, and link to articles, blogs, forums and discussions that you engage in.