Are you really showing the world what you want them to see? #socialmedia -

Yesterday I was chatting to a company director who I had done some research on-line on… I think he was quite surprised at what came up.. especially as most of it was very out of date… and included some personal family stuff and previous work related roles…

You are very foolish if you think people will not google you before (or sometimes after) you have met… so is what you want them to see out there? No silly pictures after a night out dominating your search results… no personal blogs where you rant for England and most certainly no bad language.

I have already discussed changing your privacy settings on facebook to ensure you are revealing on what you are comfortable with and this is the same for everyone… it also goes for linkedin and anywhere else for that matter… so everyone will be very different.

A very simple rule of thumb is are you happy with the impression a complete stranger gets of you with what they find… do a quick google search and see what comes up. Now a few well written articles about you are a good thing so take any opportunities for guest blogging and ensure you have a great bio on it… especially if the site is seen by lots of people.

Usually we are not fortunate enough to be alone in the name we are known by… I share mine with a BBC director and a lady who won the apprentice in America… actually you will probably find if you own the url of your name it will probably come up so it is good idea if you invest in it… you never know what you may wish to put on it. It may even be a blog… I first saw the google app for guiding people to your google listings a few years ago but was reminded of it last year and like this app click here and see what google comes up for me. You can use the app for yourself by just adding your own search terms.. like I have for The Social Media Cafe in Essex & Hertfordshire here… You may also want to think about what Australian Blogger Chris Betcher has to say…

In the future your digital footprint will carry far more weight than anything you might put on a resume

Anyway enough of such silliness.. back to managing your social media presence. Please ensure your social media manager is not one of the crowd of pretenders and bandwagon jumpers who have little if any real world experience… if they have been using social media for less than 2 years and have no PR experience they are probably not perfect for managing your social media…. If you are not sure what you are showing or want advice on what would a good place to increase your presence then get in touch happy to put my journalistic experience to good use and see how I can help you show the world what you want them to see… we offer a free 30 minute consultation and are happy to help.