Life After College: Managing Your Reputation Online

So you think everythings all fun and games, huh? Sure, it's harmless, right? You're young, and having a good time, and you can worry about your future on a later date.

Keep thinking this way and you won't have a future to think about. You see, with all the wonderful technologies that are available today, it's more important than ever to be a little more careful about what it is your doing, or rather who knows about it. With the advent of search engine technologies and social networking and media, it's really easy for unwanted information about you to wind up on the internet, and for people to find this information. Managing your reputation online has turned into big business, with large corporations spending lots of money to monitor and track what's being said and what information exists about them. The same should be no different for yourself, and instead of shelling out big bucks down the road to spruce your image up you can be preventive and aware now and help mold your online persona. Here's ten future scenarios involving different people (or groups of people) that might find out something about you using the Internet; some examples may be from the distant future while others just right around the corner.

 

1. Parents

So the day finally comes when mommy actually fires up that computer you bought them a few years ago. You've been trying to get them to communicate with you a little more online so they'll stop calling your cell phone so damn much. The whole time you never think they'll find something about you online that you didn't want them to see.

Well, one day mom's on Yahoo checking her email, one of the only tasks she knows how to do at this point. She happens to come across an article about how much partying goes on in college campuses, and how kids are sharing these experiences with each other using social networks like MySpace and Facebook. She learns a little about what these sites do, and decides she'll take a visit. Once there, she decides to search for your name. After some pages, she finds your wonderful MySpace page, complete with plenty of evidence of this past semester's antics. Some are your fault, and the rest are your friends who constantly add pictures of you doing keg stands in your comments area. Whoever's fault this is, it's probably going to upset mommy, and nobody ever wants to do that.

Prevention Tip: Keep your MySpace profiles private; this way, only those who you allow get to see your pages' content.

 

 

2. Current & Future Employers

So you're all excited about graduating, getting your diploma, and landing that new job (after taking one more summer off, or course!) Fall comes along and you've got your resume polished up, a new suit and tie, and are ready to get moving with the rest of your life. The job search begins.

After a few months, you find yourself waiting tables at the local pizza joint. After many attempts to land that dream job, it seems no one's interested, and you can't quite put your finger on it. I mean, what could they possibly not want from you. You're smart, got awesome grades in school, and even have that internship under your belt with some great referrals. There's just one thing you're forgetting about dude, and that's your name. Yeah, it turns out those in charge of hiring these days are using the very simple task of searching for one's name in search engines such as Google to find information about a possible job prospect Turns out that when you Google your name, the first thing that appears is a newspaper article from way back in the day where your name appears with several of your friends for that carjacking you were involved with. Yeah, you were a young punk and you've changed since then, but the employer doesn't know that. They're gonna look elsewhere.

Prevention Tip: The fact of the matter is, that article exists and there's nothing you can do about it. However, you can start a web page or blog, that talks about your life, hobbies, interests, and so on. If you keep it updated and current, chances are that your blog will show up before the article. Plus, the employer will see that you've taken an active interest in managing your reputation.

 

 

3. Lovers & Spouses

We've all been in a situation with a lover or spouse where we wonder about what they do when were not around. It's human nature to second guess our loved ones from time to time, and some of us do it more than others. Some of us rummage through our drawers and our purses (or European carry-alls), looking for evidence that will prove we've been cheating on them. And some of us will also jump on our computers and try to find some pictures or letters involving a torrid love affair that we just happen to keep sitting on our desktop. The fun doesn't stop there as they move next to the Internet, using their cunning detective skills to visit sites and forums that you frequent. By using the history bar in your web browser, it's not too hard to locate any web sites you've happen to visit recently. And when you get home, there's bound to be hell to pay. Ever try explaining to your loved one about your secret porn obsession? Yeah, there's a percentage out there who do and it turns out for the better, but I want to say that it's a small one. Discussing with a spouse is one thing; having them find out on their own (it could even happen by accident if you share the same computer) is completely different.

Prevention Tip: Clear your internet browser's temporary internet files and history after viewing lewd content (you know you do!) Plus, it will help your computer run better and faster as well.

 

 

4. Rents-In Law

So who out in the world wants to find dirt on you more than anybody else? Well, in some cases, it could be your current or future in-laws! Especially if your last name is "Focker", the possibility of your steady girls' father that only acts like he adores you but is secretly trying to dig up some dirt on you exists, and we've already discussed how easy it could be to find out some of that info. Then the wedding day starts to draw closer and the more and more he waits to find the one thing to use against you. Granted he might be crazy, but it won't matter to her when daddy finds out that his daughter's beau has been in more than one sexually explicit film, she's bound to break off the marriage.

Prevention Tip: Don't let someone videotape you having sex. It always ends up on the Internet. Always. If, for some reason, you cannot prevent this from happening, try to wear a mask at the time of occurrence. And don't forget about visible tattoos.

 

5. The Law

Now, some of the scenarios so far have been situations that we all could easily get ourselves into. The ramifications might be bad, but we'd probably move on with our lives. Perhaps one of the more scary ones though would have to be if you got in trouble with the law. I'm talking about serious trouble here folks; O. J. Simpson style. Let's use that as an example. Your O.J., and you're playing around on a web site one day. You start thinking about how maybe you'd might murder some people, I don't know, say your ex wife. You run over to Google and do some searches for things like "gloves", "knives", "top speed of Ford Bronco", and maybe even "how to kill my ex-wife." Fast forward a few months in the future and bam!, the LAPD calls Google to the stand with your actual search queries there for the jury to read and hear. Now, maybe you didn't actually commit the crime; do you think it will matter to that jury? Probably not.

Prevention Tip: Be careful what you search for. It sounds crazy, and it may not be possible yet, but someday this kind of stuff could come back to bit your behind. Just be aware that you're moves are being tracked.

 

6. Graduate School

So after four years of college you've decided that maybe you're not quit ready to be done. Graduate school plans are in the works and you have an idea of a few schools that you may want to attend. Letters and applications are taking up much of your time as you try to impress and persuade these institutions into accepting you as a Grad student. Just like possible employers, there Googling your name to see what kind of trouble you may have gotten into or to see if you've done anything notable online. Come to find out there's really nothing there online that ties you to your major of area of interest.

Spruce it up: In addition to blogging about your topic, search online for clubs, organizations, chat rooms, and other places in the 'net that are closely tied to your major. Many times these destinations let you set-up profiles that are search-able. Your grad school then will find these pages and see that you've taken an active interest in relevant communities.

 

7. Lending Institutions

At some point in the future you're gonna run into a bank and ask for a lot of money to buy something. It could be for a car, house, boat, or to start a small business. When it comes to most of these things, there's really not much you can do because of your credit score, That's an entirely different article in itself when it comes to things you can do to keep that reputation clean. But when it comes to getting a loan for that small business, having a good reputation online could definitely come in handy. You're gonad need a business plan anyway, so why not out it out there on the web? Changing the format and turning it into a resource for others to use could show the bank that you mean business. It also could be a revenue stream in itself in addition to proving your expertise in a the business your getting into.

Spruce it up: Use a blog or web site to show a business plan in a more dynamic way. It could mean the difference between you being broke or you having the loot to open doors to new opportunities. In addition, use the web to find other kinds of investors that may take an interest in your ideas.

 

8. Clients & Customers

At some point in your career, whether you've finally landed that cool job or have gone into business for yourself, the need to attract clients, customers, or associates to work with is going to show up. And when that need arises, impressing them is going to go a very long way; why not use the 'Net to do the work for you. They say first impressions are everything, so why not use what you've built online by pointing them all in the right direction. Don't even give'em a chance to Google your name; make sure they find your blog or web site by putting it right in front of their noses at all time. A little shameless self-promotion never hurt anyone.

Spruce it up: Make sure you use a personal blog or web address on not only your business cards but also your email signatures. If you work for a company, it's no different than having a work and cell number. One's for the company's image, the other's for yours. A great way for people to instantly get to know who you are and what you're all about.

 

9. The Press

Back in the day, you had to be big time to get mentioned in the press. You had to be a rocket scientist in your field, a celebrity, or know some really powerful people for anyone to notice you enough to get mentioned in even a local paper, let alone a national publication. Well, times have changed my friend because of the way our media has changed. Socially driven media has give us the ability to share and organize news and data, which in turn has given everyone a better shot and being recognized for their talents and interests. Get out there and get noticed, and use that press to your advantage (i.e. mention it on your site and to your peers, who will see you in a different light when they see your name on some major news site!)

Spruce it up: Become a part of the social media scene; read and comment on blogs, join social networks, and contribute to different communities. Maybe then you'll get read and commented on.

 

10. Your Kids

Perhaps the sum of everything you do online can be added up to what your kids may find out about you someday. Think about how old they'll be when they first type a word into a search bar - it will be a lot younger than you were. Your children will grow up from day one with these technologies and will learn how to use them at a very young age. And they will no doubt see traces of their parents as they navigate throughout the Internet, and they'll have many questions along the way. Hopefully by using preventive measures, and sprucing your image up along the way, the answers to those questions will always be good ones. And the experience you have gained from managing your reputation online can be passed down and used for your own children so that they may reap the same benefits and have an even better chance of controlling their own destiny, as well as ensuring the legacy of your name and heritage is kept proud for many years to come.

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