Digital Reputation

There’s been a lot of talk about personal branding and digital reputation. And plenty more to come as new roles and jobs are shaped inside companies that support these areas. I have 4 thoughts about digital reputation in terms of the individual (Well more than 4, just 4 I think stand out).

1) Have a position.
As a general rule I stick to topics I can speak to (strategy and design with a focus on interactive). And package my thoughts quickly, because your time is valuable! I use my ‘10 things I believe so far‘ to filter posts AND as a guide for what to comment on. It’s like my brand positioning. That, and the sentence ‘…inspired when beautiful design meets technical functionality’.

Some people stick to one topic or share their opinion on anything and everything. Having a single focus can work if the topic has longevity - I see a lot of buzz categories that could eventually be phased out. And for people who post on anything and everything… they really need to make sure they’re consistent. And remember that “if everything is important, nothing is”.

2) You are not an island.
Link to others and people who support what you’re about. People are more likely to read your recommendations about others than they are to read posts about yourself. In addition, shining a light on others will more than likely bring links and kind words back to you. Which, in turn, supports a stronger digital (and personal) reputation.

3) Short form content counts.
A lot of people use twitter to push ‘personal brand’ awareness - which is many times an echo chamber of the same content. My twitter account just sits there. But if I were to use it, I’d try to use relevant keywords and link to content that supports what I stand for here too.

The main point is that short form content (eg twitter) is part of your personal brand and search. Its public content associated with your name, site, and reputation. In some search instances a twitter post may come up in results before your blog or site. The main reason my account sits there is that I like to think over and research what I’m going to say before I say it. Which is why I’m so sparse on blog updates!

There’s an interesting study that counters my thoughts on twitter use. Its the the theory and support on the ‘half life of online conversation‘. It says that conversation online happens fast (2-5 min on twitter and about an hour on digg). And in my attempt to be careful with my words etc, I’m missing the conversation that’s happening right now. But, I’m ok with that.

4) Separation between personal & professional?
There’s a division happening as people separate their personal (Facebook, MySpace) from their professional (Linkedin). Yet, in my mind the two are blended as far as reputation goes - you really should be the same person across online and offline. I’ve even heard of using different twitter accounts… this gets tricky because they are both public.

The drawback of blending the two areas is when personal information interferes with professional. For example being friends with your boss, colleagues, etc on facebook and getting a wall post from a buddy, “Hey, how is the new job?” “It sucks… I mean, its GREAT I love it!”

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Overall I believe we’ll see a growing number of roles and policies that support digital reputation both for individuals and companies - a company is a collective of its people, corporate image, and products. Many companies have started to look at its reputation (primarily a brand name) on a macro level using interactive listening tools - How is my brand being blogged about, linked, referenced? What is my brand best known for?

If you’re a company concerned about your brand image its important to understand that your people are a big part of your digital repuation. And your strongest people will more than likely have a personal brand and a digital reputation of their own. Some companies might even hang their hat on an individual’s reputation. That’s OK if you can keep them forever or if its THEIR company. But, for a sustainable reputation invest in developing people and policies that will support a reputation regardless of who comes and goes.

Looking for someone to help you out? Those who do a great job for themselves could very well do a great job for you!