| What Does the Internet Say About You? Part 1: Building Your Brand Online Managing your online persona is all about building your brand. That means taking a proactive role in determining how people see you when they search for you on the Internet. Here are a few simple ways you can take control of your online persona: Create a Profile: One of the easiest ways to make sure positive attributes, qualifications and accomplishments stand out on the Internet is to create a profile that features those aspects. A profile only takes a matter of minutes to create and can help boost positive information about you higher in an Internet search. One of the best profiles to start with is a Google profile. Once you create a Google profile, your name, occupation, location and a photo (if you upload one) will appear on the first page of Google when your name is searched. Participate in Social Networking: You’ve no doubt heard about popular social networking sites like Facebook.com and LinkedIn.com, as well as micro-blogging sites like Twitter.com and online photo sites like Flickr.com. These sites offer you fun, interactive ways to connect with potential clients, peers, and of course family. In addition, they are great for improving your online persona because they often climb near the top of searches. That said, there are few things to keep in mind. First, you need to “participate” not just “join.” The more information you include in your profile and the more you participate, the more useful these sites will be in building your brand. Second, when you do participate make sure it’s relevant. Your status updates don’t have to be all business and no play; it’s okay to have a balance of your personal and professional life on these sites. But make sure that you keep it appropriate. That means keeping slang to a minimum and avoiding inappropriate words, humor, photos or stories. Finally, make sure you take advantage of other online communities or discussion threads hosted by professional organizations. Not only will your peers and potential clients get to know you on those sites, but your posts will often find their way into your search results. But remember: make sure you only join online groups or communities that reflect the positive image you’re trying to portray. Before joining any group or discussion thread, ask yourself if you’d feel comfortable discussing your membership in that group during a meeting with a client. Start a Blog or Website: One of the most productive ways to control your online persona is to create new content on a blog or website that highlights or reflects your expertise. A blog or website not only gives you the space necessary to regular write about your areas of expertise, but they can also rank high in Internet searches if the content is updated regularly. While this step may seem a bit overwhelming at first, a number of providers such as Wordpress.com or Blogger.com make it fast and convenient. You don’t need to know how to program html or JavaScript. They do all the work for you. All you have to do is sign-in and post. So what should you post? Use your imagination. But remember to take the pressure off yourself – after all, you don’t have to write a professional white paper in every post. Maybe you want to post about the top three things you learned at a professional conference and include a link to the conference website. Maybe you just received an award or professional certification… write about that and put a link to the site that awarded it. As long as you’re not divulging trade secrets, write about what you do, what you know, and what your job growth goals are for the future. Interlink Your Sites: Once you’ve created a few online profiles, started participating in social network sites, and developed a quality blog with a few posts, it’s time to make sure people notice. That means promoting each of these sites in other sites by linking to them. So, on your Facebook page, you should include links to your Twitter account and your blog or website. On your blog or website, create a Contact Information page that includes links to your online profiles, Facebook page, Twitter account, and so on. On your profile pages, include links to your blog and social networking sites. It sounds a bit repetitive, if not overkill. But it’s not. It’s important. Why? The simple reason is that links are factored into Internet searches. When someone does a search of your name on the Internet, the sites that typically rank the highest have the most sites linking to them. That means, the more sites that link to your blog, the better chance you have of it hitting the first page of search results. And that’s the ultimate goal here…getting the positive information that you create to rise to the top, so people see the online persona that you’ve strategically developed and that you want them to see. Economic Calendar for the Week of September 19 - September 23 | Date | ET | Economic Report | For | Estimate | Actual | Prior | Impact | | Tue. September 20 | 08:30 | Housing Starts | Aug | 575K | | 604K | Moderate | | | | | 
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