Do It Yourself Online Reputation Management - I Put It To The Test

In 2006, Time Magazine’s person of the year was “You”. They were calling it a revolution – the dawn of the new web, Web 2.0 – “the tool for bringing together the contributions of millions of people and making them matter.”

Social media is pervasive, now more or less affecting all of us whether we are active participants in managing our online identities or perhaps more frightening, affecting even those who have yet to even Google their own name. As our identities become more and more intertwined with our online personas and reputation, it is time to start paying attention to how we are portrayed not only to our friends and neighbors, but across the web as well.

Several companies have already cropt up to capitalize on this growing trend of managing online reputations, but the fact of the matter is simple - this is you - this is your identity. Who better to be in control of this information online other than your self?

Scouring the web, you can find tutorials, tools, hints and tips from experts and everyday bloggers alike. I've decided to put their word to the test and walk you step by step along the way on how it really can be done, post as much data as possible, and critically evaluate my progress to find what strategies and resources are most effective.

Primary Focus:

• See what really works and what falls short when employing do-it-yourself online reputation management tactics

The Plan:

• Explore the various strategies and online tools available for do-it-yourself online reputation management
• Develop a free keyword mention and reputation monitoring dashboard to track websites, feeds, blogs and social media outlets
• Optimize online reputation by utilizing various resources and strategies, from website tweaks to social media profiles
• Engage those already mentioning the keywords we are monitoring
• Report which resources and strategies are most effective

The first of these trials will focus on optimizing my personal name, Ryan Bolz.

As a brief summary, I am a typical 18-25 year old internet user, utilizing sites like Facebook and Myspace on and off sporadically, but never have been a social media monger with an excess of online friends and a deep passion for commenting on every possible item of interest. Some accurate information does make it to the first page of most search engines when querying my exact name, however the bulk of sites listed are outdated or for people with similar legal names, screen names or affiliations.

The Search Data links to the right will provide current Gogle listings, as well as backlog screenshots of my daily Google listings for comparison over time.