If I meet with someone I generally google them beforehand. I assume others do the same with me. I believe this will be the norm for pretty much anyone soon if it is not already. I am therefore surprised to see how many people are not in control of their online persona. The only information that google turns up is what others have written about them. That may well include quotes take out of context, out-of-date company affiliations or even negative comments by others. Letting others define you online like that is dangerous and a missed opportunity. Hosting is so cheap these days or even free if you use a blogging platform such as Tumblr that there is really no excuse for not taking control of your own identity. One of the first things anyone googling you should find is a page that you control. Of course that is a lot easier done with a fairly distinctive name (that is not shared by a celebrity). But even if your name is Will Smith and you are not THE Will Smith you should control your persona and think of which other words folks are likely to use when googling you.

If I meet with someone I generally google them beforehand. I assume others do the same with me. I believe this will be the norm for pretty much anyone soon if it is not already. I am therefore surprised to see how many people are not in control of their online persona. The only information that google turns up is what others have written about them. That may well include quotes take out of context, out-of-date company affiliations or even negative comments by others. Letting others define you online like that is dangerous and a missed opportunity. Hosting is so cheap these days or even free if you use a blogging platform such as Tumblr that there is really no excuse for not taking control of your own identity. One of the first things anyone googling you should find is a page that you control. Of course that is a lot easier done with a fairly distinctive name (that is not shared by a celebrity). But even if your name is Will Smith and you are not THE Will Smith you should control your persona and think of which other words folks are likely to use when googling you.