According
to a recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, millennials are
becoming more savvy about their online reputations. With recent uproars
against Facebook and security, it is no surprise that more consumers are
becoming educated about how much information is available about them online.
Reputation
management is now top of mind for many younger individuals. What you put on the
Web shapes your brand whether you are a huge corporation, small business or an
individual. As more people become more conscious of this fact, many
Internet users are being more cautious about how they project themselves
online, what information they are sharing, and who they are sharing that
information with.
Interesting
stats from the study:
· More than half (57 percent) of
adult internet users say they have used a search engine to look up their name and see what information was available
about them online.
· More than two-thirds (71
percent) of social networking users ages 18-29 have changed the privacy settings on their profile to limit what they share with others
online.
· More than 30 percent of all
Internet users ages 18 to 64 were worried about the amount of information
available about them on the Web.
· 27 percent of employed internet
users now work for an employer that has policies about how they present
themselves online—such as what they can post on blogs and websites or what
information they can share about themselves.
· 31 percent of employed internet
users have searched online for information about co-workers, professional
colleagues or business competitors, up from 23 percent in 2006.
· 44 percent of online adults
have searched for information about someone whose services or advice they seek
in a professional capacity.
As
people become more aware of their online reputation, they are also taking steps
to use this space to promote themselves. After all, you are building a personal
brand, right? There are certainly good reasons individuals should be more
vigilant. Employers, friends, family and even neighbors are searching the Web
for information about people and having creating a strong online reputation can
lead to things like job opportunities, new business leads, etc.
It’s
great to see that more individuals are taking an active role in managing their
online reputations. As the social media and the Internet continue to grow
everyone needs to be more savvy about what your personal brand is saying about
you.
--
Deana Goodrich
