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INTERNET
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Is This Really You?
Monitoring your online
reputation
How important is it to monitor your internet presence?
Today, you hear the concern for internet security and identity
theft, yet many people overlook or are not aware of how many
places might be broadcasting information about them - with and
without their permission.
A friend of mine
experienced a disgruntled client criticizing her credentials and
expertise on every internet complaint site she could locate.
These type of abusively negative posts can be difficult, if not
impossible to get removed. The longer they go unnoticed, the
more they circulate through the search engines.
Did you
know that anyone can set up a profile on numerous sites with
your name, and pretend to be you?
The first time I
discovered an unauthorized profile of me was on MySpace. Someone had set
up a profile under my name (not my email address) including a photo, and I had nothing to do
with it. After months of contacting MySpace, the profile finally
disappeared. Recently I found another profile of me online that
I hadnt set up. I discovered my name and meditations on a
wellness site. I still teach Meditation,
however, I dont promote it. In this case, I uncovered that it
was one of my previous students who thought they were doing
something good for me. It was a very nice
gesture and didnt cause me any harm, however, it still reminds
me to stay alert of my exposure on the internet.
With the proliferation of free email accounts, a person with
harmful intent can sometimes get away with it. Because of this,
some social networks such as Twitter have a verification process
for the true identity of a user. Other social network sites are
rejecting any new applications using a free email service, such
as hotmail, yahoo and even G-mail.
What can you do?
Start with a
search
Conducting regular Google searches, or using Google alerts is
important, however remember there are several other large search
engines that may be storing information about you. Consider
dogpile,
intellius,
webmii
and public records to see what they report on you.
Your search may uncover many of the places you intentionally
posted your profile information, comments, articles and your
blogs. Additional search might show results of any negative
response to your comment posts or complaints someone may have
noted on complaint sites, consumer reports or the
Better Business Bureau online. Make sure to check directory
sites in your niche and professional market.
Be diligent in
having erroneous information removed.
Complaint sites may be protected by certain rights of speech
laws, however, independent directory sites, blogs, groups and
social networks usually have a better response to your reasons
for information to be removed, if not edited.
We have seen
that once information is on the internet it is difficult to
remove, even Facebook admits it cannot remove members
information once the member has deleted it from their profile.
Because of this
problem on the internet, there are companies who offer services
to police your information on the internet and challenge
negative listings. Seldom can they get information removed on
your behalf, however, with specific efforts (some legitimate)
they can sometimes get it buried off the first few search pages.
The longer something is on the internet, the more difficult it
is to remove stay diligent and be proactive.
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About the Author, Sumner M. Davenport
Sumner is an Results Coach, Niche & Multi-Channel Internet
Marketing Consultant, Best Selling Author and
Speaker.
Her deepest passion is to see
people empowering others while living the life of their dreams.
As a Coach she
employs a unique method of clarifying goals which assists her clients to break
out of their habitual box of thinking and planning. She can be
reached through her website:
http://SumnerDavenport.com
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