Online Reputation Protection

Online Repuation Protection
By Sharon Housley

Google is sometimes thought to be the bane of the Internet, and it certainly can be a thorn in the side of search engine marketers. Many fail to look beyond the search of today, toward what the implications of indexing and storing information will have on future generations. Forget the slogan "diamonds are forever" -- "Google is forever" is more accurate in regard to the Internet. And if not Google, then some other search giant will be able to retrieve information from previous years within a few seconds. If something is online, it does not just "go away". Like it or not, the entire world is being indexed and categorized, and will be searchable for years to come.

Individuals today have a personal brand. Employers and colleagues will search on your name, so it is imperative that you keep this in mind when posting online. You must control your online reputation.

The web is not always a friendly place, so what do you do if you are not using an alias and someone is posting derogatory information about you, your company, your products, or your brand?

Monitor Your Brand
The first step in monitoring your brand is to setup automated notifications within the various search engines, either via email or an RSS feed. This way, you will know when you are being discussed, either in favorable or unfavorable terms. For example, the "Google Alerts" feature is a free service that will send email notifications to you when specific words or phrases appear in new search results. Simply use your name, company name, product name, or brand as the phrase being monitored. Ego Feeds work in a similar fashion, except the alerts appear in a custom created RSS feed that updates whenever new mentions occur. For more information about Ego Feeds, see a related article at http://www.feedforall.com/ego-searches.htm


Control Your Brand
The second step in protecting your brand is to take a pro-active approach to appearing in the top search results when your name is entered into a search engine. You can do this by offering interviews, reviews, SEO, and writing articles or posting blog entries. At the very least, make an effort to control the top search results for your name. This will ensure that when your personal brand is searched, those items will be listed in the top 10 search results.


Damage Control
If you find something that is damaging or harmful, do damage control. Control your responses, and behave in a professional manner so it is clear that you took the high road when the exchange is viewed by others at a later time.

Social
The final bit of advice is to simply keep personal things personal. While the social sites are great for maintaining friendships, they are not helpful for people who have an occasional lapse in judgment. Refrain from posting pictures that show anything that you would not want your mother or future grandchildren to see, or saying anything when you are mad or upset since we often say things "in the heat of battle" that we regret later.

The Internet is preserving and archiving personal history in a way that has never previously happened. Control your online reputation for posterity.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

Negotiations

Negotiation really is an art,

and can be a challenge to master for even the most astute business professional. And like any art form, it must be refined and crafted. Getting a "good deal" can result in a feeling of euphoria. So, how does one "negotiate" a good deal? It can be difficult, especially if the other party appears to be holding all the cards. Follow these tips to help negotiate a great deal...

Know What You Are Willing To Concede

Decide what your minimums are before you enter the negotiations. Knowing your bottom line, as well as what items are "non-negotiable" will help tremendously. It is important to know this before you enter negotiations, simply because all too often, in the excitement of bartering and negotiating a deal, parties will be tempted to make concessions they had not actually intended make, in an effort to close the deal.

Deal With A Decision Maker

Whenever possible, don't negotiate with a subordinate -- make sure that the person you are dealing with has the power and authority to approve the deal being negotiated. The last thing you want is to spend time working out an agreement, only to have your momentum come to a screeching halt because someone else in management needs to approve the deal. Start your negotiations at the top, so you can get the deal negotiated and finalized without added delays.

Communications

Once a verbal agreement is arrived at, put it in writing immediately. In fact, after each communication, be sure to document (via email or another source) a recap of the discussions, just to make sure that both parties are still in agreement when the ink is dry. Having written details of the agreement can also help in the future if the negotiations break down for some reason.

Best Agreements

In the best agreement, both parties will benefit. In other words, both sides need to feel that they've gotten a "good deal". Never enter into negotiations with a goal of trying to "best" the other side, but instead enter with the goal of finding common ground that will benefit all parties involved.

Time Line & Expectations

Often when an agreement is made, the actual timeline for implementation is an afterthought. It is important that all negotiating parties have realistic expectations about the deal. The timeline should be part of the initial agreement, so that everyone's expectations are realistic, and the same. Detailing a list of benchmarks, timeline, and a payment schedule (if appropriate) will help ensure that everyone's expectations are manageable.

Performance

All good and not-so-good things must eventually come to an end, so be sure to discuss how any agreement will be concluded. Both parties should have an exit strategy, just in case the deal does not work out to their satisfaction.

Walk Away

Know when to simply walk away. Some deals are just not meant to happen. If you can not live with the terms offered, do not sign on the dotted line. Know when to walk away from a deal that doesn't work for you, or that you know you'll regret in the future.

At the end of the day, negotiating is a cleverly crafted game, and you need to know the rules in order to play the hand you are dealt.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.