One can survive everything, nowadays, except death, and live down everything except a good reputation. ~Oscar Wilde
It’s funny how people are so careful to preserve their reputation in real life, and then go and act like buffoons online. Your reputation is your reputation, it doesn’t matter if your in person, online or on the phone. The way you behave should be the same across any medium. That goes for people and businesses.
Building a reputation takes time, but it’s relatively easy to do if you know how. I think the people who do it best are the one’s who go out of there way to be helpful, to spotlight others, and to just be an all around good guy or gal.
When you’re first starting out interacting on online and in Social Media, it’s easy to get carried away. You don’t have those blank stares or sideways glances coming back at you when you say something stupid. It’s easy to forget that their are actual human beings on the receiving end of your messages.
My rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t do it in person, you shouldn’t do it online. Below are 5 things that could damage your online reputation. If you’re doing any of these, please stop.
The only thing you do is promote yourself
But enough about me, let’s talk about you,……..what do You think about me?” ~Bette Midler, Beaches
Yes, social media is a self aggrandizing platform. But the people that excel at it are the ones who know the time and place to promote themselves. Actually, the ones who really do it right don’t have to promote themselves, others will gladly do it for them. 90-95% of your time should be spent helping and promoting others before you think about promoting yourself.
I only join the conversation when people are talking about me
Don’t show up to the conversation only when you hear your name mentioned. Getting involved means more than waiting for a Twitter notification that someone mentioned you online before you see what’s happening. See what others are saying and join in on their party, even if you’re not the center of it. *Disclaimer, I have, and sometimes still do this. I’m trying to get better at it.
I leave meaningless commentary to get my name out there
As a blogger, it pains me when I spend hours writing an article, and the only response I get is “Nice post” from someone who just stopped by to drop their link on my blog. I guess the it’s a step up from comments that start with “Buy Viagra 90% off!”, but at least I can get a chuckle from these spam comments. If you’re going to stop by a blog or join an active discussion online, don’t do it with the intention of getting a low value link, or to throw your name in front of people, read what’s happening and offer a thoughtful commentary. That’s an easy way to get yourself noticed and start some genuine online engagement.
I love my auto replies
One of the things that I find personally annoying is when I follow someone i’m interested in on Twitter and receive an immediate auto reply that says something like “Thanks for the follow, come join me on Facebook!” I find it’s like asking for the second date before you’ve even gone on the first one. Slow down sailor! If I like what I see on Twitter, i’ll go find you on Facebook. Even better, why show me some value, and then mention you’re on Facebook. Remember that you’re dealing with real life people, it’s easy to forget that when you’re trying to build “Followers” en masse.
Not thanking people online
If someone did something nice for you, you’d probably thank them. Why not do the same online? If someone re-tweets your post, links back to your blog or introduces you to someone, give them a virtual “High Five” and thank them for their efforts. They’ll be much more likely to do it again if you give them some acknowledgement. I know some of us have large networks and it can be hard to interact with everyone, but it’s nice to carve out some time once in awhile to thank people for allowing you into their network.
Ask for a little and give alot
Giving ten times more than you take is a sure fire way to building a great reputation online. If you spread the social media love around to others in your network, you’ll find that they will do most of your promoting for you. Is there anything I missed that people do that bug you online? I’d love to hear them in the comments!
Gary Shouldis
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As usual, another great post! I agree with everything you said. I do have to admit that I’ve had to resort to using auto replies for my @yrsbiz account because I just don’t have time to keep up with everyone. I try to keep it up-to-date with a link to our next big event though. There are just too many people trying to connect with me and I can’t keep it up by myself! I do go back once a week though and look at the new followers and try to make a more personal connection with those that I think really do want to be part of my network and are not just following to try to get me to follow back.
I have to mention grammar…although I’m guilty of it as well sometimes due to auto-correct. It’s one thing to use the odd acronym for something, but when you consistently misspell common words or use sloppy grammar, it says something about you too.
Thanks Sandra! Yes, as I have to admit, alot of the interactions I have on Twitter is a result of someone else mentioning me. I try and make time during the day to look for opportunities to converse, but we all know what a time suck social media can be if you let it. We have businesses to run, right?
Whenever I type on my phone, my fat thumbs always get in the way, can be very frustrating sometimes, but I usually try to make sure my grammar/ spelling is correct before posting.
Thanks for the tip, looking forward to seeing you soon, cheers!
Nice post lol.
. . . . alright alright i was joking . . . well sorta. It really was solid advice especially the i only respond when it’s about me tip. I truly have witnessed this, however i never looked at it the way you pointed it out tho. i haven’t been on Twitter long so i don’t have any “i can’t stand it when . .” comments to add.
Thanks for the comments Manny, and welcome to social media!
I often enjoy your posts, and share them. I also receive your feed. One small point that can damage your reputation-poor proofreading! Please view Paragraph 2, and your use of “there” rather than “their”. I’m wondering if Sandra above was discreetly trying to tell you that.
Keep up the great work!
Corrected! Thanks for the proofread Joan, cheers. BTW, why are you using a Google Site?
I agree with what you said. It’s so true how people throw away their reputation for a bit of publicity.
Have a great day :
Regards
In online business reviews are key to success.more the positive review means more business a single bad review will ruin all of your hard work earning so why to ruin ..it takes a lot to build a reputation