RSSHow are You Known Online?
Everyone in this world has some kind of online presence. Unless you have never been online, a person searching for you is bound to find something. It's in your best interests to know what such a search will turn up.
You Are Listed Regardless of Your Knowledge About It
The Internet is not like it used to be. There was a time when a person could simply stay in the physical world and ignore the Internet. But as Reputation.com CEO & founder Michael Fertik has taught the world, the Internet no longer lets anyone be separate from or ignore it. You are online, your past is online, and in some cases outright false information is currently circulating about you through online channels that anyone can access at any time. Not only that, but people are looking for information on you and the Internet is the first place they will tend to look.
People are Looking for You
The world is full of people searching for one another, and not necessarily in a good way. According to some statistics, roughly 43 percent of people will do an online search of the other person before they go on a date with them. If you are currently "on the market," that means you have a reasonably high likelihood of being searched for. If the information that the other person finds isn't true, particularly if this falsehood casts you in a negative light, your chances of the relationship being over before it begins are fairly high. This is something you may feel powerless about, but you can take some steps to secure your online perceptions.
They Will Judge You Based on What They Find
If you have anything online that is negative, most people will not question it. Despite its faults, the Internet is considered to be a reliable authority on most subjects. This means that if someone finds information on someone with your name, they will most likely assume that this person is you. If that information gives the searcher a negative view of you, they will be less likely to want to associate with you in any way. Whether in their business or personal lives, people would prefer to deal with people who have clean and good looking backgrounds. If you don't, you have a real problem that you need to deal with.
How you are known online matters. As the old saying goes, perception is reality.
