I cannot even begin to explain the importance of protecting your online reputation. For starters, the internet has the ability to literally ruin your life – if you let it. Any small, nonsensical thing could be taken out of context and used against you.
There is no way to avoid the consequences after the action has been executed, but there are ways to prevent the entire situation from happening in the first place.
Google Yourself
As silly as it might sound, the best thing you can do to get an idea of what is already out there is researching yourself. While Google is the standard website to do this with, there are several other search engines that will bring up more information (think Pipl).
When using a tool similar to Pipl, you’ll have access to all social media accounts/online profiles that were created using your name/email/username/etc. This gives you the opportunity to take out the “trash” – or in other words, delete all profiles that you no longer use.
Use Social Media
This might come as a shocker, but the thing to remember here is that we’re discussing how to protect your online reputation – not how to protect your online identity. If you’re super paranoid, social media is not a good idea.
On the other hand, if you need an online reputation, social media isn’t a bad thing to have. By creating a social media for yourself, your business, or your services, you have the ability to stay on top of things. Even more, you decrease the risk of someone else creating that social media profile without your permission.
Assume NOTHING Is Private
On the internet, even private things aren’t private. There are times when encryption doesn’t even serve its purpose. If you’re going to frequent the internet, you need to prepare yourself any and all possibilities. If you are always assuming that you’re being monitored, the chances of posting something “dangerous” is less likely.