Oh…just go GOOGLE yourself!

I do it. I know you do, but you might not admit it.

I…regularly ‘google’ my name. *clap, clap, clap*

Don’t judge! Most companies engage in reputation management and if you’re wise, you’d do the same. The majority of my day is spent communicating with members of the media, my clients’ key influencers and often consumers – in this day and age of instant publishing, it’s not unlikely that those conversations and their subject matter (or a version of it, at least) will find its way online. And I speak from experience -

A gear tester contacted me about a problem they were having with the durability of an item they were testing for a client of mine. Clearly they were having a ‘difficult’ experience so I quickly ran the situation by the client and product design team. We crafted a response to the gear tester and sent it via email – welcoming their feedback and thanking them for the input. 90 minutes later, the email – in its entirety – was posted to a forum and the writer gave the client and I kudos for the expedited and courteous response (we were called out, by name). For me, it was a good experience with reputation management. It could have been a much different outcome.

We’ve seen it countless times with major brands but what about specific people (not celebrities) – but you, and your personal brand?

According to a recent Pew Internet & American Life report, more than half (57%) do what I do – they say they’ve used a search engine to look up their name and see what information was available about them online (in 2006 it was 47%). And a thumb’s up to young adults (18-29) where more than two-thirds have changed the privacy settings on their profile to limit what’s shared online. (The college admission board may not be a fan of the Spring Break 2010 photo album…good move)

Still not convinced? The report also includes this statistic: 44% of online adults have searched for information about someone whose services or advice they seek in a professional capacity. Makes sense, right? Check out the restaurant where you have reservations next week, search the name of the agency that just came in and pitched your business, google the account manager who they said would staff the account.

Think about it.