Managing in the digital world: controlling your profile

Controlling your profile on the internet is of great consequence. From an aerial perspective we know that digital technology is affecting all aspects of our personal lives and is fast becoming the engine propelling our economic activities. Clearly, digital technology is shifting our world like the industrial revolution did all those years ago.

With the emergence of this technology in the '80's we continue to witness ongoing transformation in our world from transportation, web-based consumerism, services delivery, and cutting-edge telecommunications to how we interact with our neighbours, and how corporations and governments interact with consumers and taxpayers. Obviously, this is not news and yet we sometimes need to be reminded about taking care of our personal information - whether for business or personal purposes, to better protect our privacy and our credibility. By 1998 some visionaries were saying that in the decades ahead the internet would have even more profound impacts. For instance, Paul Hoffert had an interesting way of looking at this shift (PDF). In his book, The Bagel Effect he said:

"Power and control are flowing from the centre of systems to their edges ... Losing ground are big governments, big unions, big businesses, central regulators...Gaining ground are self-employed, taxpayers, customers, free trade and end-users of services."

In some ways it seems these statements are truer today than ever before. It gets a little tough, though, for the average person to break down all of the impacts of this rapidly changing, information-rich digital world and fully make sense of it.

Today, many of us gladly sign up on various social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter so we can quickly connect with others for a variety of reasons. Who we are and what we did or are doing instantly becomes available on the internet. On top of that, if your job is newsworthy, people can learn even more about you through a Google search. More and more companies are using social media to do business and connect with clients and suppliers. Often there's a risk of revealing personal information during these transactions. Personal information is being used in all sorts of ways - whether to conduct marketing and product research or to profile individuals. Because of the readily available information on the internet, first impressions, rightly or wrongly, are often formed well before we meet prospective clients, employees or employers. Depending on the content and the age of the information these impressions may be very misleading. Before we actually get to the meeting the likelihood that we've been "researched" is pretty high. And, some of the contacts we have listed on the internet - members of our "community"- may already have received a communication seeking to confirm what we claim to be true in our profiles.

According to Tom Searcy (CBS Money Watch) - these research practices are on the increase and the tools being used to facilitate such searches are increasing as well. In a recent blog article, he offers "3 tips to make your digital profile look good". He believes that people are primarily testing for three things:

Credibility: What do you bring to the table? For instance, indications of frequent job hopping may raise questions. A comprehensive profile tells searchers about your accomplishments, commendations and credentials. (The opinion is thus beginning to form.)

Context: Context matters and based on the information uncovered, superficial deductions about what has shaped your views and possible biases seems easy. Where you got your education, what companies you've worked for, whether you participate actively in your community and so on - all provide clues about your story.

Connection: Fit is important because in any social setting people want to find common ground to connect and communicate. Similar experiences, interests, groups and associations assist with initial rapport. As Searcy says, it's a little voyeuristic but it is also the world in which we live.

Diligently managing our profiles on the internet is critical for managing our personal and professional reputations. Searcy says here's how best to do that:

Know and manage your digital twin. Make sure the digital information out there is accurate. If you don't find anything, you might like to think about creating a profile. Having nothing in the digital world says something about you, too (!). Regularly update and refine your digital information for accuracy.

Work on the digital twins of your team members. As for our professional reputation, teams member profiles are a reflection on your own, as well as your company's and it might be a good idea to manage them too - especially if you're in sales and service industries.Personal and organisational branding is becoming less clear yet more important. With the blurring of these lines, considering the unintended consequences of easily created and seemingly benign messages will save us a load of worry and misinterpreted fall-out.

We need to tell our own story and that means controlling what's on the internet and social media about ourselves; that means managing the technology rather than being managed by it. So, take control and make sure you're telling your own story - in this revolutionary digital age.

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