Online Reptutation Management

I was inspired by a post on Kirsten Dixson's Facebook profile, where she talked about "smart" businesspeople airing their political views. Having a bachelor's degree in journalism, my professors frequently reminded us of the need to keep our personal views private. But in today's online age, I find that many people aren't paying attention to that.

As I blogged about a few weeks ago, I've joined Facebook. It's addictive... that's for sure ... and part of the appeal is getting to know even more about the family, friends, and colleagues who post about their lives online.

But there is a definite negative to having an online persona. Just recently, one of my former clients lost her job because of things she had posted on her Facebook profile. A former newswoman in Omaha lost her job last year because of a photo on her Facebook page showing her with her arm around a local politician.

Caution your clients to be careful about what they post about themselves online. Spotlighting their political affiliations too publicly might get them into trouble. Posting about their weekend exploits (or, worse yet, PHOTOS! of those adventures) can get them into trouble. Remind them that information that they think is private isn't always ... especially online.

And if they're going to continue to showcase themselves online, at least make sure you tell them to keep their resume updated.