Know Thy Digital Self

It is said we must love our neighbors. It is also true we must love ourselves. In the age of smartphones and social media we now must love our digital selves as well. Why “must” we love our online identities? The answer is simple. For many professionals and for those who are not working our digital selves is the first and most important way others are introduced to us.

Whether you are a grandmother at home playing on Instagram or an entrepreneur starting a new telecommunications company, that old embarrassing photo or nasty comment by an ex can leave its mark long after it was first published. If we had a dollar for every client who called us to remove an arrest record, an old photograph, a bad review, or other digital content we would be… well… richer than any man could ever imagine, to quote Luke Skywalker…

Your identity is a representation of who you are. On the Web and on social media, your digital identity is your representation to the world. For many people looking for a service or good, one bad review, one bad photo or one wrong word is enough to derail a sale or an inquiry. 

Control your message. Control how you are viewed. To be proactive means protecting your online self with constant searches for keywords related to your name and city of residence. It also means keeping an active online presence. In future posts we will be exploring ways to maintain a vibrant, positive and engaging online profile. 

For individuals, personal reputations are the lifeblood of an online presence. For those who are looking for a future husband or wife, a date, a friend or a client, one compromising piece of information can give your life a terrible wrong turn…