Friday, June 17, 2011

Google Introduces a New Way to Protect Your Reputation

Google has introduced a tool that helps you manage search results for your name.

The tool, “Me on the Web,” is now included on the Google dashboard in between account information and analytics. It is not intended to be another privacy setting.

“Your online identity is determined not only by what you post, but also by what others post about you — whether a mention in a blog post, a photo tag or a reply to a public status update,” Google explains.

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways to Clean Up Your Social Media Identity

The new dashboard section encourages you to keep tabs on these mentions by setting up search alerts for data points included in your Google profile, like your name and email address. It has long been possible to set up these type of alerts using another section of the dashboard, but now it takes fewer clicks.

Google’s new tool also includes links to resources about managing online identity and removing unwanted content.

Businesses that help people do both of these things have popped up in recent years, and many of them automate the same tactics that Google suggests.

One of the first steps in setting up Google’s tool: “Create a Google profile.”

No comments: