Dominate Your Profiles
Every single social media platform allows users to own their profiles and claim their business pages. However, don’t let others represent you or claim your name first. Depending on which social media sites are most relevant, you’ll want to own all available profiles that are connected to your name and brand. It’s vital that you do this as soon as possible, as it will provide a credible platform for your business.

Clean Them Up
If you already possess social media profiles to your name, then the next step is to make sure they accurately represent you and your business. Your profiles serve as the digital representations of you, your business and your brand; therefore, you’ll want to make sure that they’re as positive and clean as possible. Try to delete any photos and status updates that reflect poorly on you, and schedule content that bring value to your brand. In addition, if others have posted embarrassing or negative images and posts attributed with your name, then you’ll want to take the steps to remove the content.

Build Your Community
If you’re in need of online image reputation help, then don’t try to take it all on your own. Your audience and devoted followers can be the greatest proponents in boosting your reputation. But in order to achieve this, you’ll need to build and nurture your community, giving them a reason to patronize your brand. Make sure that you are consistently using social media, engaging with readers and followers. Social media is a two-way channel: when others reach out to you, make sure that you respond in kind.

Stay Aware
News on the Internet spreads like lightning; it’s possible to wake up one morning and find social media channels burning up with news about your site. Therefore, it’s important that you stay aware of the continuing dialogue as much as possible. Doing so will allow you to keep track of what others are saying, and how to counter with your own content and viewpoint. There are a variety of tools that can help you track the social media activity around your name, such as Google Alerts, Social Mention and Twitter’s search function.  Don’t be embarrassed to Google yourself; in order to protect your reputation through social media, you’ll need to stay vigilant and alert.

Sara Fletcher is a professional blogger who writes on a variety of topics, ranging from SEO, social media and business. She loves to learn all she can about online marketing, and is always looking for the next writing opportunity.

If you have chosen a good blog tile, this is going to help you improve the traffic to your blog that you get from your readers. Continue reading so that you can discover how you can select the right name for your blog.

Develop your own checklist. When you are choosing a personal blog title for yourself, you would want the title to be as unique and original as possible, let your readers know what it is about, grab their attention and include the correct keywords for search engines to latch on. Ensure that you have secured these points when you are considering your personal blog title.

Jot down blog names. Make a list of the possible names that you would like to use in a blank piece of paper when choosing a title. Go for a walk from the list of names for a few hours and come back. Input some ideas before walking away once more for an hour and then come back to read it over and select the title that sounds most appealing to you.

Browse advertisements related to your blog topic. This trick will help you come up with a personal blog title that is good for you. Visit a blog that is related to your topic and then browse their ads. Read through them and if there is a keyword that inspires you, jot it down. Eventually, you will have a handful of keywords that you can choose from in order to make up your own blog title. You just have to be creative!

Get outside help. One way to get the perfect blog title that you are looking for is by asking for the help of others. Gather a few blog names that you think sound pretty cool and then have someone that you value their opinion for check them out. This someone could be a relative, friend or partner in life. Whoever you will be asking help for, get their opinion and suggestion on the blog names that are ideal to use. It is even possible to ask a professional blogger what their ideas are when it comes to new personal blog titles.

Author Bio:

Judene Macariola is very passionate with his writings. He really sees to it that his articles have a deep impact to his readers. A dedicated and devoted writer and a broadband expert , Jude is your perfect choice when it comes to anything that deals with blogging, social media and other interesting topics like cheap high speed internet.

Separate email addresses

Prime example is banking information. It is recommended to use a separate email address and build an identity that you don’t even share with your family. That’s used only for your banking, credit cards, PayPal, other online accounts that deal with money. That email address should always be segregated. It shouldn’t be used with anything else. Never put it publicly and don’t share with anybody.

That’s one of the identities that we look at. The other is more of a private one – family, friends, and then the third is your public side. So, you can build 3 layers around it.

Start right now and get an email address that you don’t share with anybody and start moving your primary accounts to that address, things like banking, online finance, anything you do with credit cards. Start securing your identity, make sure no one knows that address but you, maybe your spouse in some rare cases.  You won’t get spammed there because the only reason for that is if the credit card company sold your information. So, that’s identifiable.

And then it’s good to have the public address that you use for everything. A lot of the email systems like Gmail let you alias it. You can have 2 or 3 email inbound names for the same account. You still log in one mailbox, you are not maintaining multiple mailboxes but it gives your forms of identity.

Same login names and photos

Another technique is to use the same login name on every system in the world, on each of the 100+ sites you are registered, and also have your new email address spelled like that login name, but of course you need different strong passwords.

Together with that, on any public site, it is great to have the same picture and the same profile built. Use the same profile info, logo and picture on all your networks. In this case, if you search for yourself – all the sites come up, you will be able to see if someone took your logo or image and identify your own accounts and those pretending to be yours. On all the public and social sites always use the same email address for registration, use the same picture and the same contact information, be consistent.

Fake it if you have to

Sites often ask additional security questions like your father’s middle name. How many people actually use it? Most people do. Today bad guys can dig social media and know enough about you. It’s easy to find and get a middle name or your kid’s or your pet’s name. So when sites ask your pet’s name – just create an imaginary pet. You would never share that name with anybody. The bad guy would never guess the name because even if he tries to meet your real pet, he would never know the difference.

Build an identity around that and use it for all the sites for authentication. They do not usually validate who you are, where you are, so you can use a made-up number if you want to, or even a made-up address – 1 Main Street seems to be very popular.

You don’t want to fake everything

Especially be careful with kids’ information online. When you sign your children up on Facebook, and especially when they’re younger than 13, you sign them up a little early and there is a problem with that.

A lot of parents are signing up kids on Facebook with a fake birthday and making them older to get in for the 13. This is a huge issue, it becomes identity problem because when the system thinks they are 18, it adjusts settings like allowing profiles to be publicly searchable by adults.

If you made a profile for your 10-year-old kid and he or she is 3 years younger than it is required, then when he or she is 15 – that profile becomes searchable through the public adult system that should show up only 18 years old. By tricking the system, you are actually exposing your identity even earlier and to people you may not want to.

As an additional step, it’s good to use some privacy protection services and install Internet privacy software.

Alex Lamman is a 25 years old software engineer, snowboarder and just a loving father from Germany.  He is Internet security addict and helps to run http://privacy-pc.com.

Via craigslist, members of McAfee security team acquired secondhand gadgets from owners who thought they were careful. They bought 30 devices. They bought laptops, desktops, netbooks, notebooks, iPads, iPhones, BlackBerry and Android mobile phones. They drove all over the Massachusetts buying devices in people’s living rooms, cafes and business offices. They were buying them for 20, 50, 100 dollars. All the devices were then taken to forensics experts who actually used software tools that are available on the Internet.

Experts found tremendous amounts of data. They found people’s entire digital lives. Experts found social security numbers, credit card numbers, family photos, family videos. They found court documents, child support documents, and a lot of porn and pirated videos, detailed Internet search history. They also found viruses, if someone had used those infected devices, his personal info could have been compromised.

They found enough data to steal identities by opening up new accounts, taking over existing accounts or even enough information to damage reputation. One of the hard drives that came from a business laptop had all kinds of business documents, employee records. This finding would be considered a data breach with the amount of information that was on it.

Of the 30 devices they bought, they were able to retrieve data on over half of them. In most cases people selling the device think they erased all data by following the manufacture’s instructions, but for someone who knows computers it is not hard to retrieve data.

Most people are moving to Windows 7 operating system and eventually to Windows 8, which means that there are a lot of Windows XP machines both desktops and laptops that are available online as secondhand on Craigslist and eBay. As much as half of them probably still have your information and viruses. There is a problem with XP operating system, when you go and reinstall the operating system, there are too many options, which essentially leave partitions on the drive that still have your data.

As to mobiles, both iPhone and BlackBerry did a good job of removing the information when the owner resets the device. If you go to your general and then options menus, you can reset the device back to factory. Actually BlackBerry is the best to delete the information. These manufactures’ procedures for cleaning your phone work very food, but if you are good enough you can hack into those too.

Android devices were the worst. People are buying new Android phones and the old ones still have their information on them and that is really a big problem. Even if someone did a factory reset on an Android, experts found massive amounts of information. On 3 out of the 4 Android devices, security guys found just about everything that was on the device even after a factory reset.

The problem with a lot of the digital devices that we have today is when you reset the operating system, when you reinstall or reformat it or reset to factory settings, it doesn’t often do the job which it says it does. You are leaving a lot of bread crumbs that can be all collected together, which allows the bad guy to basically steal your identity.

The forensics people who understand how to extract this data and even the non-professionals, even the guys just on the Web who learned how to use this software, they are going to find their way around and find your information with that software which costs just 50 dollars.

If you have a Windows XP machine or old Android and you want to sell it, you might need to reconsider that. You are going to get 50 – 70 dollars for it, but you may be selling your identity for that price too. It’s not worth risking your identity.

Instead of selling it, and if it is still good, give it to someone you trust like your kids or your spouse. Don’t donate your phones to charity. Maybe it’s better to consider recycling the actual device, but with XP machines, always keep the hard drive and destroy the hard drive. Take it and put it in a vice and drill holes through it, then smash it with a hammer and later put in a bucket of salty water for a year. You can be a securely thinking individual and organize a smash party at home or office.

If you are buying second hand devices you want to install antivirus, antispyware, antiphishing as well because usually old XP machines contain viruses.

Equipment manufactures and software developers need to do a better job so that people could effectively delete data stored on their devices.

Alex Lamman is a 25 years old software engineer, snowboarder and just a loving father from Germany.  He is Internet security addict and helps to run Privacy PC – a website which guides you through security and privacy news, tips and antimalware software reviews.

It seems that most people have a domain name in mind and then move right along to other aspects of planning to own a website. When it comes time to buy the domain name, they realize that it is already taken. This causes a HUGE wrinkle in the perfectly pressed plan, and many wonder where to go next. The questions usually start to surface: Is an abbreviated version okay? Does the extension matter? Did I really even want that domain name in the first place?

How to Make Sure You Have a Great Domain Name

While some people find that the domain name they wanted was taken, others aren’t sure where to begin. In both situations, you will find yourself wondering what makes a good domain name. Your domain name will be associated with your company or with your personal brand forever, so this is not a decision to be taken lightly. While website themes and content can be changed and removed at will, a domain name sticks. If you don’t get it right the first time, you’re stuck re-branding and spending more money on a new domain name. Consider some of the things to keep in mind:

Step #1: Think about the meaning of the potential domain name.

If your company has a specialty, try and put this into your domain name. It is always easiest to create a brand when the name has something to do with the product or service. On that same note, companies succeed because they have great customer service, great content, a great product, etc. The meaning of your domain name is not everything. Try and aim for something connected, but if you’re ready to work a little bit harder getting your name out there, do not let the “meaning” stop you.

Step #2: Consider Length and Accessibility

The general rule of thumb for a domain name is the shorter the better. If your company name is very long and complicated, it might be best to think of an abbreviation or only using the first half of the company name as the domain. You also want to think about the accessibility of the name. It should be easy for customers and clients to remember, so you want to stay away from anything too generic or too jumbled. For example, five random letters put together is not going to be easy to remember—even if it makes sense to you.

Step #3: Check Out the Competition

If you have a domain name in mind, you will want to check to see if that domain name is already taken and successful. It may seem obvious, but many try and switch up extensions on a domain name and then compete with an already profitable website. If it is a great website (well maintained, reader engagement, etc.), you may want to think of a new domain entirely so as not to cause any conflict.

Step #4: Consider the Extension

This is probably the biggest problem that people run into when choosing a domain name. It seems that all of the “good” domain names with a .com at the end are taken. The first thing you will want to do is see if you can buy the .com extension. You can learn more about this here. If this is not possible, it’s time to consider a different extension. The extension absolutely DOES NOT matter when it comes to SEO, but people are more likely to click on a .com over a .net or .biz. Nonetheless, many companies have proven successful with an extension other than .com. I would recommend finding a .com or a .net extension, and if neither are available to keep thinking of a new name.

Ultimately choosing a domain name is completely up to you. If you follow all of these steps and find a name that works, but you just don’t like, then don’t pick it. Remember that unless you’re willing to pay it, a domain name is stuck with you and your brand for a very long time. Make sure that the domain name makes sense to you, and ask the opinion of others to help you build confidence. Once you’ve settled on a name, don’t second guess yourself. Take pride in the website you have created and get started on the fun stuff!

Author: Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to business credit cards. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including small business loans to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business directory, Business.com.

Then again, this is not always the case. Some people set up their own websites to provide information on various subjects. On the other hand, several
individuals create blog sites to talk about just anything.

How about you, are you interested in letting other readers know about your passion in life? Or, do you want to market your small business? Well,
whether you wish to spread the news or advertise your services, you can do it through blogging.

But what is blogging and what do you have to do to start?

If you are not too familiar with the term, it is actually short for Web-logging and it involves creating a website where you (as the blogger) can share
any information through article posts. And, with the right combination of optimization techniques, it can rank well in search engine results.

Now, it is not just for personal purposes as you can use it for dynamic means too, such as starting conversations or engaging in affiliate marketing
(wherein you advertise a seller’s goods or services).

Given the fact that it has plenty of uses, it only goes to show that blogging can be very rewarding. In fact, the following are some
of its top benefits:

1. It lets you share your interests
– It does not matter if you are passionate about the environment or fashion, you can write countless posts to let the world know just how enthusiastic
you are about the subject. You can even share your arguments on current issues or news.

2. It can be your platform
– Through it, you can air your beliefs, share your expertise, and promote your products.

3. It allows you to hone your writing abilities
– You skills get better each time you publish an article on your blog site. You can enhance your language and grammar knowledge.

4. It boosts your knowledge
– The fact that you are blogging makes you a great learner because it lets you increase your insight on many topics, especially if your articles come
with research.

5. It permits you to get out of your comfort zone
– Your blog site can be a magic carpet, which takes you to different places. What is more, it lets you break through your shell and express yourself.

6. It is a fantastic place to test your ideas
– You may think that you have far-fetched thoughts but wait until you post a blog about it. Soon, other readers will agree with you and you will
realize that you do not have such crazy ideas.

7. It provides you with many followers
– Once several people agree with you, they will not hesitate to add you to their network. So, do not forget to sign up on social networking sites and
add your articles with social media buttons.

8. It helps you increase your expertise and credibility
– When plenty of readers realize the worth of your articles, many individuals will consider you an authority because of the knowledge you possess.

9. It allows you to help other people
– You can use your blogs to give answers to questions or solutions to problems. How worthwhile is that, right?

10. It lets you begin conversations
– You can begin your own forum to talk about interesting or hot issues.

11. It is a cost-effective marketing tool
– You can spend as low as twenty dollars a month to obtain a domain name and hosting package. Then, you can start earning through your blogs.

12. It lets you build a good brand image
– If you are blogging for business purposes, most of the advantages mentioned on this page helps you create a credible name for your enterprise.

13. It allows you to make money
– When you combine the activity with the latest search engine optimization (SEO) strategies, it can provide you with considerable earnings.

14. It has a wide reach
– Whether you want to express your ideas or advertise to your target market, you have a bigger chance of reaching a wide audience through the World
Wide Web.

15. It allows you to pursue your dream
– Whatever it is that you want to do in life – publish a book, start a business, or get famous – you can make it possible through blogging because of
the benefits above.

So, what do you think? Are you ready to reap these rewards? Find out more about setting up your own blog site and you are good to go.

About the Author: Emma Tomlinson is the Head of Retail at Smart Traffic, a leading search
agency providing business SEO in the UK and to several countries worldwide.

If you have your own professional website, market it. Most employers who see a website listed on your resumé will access it to get to learn a little more about you. There are a number of rules to follow when creating a brand for image online.

#1: Always be mindful of what you put online.

Think of it this way: If you wouldn’t want your parents to see it, don’t put it on your website. Make sure that your website, facebook, twitter, or other personal page doesn’t link to something that could be construed as offensive or inappropriate.

#2: Make a website, especially if you’re presently unemployed.

There are a number of companies which offer free website design. Use these to your advantage. Create your own website complete with links to all of your accomplishments, previous jobs, and volunteer work. Use your website to expand upon what you were unable to discuss in your resumé due to brevity issues such as your certifications, any scholastic honours you received, or other information that you think might be relevant to an employer’s choice.

#3: Don’t list your blog unless it’s relevant to your field.

If your field is computer engineering, don’t link to your blog on your love of English Literature. If your current blog isn’t relevant to your field, make one that is. Keep a job search blog where you can post about your job search experiences and to keep track of all the places where you’ve applied.
Enable comments so that friends, family, and others can offer insight and constructive criticism that might help land you the job that you want.

Again, be mindful of what you write and remember that anything on the internet—even if it’s listed as being private—can be read by someone who really wants to read it. Only put information out there that you wouldn’t mind an employer finding out about. While there are ways of blogging safely (such as blogging anonymously or setting up your blog so that it doesn’t show up in search results), it’s better to be safe than sorry.

#4: Read job search blogs.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Maybe someone on another job search blog has an idea that you haven’t thought of? You can always gain inspiration from reading about what avenues someone else is pursuing. If your search isn’t working for you, reading about someone else’s job search experience might be just what you need to get on the right path.

#5: Every top performer in a field has a blog. If you don’t have a blog, then you’re not a top performer.

This seems to be becoming more and more the norm these days in this era of social global networking. Everyone is out there trying to make a name for themselves, and those who have generally share their opinions and advice with the rest of the world through a blog.

Having a regularly updated blog is rapidly becoming as much a part of a job search as is maintaining a resumé. Keeping a blog will allow you to tell your employer what makes you unique in much more detail than what you’re allowed on a typical resumé. On your blog, you can demonstrate precisely how you are keeping ahead of everyone else in your field. Your future employer will appreciate knowing that you genuinely care about what you do. Having a blog also allows you to expand your professional network as you build a brand for your name online. Like-minded individuals will be drawn to you to offer their support.

Stay active and engaged on your blog by responding to people who comment. This will show that you care about what they have to say, and that you are taking their words into consideration.

Part of keeping a blog also includes making an effort to keep it updated daily or weekly. If you wait too long to make updates, your followers might grow bored and look elsewhere. Post too much, and they might feel like you’re spamming them. Limit yourself to one post a day, one post a week, or a few posts a week to keep readership up.

#6: Include links to your actual resumé and your social networking sites on your blog.

Make sure that these links are in multiple formats (.doc, .pdf, .docx seem to be the most popular). You want to know that anyone perusing your site will be able to download and read your resumé with ease.

Maintain a separate twitter and facebook account for all of your job search travels and link people to them. Be sure to keep these regularly updated as well.

#7: Let your readers into your life.

As long as your personal anecdotes have a PG-13 rating, sharing stories about yourself, your family, your interests, and your hobbies give prospective employers unique insight into who you are as a person. When you begin talking in personal terms, you’re no longer just a name on a resumé; you are someone that people can identify with and relate to. Never discount the importance of the human element, even in an online context.

#8: LinkedIn is an amazing tool.

Millions of professionals all over the world have a LinkedIn account which allows them to create network circles from a list of their family members, friends, and previous employers. It is an incredible, multi-functional service that anyone can use, job seeker and current employee alike. Prospective employees might be able to contact a current employee to ask them about the work environment to see if it’s the right environment for them. Employers might access an interviewee’s resumé right from their LinkedIn profile.

Blogs can make or break you when it comes to both making yourself marketable. Following all of these rules can help you locate the job that you ultimately desire.

For more  job search blog advice and a tool to perform job search from multiple job boards and company website, check out JobHits job search engine.

The current statistics from Stat Counter show that in January 2012, 3.63% of users were using IE7, which is down from 4% in December 2011. This demonstrates the diminishing usage of IE7, as well as its clear downward trend. The people behind the Drupal development team have made the correct decision, particularly when considering the amount of extra work that is required in supporting IE7.

Facebook is also phasing out IE7. The new timeline profile is not viewable on IE7 and it is expected that Facebook will eventually cease all support for IE7, as it did with IE6. Facebook have not stated this officially, but based on how Facebook have completely ceased support for IE6 and started a similar phase process with IE7, this is the likely to be the long term path for IE7 as well. Facebook do not explicitly state which browsers they support, except that they support the up to date versions of the major browsers.

In June 2011 Google announced that Google Apps would not longer support IE7. The reason for this is that new features would require most modern up to date browsers. One example is the drag and drop upload feature, which requires html 5. In fact, the lack of support for IE7 will eventually extend to Google Calendar as well as Google Talk and potentially more of Google’s line of products.

Jquery 2.0 may drop IE6 to IE 8 support upon its release. The developers are still considering this, so this is not confirmed yet. If they decide to cease this support, it is likely that a plugin will be made available which makes Jquery 2.0 compatible with these versions of Internet Explorer.

When Drupal 8 is released, IE7 usage rates will almost certainly drop even more significantly, at which point the usage rates may be so low that Drupal webmasters will be hardly concerned that such few users will not have proper access enabled for their websites.

Mitchel Xavier is a Drupal development expert and creates Drupal web design solutions for businesses in Sydney Australia.

Tips for Creating an Online Portfolio

When creating a writing portfolio, it is highly important to convey skill, expertise and a level of professionalism. The following tips can help bloggers develop a portfolio that displays their best qualities:

Pick a Platform
One of the main steps in creating an online portfolio is choosing a content management system. There are a variety of different types of systems, such as WordPress, Blogger and Drupal. However, each system offers its own unique features and benefits, as well as a certain style. An important tip to keep in mind is that the portfolio should use a format that conveys the writer’s professionalism and experience. A well-designed, appealing portfolio will go a long way towards attracting prospective clients towards your work.

Detail Your Experience
Traditionally, writers would collect copies of their articles, whether they appeared in journals, newspapers, or magazines. But unless you’re working exclusively in the realm of print media, it’s likely that you’ve taken your work online. Most bloggers and online writers have their articles published on a wide variety of sites, with dozens to hundreds of links to their name. It’s highly recommended that the writer keep a list of their published works, along with the date, the site, and the topic. By keeping track of published articles, the writer can easily refer back to their work history and quickly call up works as references.

Highlight Your Experience
Oftentimes, when clients are looking for a writer, the first thing they look for is the area of expertise. They want to know whether the writer can understand and write quality content in a certain field or topic. Therefore, it is important to provide details on the topics you are most familiar with.

Showcase Your Best Works
There are several different ways in which writers can showcase their best pieces. Some writers put up links on their online portfolio, while others use PDF or Word attachments. Regardless of the method you choose, keep in mind that prospective clients do not have the time to look through all of your works. Therefore, pick out one or two within each field, and put links on your portfolio. In addition, choose links that are recent and relevant, as it will show the writer’s most up-to-date activity.

Standing out among the sea of writers can be a daunting task, especially with the proliferation of the Internet. However, by creating a portfolio, the writer can show qualifications and expertise that marks him or her from the crowd.

Rachel Hyun Kim is a writer on topics ranging from payroll services to VoIP phones. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including lead generation for small business owners and entrepreneurs at Resource Nation.

Google Panda will have a direct impact on organic placement on Google guaranteed.  It’s just a matter whether the impact is a positive or negative one.  So, when determining how to advertise your business, you certainly want to make sure you are on the good side of Google Panda.

So, what is Google Panda?  Google Panda is simply the new algorithm rolled out by Google.  The engineer who spearheaded the project has the last name “Panda”, so there you have it.  Now you know why it is called “Google Panda.”  Unlike previous formulas Google has used, the criteria Google Panda uses to determine where a site ranks in the SERPs was decided on by human quality testers as opposed to a computer.  These quality testers gave their feedback as to what they felt made a site search engine worthy or not worthy, and here are some of the new criteria that needs to be true of your site if you want to do well in the SERPs:

1) Have A Human Build Your Site

This won’t apply to most people, but if your site is built from a computer-generated template, bad news.

2) Limit The Advertising

Remember people go to a site to get valuable information in relation to a topic they’ve just searched.  There not interested in just clicking on ads. Make your priority to provide valuable content.  Having ads is fine.  Just make sure that’s not the thrust of your site.

3) Bounce Rate

If you don’t have Google Analytics set up on your site, shame on you.  You need it.  It’s free.  Bounce rate is the number of people who click on your site, and then quickly click off without going beyond the landing page.  The lower your bounce rate, the better you’ll do with Google Panda.

4) Original Content

We all know that duplicate content is a no-no, so take time and create detailed, specific, unique content, and you’ll do well.  Learning how to advertise your business is a process, but, just remember, if you always keep the best interests of your site visitor in mind, you’ll do well.

About the author

Brandon Jones is a Google Certified Partner who has been making money online since 2007.  He writes on the topic of internet marketing on his blog www.mygooglemarketing.net