Hardware

Five tools to help keep your reputation clean

By · June 11, 2012, 4:47 AM PST · JackOfAllTech1

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  • Introduction

    If you have an online presence for a product, service, talent, or skill, you need to manage how visitors perceive you. Just a few bad comments or posts can ruin the reputation you have spent years building.

    Fortunately, there are tools out there to help you ensure that your online brand and reputation are where you want them. Here are five tools that offer a good starting point for reputation management. They require some work to really make the most of what they offer. And most of them aren't just one-time usage tools. But if you invest some time in them, they'll really help you massage your reputation.

    Note: If you'd prefer to view this information as a blog post, check out this entry in our Five Apps blog.

    Photo: iStockphoto.com/alengo

  • Me on the Web

    Google has a nice tool that allows you to easily monitor search results for your name. Me on the Web is included in the Google Dashboard. It allows you set up search monitors for your name/brand, assists you in the removal of unwanted content, and can help you manage your online identity.

  • Me on the Web

    I have found the search monitors to be incredibly helpful, as they alert you when others (individuals, companies, etc.) mention your name or your brand.

  • Reputation.com

    Reputation.com is a service that enables you to see how you look online. The service is free and it doesn't use your information for any untoward activities.

  • Reputation.com

    All you do is create a free account. Then you can monitor your online "buzz," search for and remove any negative information/mentions about you, and find out how you can control what people see when they search for you.

  • Naymz

    Naymz isn't free, although you can sign up for a 30-day free trial, and it's a bit different from the other tools. It's a network that includes tools to help you manage your reputation. With these tools (and with interaction within the network), you earn free products and services as your reputation grows.

  • Naymz

    Thanks to the Naymz network, you can get a quick assessment of what your peers think of you, as well as connect to Facebook and Twitter.

  • Whos Talkin

    Whos Talkin is a social media search tool that shows you what members of social sites are saying about your name or brand. Using the tool is as simple as entering your name (or brand), clicking search, and waiting for the results.

  • Whos Talkin

    Whos Talkin doesn't help you manage the search results, but it will give you a lightning-fast look at what the Web is saying about your name or brand. Why use this over a simple Google search? Whos Talkin focuses only on social media, so your results aren't buried inside other results.

  • Yasni

    Yasni is a nice free tool that lets you search for people and services. The results of those searches will tell you how that person/service is seen from an online point of view. The only downfall of Yasni is that it will include any results that match your criteria. For example, if I search for my own name, I find results from Louisville (me), Kentucky (me), and Michigan (not me).

  • Yasni

    You also get popular search terms that are associated with the name/service. When I search for my name, I get associated terms like zombie (correct), Linux (correct), Android (correct), Ubuntu (correct), and Windows (ummmm).... Although you won't find tools to help you correct any negative comments/posts/results, you can at least discover all the key terms that are associated with you and your brand.

Introduction

If you have an online presence for a product, service, talent, or skill, you need to manage how visitors perceive you. Just a few bad comments or posts can ruin the reputation you have spent years building.

Fortunately, there are tools out there to help you ensure that your online brand and reputation are where you want them. Here are five tools that offer a good starting point for reputation management. They require some work to really make the most of what they offer. And most of them aren't just one-time usage tools. But if you invest some time in them, they'll really help you massage your reputation.

Note: If you'd prefer to view this information as a blog post, check out this entry in our Five Apps blog.

Photo: iStockphoto.com/alengo

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By Jack Wallen

Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic, The New Stack, and Linux New Media. He's covered a variety of topics for over twenty years and is an avid promoter of open source. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen....

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