reputation; you have to participate in it as well. That's obvious, but this
is one area that worries some people who think they need to spend all day on
these networks to build their reputation. That doesn't have to be the case.
There are people who are constantly updating Facebook and Twitter, but you
don't have to be one of them.
Instead, note this quotation attributed to Benjamin Franklin:
"It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one
to lose it."
This is usually quoted as a warning about the one bad deed, but you can also
think about the many good deeds. For most businesses, building an on-line
reputation is a series of many small good deeds. So it is a commitment, but
not a large commitment.
Let's look at 20 easy, practical ways to participate in various on-line
communities. Each of these takes less than ten minutes to do, so they only
take discipline, not a big time commitment.
1. Expand your LinkedIn network by connecting with somebody new (somebody
you know who you're not currently connected to on LinkedIn).
2. Look through your LinkedIn connections, and write a recommendation for
somebody you know. Be sincere, specific and brief.
3. LinkedIn groups are for members with common interests. Join a relevant
group and contribute to a discussion. Be positive in your comments and build
on existing comments in the discussion, especially if you're new to the
group.
4. Browse the "Answers" section on LinkedIn, and answer a question in your
area of expertise. LinkedIn shows these questions and answers to people
beyond your direct connections, so this is a good way to demonstrate your
expertise to more people.
1. Promote somebody else on Twitter - an award they have won, an event they
are running, a book they have written, a sale they are offering, and so on.
2. Check Twitter right now, find something you like (for example, a link to
an interesting Web site or blog post), and re-tweet it to your network. This
helps the original tweeter, because you're sharing her insights with your
network; and it helps you, because you become known among your followers as
a source of valuable information.
3. Find an interesting article, blog post or Web site, and send it to your
Twitter followers.
4. Thank somebody publicly on Twitter. Include their Twitter name (e.g.
@gihanperera) so they see it, but the main purpose is to tell your followers
why you're grateful to that person.
1. Look through your friends' recent status updates, find one you like, and
click the "Like" link next to that update. It's a simple way to give a small
note of encouragement to a friend, customer or colleague. It also helps them
spread the word, because this appears in your status update, which means
your other friends see it.
2. Look through your friends' recent status updates, find something you can
comment on, and add a comment. Facebook is primarily for connecting with
family and friends, so you don't have to write anything clever or profound.
Just something simple and sincere will do.
3. Search for interesting groups or business pages on Facebook, join one
that looks relevant, and contribute to a discussion.
4. Connect with somebody new on Facebook (somebody you know personally, but
isn't already a Facebook friend).
Reviews
1. Write a review on Amazon.com for a book you read and liked. You don't
have to write a long review - just a few paragraphs will do. This not only
boosts your own Internet presence, it also helps the author promote their
book, and helps other customers learn more about the book before buying it.
2. What are your favorite apps on your smart phone? Pick one, and write a
positive review for it in the iTunes App Store or the Android Market.
3. If you enjoy listening to a particular podcast regularly, take a few
minutes to write a positive review for it in the iTunes Store. This helps
the podcast author, because it makes them feel valued, it boosts their
ranking in iTunes, and it encourages other comments as well.
4. Many podcasts also have an accompanying Web site, so visit that site and
leave a positive comment there as well.
Commenting
1. Find a blog post you enjoyed reading, and write a positive comment on
that post. Bloggers love comments on their blog, so they will appreciate you
taking the time to write a comment.
2. Find a video you like on YouTube, and add a comment. YouTube has a handy
option to automatically notify your Twitter and Facebook followers every
time you comment, so use that for greater leverage.
3. Comment in an on-line discussion group you've joined. If possible, add to
the discussion in your comment, rather than just saying, "I love it!" or
"Thank you." If you can't think of anything new, simply explain why you
liked it (how you applied the idea, what insights you got from it, and so
on).
4. Think of two people in your network who don't yet know each other - but
should - and introduce them to each other. All you have to do is send an
e-mail to both, explaining briefly what each other does and why you think
they should connect. They now have each other's e-mail address, so leave it
to them to follow up if they wish.
That gives you 20 ideas you can use immediately to build your on-line
reputation - and that's just a small sample of what you can do. I've limited
this list to general ideas anybody could use, but of course you might find
more specific things as well, based on the on-line communities you
participate in.
my motto is "Keep it simple" and "don't leave anything for tomorrow that can
be done today."
If you have any questions or comments please contact me.
Regards Gerald
Website: http://www.webcraft.ws
E-mail: gerald@webcraft.ws
Twitter: WebcraftGuru
Facebook: Webcraft Guru
I'm protected by SpamBrave
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