Online Reputation: Tips and Tricks September 17, 2008

The Independent Urologist just came up with some great tips about how to protect your online reputation. I thought I should add my suggestions to the useful list:

• Blog and blog often.

Be patient. I had 15 readers a day in December, 2006. Now I have 1-1500 visitors a day. It takes time and effort (I wrote almost 1000 posts in 2 years).

• Have your own website, even if you are part of a group.

Create a LinkedIn profile and manage your blog properly (e.g. construct a nice about me page).

• Link your blog and website.

Google loves self-linkage… Build your page rank professionally.

• Publish articles, such as review articles, in medical journals and periodicals.

Summerize your ideas in Google Docs and collect your favourite links on Del.icio.us so it will be much easier to write a proper review later on a specific subject.

• Post comments on other peoples blogs and allow them to post on yours.

Be fair and open to new ideas. Join respected groups like the DNA Network or contribute to blog carnivals.

• Get your name in the media via interviews (see blogging and blogging often).

See my Behind The Scenes of Medical Bloggers series. Publish your slideshows and ideas so people will certainly find you.

• Google yourself on a regular basis.

Or use Google Alert to receive automated alerts about who and why mentions your name on the web.

• Contact content providers that allow subscribers to post malicious writings about you and request that that they remove the comments.
• Have a lawyer contact the content services or the offenders themselves with threats of litigation.

Get a HONcode (Health on the Net Foundation) accreditation.

• Seek help from online reputation management experts (yes they exist).

Contact the members of the Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics group or check the service of Webicina.com out.

And here is a slideshow I presented at the Medicine 2.0 Congress about building an online reputation.