Why does ‘online personality’ matter? In today’s environment and culture, the online world is parallel to the real world. This is not what some people call augmented reality or virtual reality: an increasing part of real economic and social activity is moving online and, as the old saying goes: “If you’re not there, you don’t exist” . “. One can even reformulate the words of Descartes, “Cogito Ergo Sum”, and say “Web Ergo Sum”.

Ok, so the web is important, but what do you have to do about it? How can the web impact you and why do you need to bother creating a meaningful online personality?

Rule #1: Search Engine Presence

The story probably starts with the way people search for information these days. Most use search engines, and more specifically Google. Any time someone is trying to find information on you, you better show up there. When could people look for you? Let’s say you’re applying for a job – there’s simply no way your future employer will NOT Google you. Or try this, a different example, let’s say you’re dating: Over 80% of single people google the person they’re dating before the second date. That’s a lot. You don’t want embarrassing details about your past to surface.

What to do about it? In the professional world, we call this SEO – search engine optimization. Brands and websites use SEO to promote their services on Google, but there’s nothing stopping you from doing the same for yourself. If you’re a professional, you should appear at the top of search results for queries related to your industry. If you’re a regular Joe, make sure you show up at the top of the SERPs (search engine results page) when someone searches for your name on Google. Of course, this is true and relevant to other search engines as well, but the steps you’ll take to conquer Google’s search results will likely help you do the same for Bing and Yahoo, so I wouldn’t worry about those engines specifically. search.

How to do it? The easiest solution would probably be to find an SEO company, but that would probably be overkill for a personal SEO challenge. My advice: do it yourself. Research the topic online for a while (Google the word SEO as a first step…) and you’ll complete your task in a matter of weeks.

Rule #2: Your own Domain

We talked about promoting yourself on Google, but what should you promote? Of course, you can promote a blog or your social network profile, but your main asset should be your own domain.

Take action now: Make sure your own domain name is not already in use (use one of the major domain registrars to do so) and purchase the domain. I recommend using the .com suffix for your domain name, as it would help you rank higher in Google, but if .com is already in use, use .net or .org. Try to avoid using .name or .info as Google tends to give them a lower priority in the index.

Domain is not enough. You also need something in the domain: As obvious as it may seem, some people just have a personal domain and leave it empty. While it does have some advantages (like blocking the competition, other people with the same name, from using your domain), you need some content on there to rank high on Google.

So what content should I use on my website? You have quite a few options here:

1. Write a blog (See Rule #3 for more information)
2. Information page about you: Upload a nice photo, write a few words and add links to your profile pages on social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Flickr.
3. Upload a few articles you’ve written that are relevant to what you do in life. If you like photography, upload your best photos and some photography tips. If you are a bird watcher, tell us about your best bird watching experiences. you get the idea…

Rule #3: Write a blog

A blog can be your best opportunity to express yourself and gracefully establish your online personality. People blog today, they blog a lot, and there is a lot of mess in this world. Your blog doesn’t have to be the best, or the most up-to-date blog in the world, but having a blog is important. It gives you your own space in the online world, and that can make a big difference when people try to find you and verify what kind of person or professional you are.

What should you write a blog about? That’s a good question with a tough answer: blog about your life, blog about your family, blog about your job, just blog. The more content you add to your blog, the more people can find you online. Content matters online, and the amount of content matters even more. I’m not saying just blog without quality control – we’re trying to establish your online persona here, and we don’t want you to come across as crazy, but you do need content.

Ok, I want to blog, how do I do that? There is a range of possibilities. The easiest thing would be to start a blog with a free blogging service like Google’s Blogger or WordPress.com. It would be a bit better to use a premium service like Live Journal or TypePad which have a few more options and are somewhat more flexible. Lastly, the most expensive option, but also the most flexible, would be to use your own hosting and blogging program (go to WordPress.org or Movable Type). This way you can make sure your blog is super personalized, looks exactly how you want it to, and is very personal.

Make your blog great: Without going into too much detail, use web services like Technorati to make your blog more successful. It’s also important to track the success of your blog with programs like Google Analytics so you know how many people actually visit your blog.

Rule #4: Social Networks work for you

Social media is today’s equivalent of yesterday’s town square. You need to be there to make connections with potential colleagues, clients, and employers. It’s important to make sure your profile is up-to-date and professional-looking. Try to avoid stupid status messages: “Joe is so drunk right now” or “Derek is thinking about vodka.” These probably won’t get you too far in terms of social media personality development.

Who should I make friends with? Obviously not all. Create a tight group of friends that includes your friends, colleagues, and real people from RW (real world) that you haven’t met yet but want to meet in the future. Think about the way you approach these people. You need to tap into your other relationships to find ways to meet the people who will be your future friends on social media. Try something like this for your friend request:

“Hi Dan. My name is David. I’m friends with X. He’s told me a lot about you and I think it would be great if we could keep in touch. Thanks David.”

Making personal friend invites almost guarantees the success of your request, so don’t try to befriend everyone with the default invite. Be personal. Be creative.

What social networks should I go to? There are literally hundreds of those you can think of. It mainly depends on where you live and what you like. Professionally: Go to LinkedIn. In the UK – Bebo. In the US – Facebook. Music lovers should opt for MySpace and graphic designers for DeviantArt. The list goes on and on. Do you investigate and explore? By the way, it never hurts to be in more than one social network. Just make sure you find the time for each and every network you decide to develop your online persona on. Remember, a ghost profile never helps. On the contrary, it could even harm your efforts.

Rule #5: Stay active on web forums

 Social media is not enough when you want to make a real digital impact online. The places where people actually look for information and link to are actually web forums. How important is it to find the forums that are important to you, your customers and your peers, and make a significant mark there?

How do I find these forums? Super simple. Google them. Find the industry of your choice (let’s say gardening). Now Google “Gardening Forums” and scan the top 10 results. Open accounts in some of them and participate in the conversation.

Some things to keep in mind – Be active but not pushy. Provide useful information but do not overdo it. Be funny. Use cool emoticons to make sure you’re heard in the conversation.

Last and most important – Be consistent

Building an online personality is not an isolated thing. It takes time (and some money) to do a good job here. Remember that you have to do this over time or your Google ranking will suffer. Use your personal domain as a hub for all your online activity and link to articles, blogs, forums and discussions you participate in.