Why you should cultivate good reputation in your online communi

  • Professionals today know that to influence, inspire and impact their target audiences, they must manage the way they are perceived in person and online.Directing the perception you want others to have of you was once seen as "spin" or market manipulation, but today, it's seen as good career hygiene.

    Impression management is not about being false or misleading, but rather being mindful and intentional about how you present yourself,express your values(skills, talents, experience, unique perspective, etc.), and promote your beliefs to the people you deem relevant. Truth and authenticity and cornerstones of sustainable impression management strategy, and the prevalence of fake news is impacting our ability to build trust and sustain a valuable reputation.

    What is impression management?

    impression management is the process of attempting to influence other people's perception of you by shaping and regulating information in social interactions.Impression management techniques requires you look at all touch points and inter-personal exchanges and tie them back to your desired perception and reputation.For instance, if l saw you speeding recklessly on the highway, l might see you as a careless driver. But, if you were focused on impression management strategies, you would explain that your speeding was because you were headed to an emergency, thus preserving your reputation as a careful, law-abiding citizen.

    In the past, impression and reputation management focused more on in-person interaction, posturing, communications and image. Today, online conversation, relationships and public interactions are both public and permanent, thus creating digital capital that either confirms or dispels desired reputation and perception.What you post today can potentially sink your career in the future with few keystrokes, required reputation repair.

    The prevalence of fake news. Fake news is just that -fake. It is information designed to look legitimate and true bt isn't. Anyone behind a keyboard can create a fake news story and post it online under a fake news site name, with graphics and links to make it appear legitimate. For instances, if Bob in Idaho decides to create a fictitious story that McDonald's uses mice in its hamburger meat, he can post it online, and it will likely get the attention of Bob's friends and contact. Bob's friends will be shocked and outraged at the idea of mice-meat in their Bog Mac and will likely want to alert their friends, so they will share the news. Thus, the fake news spreads.

    Like spreading remorse or gossips, sharing fake news can have serious consequences. Fake news can cause a company's stock prices to dive, customers to boycott a brand, politicians to lose positions and professionals to be fired. If an employer, constituent or patron feels that the liability posted by the fake news shared is too great, they can opt to remove their connection to the entity posting the information.