Blogging and Online Reputation Management

Unlike your website, your blog will get discovered immediately by people subscribed to relevant key words and key phrases from Ezine, Technorati, WordPress, Stumbleupon, and Digg. Your online reputation is important.  Everything anyone reads that you have written online will either help or hurt your reputation. The best way to manage your online reputation as you blog is to pay attention to these points:

1. Dress your blog to impress. That free theme you’re using on your blog might be enough to impress a few readers, but if it’s the same theme used by dozens of other blogs, you’ll blend into the crowd. Just as you’d consider a new suit a great investment for a big event or conference, you should consider a custom design a great investment for your blog.
2. Mind your language in the blogsphere. Blogging lends itself well to a casual attitude. What does it matter if you don’t spell check your post? Why worry if you happen to insert profanity here or there? Well, if you were to swear throughout your first meeting with a prospect, or utter sentences such as ‘I is very experienced,’ what do you think you chances would be of converting the prospect to a rep? You WILL be judged by what your language in your blog posts.
3. If you want to make a great first impression, bring an unexpected surprise!  Always aim to blog a unique subject and then infuse it with insight, facts and fascination they’re unlikely to observe on their own. That is the core creative challenge to blogging.
4. Listen as much as you talk. Sure, your readers want to hear your advice, thoughts, and opinions, but you’ll build your reputation as a super blogger by learning to listen to them and engaging in conversations with them. Not necessarily in comments, but by subscribing to their world and their blogs, and by referencing their posts in your blog.
5. Don’t let the fire burn out too early. Your readers will become comfortable with the frequency of your posting. If you post twice a week or twice a month they’ll get used to that schedule. Stick with it, it’ll pay off in an enhanced reputation and more leads.

Bloggers may be the most important visitors your blog will ever receive. In the world of SEO networking, bloggers are the social marketing evangelists of your message, or potential prospects and reps, or maybe all three. If they like what they see, they’ll naturally want to subscribe to your blog, share your posts and follow your links.