Who is the gatekeeper of you (and me)?

The power of Google is difficult to fathom. According to searchenginewatch.com, an estimated 91 million searches are done each day through Google alone (This study is nearly three years old and I figure that stat is much higher now).

I hate to make anyone feel important, but YOU could even be getting Googled. Many people are aware of the fact that employers, friends and significant others may be apart of a group which could be Googling you (And I guess the narcissists are Googling themselves, but that is a different story).

With tons of information out there, how can we control what Google has to say (or doesn’t have to say) about us?

While reading technology blogs and tips, I came across a post by Dan Schawbel, the author of of Me 2.0: Build a Successful Brand to Achieve Career Success, on Mashable.com.

Schawbel gives examples of people who once had positive Google results before they turned south. Specifically, he mentions Alex Rodriguez, Michael Phelps and Chris Brown.

Here are a few tips Schawbel gives to help you control your search results:

• Register for blogs and social networks.

This one is probably a no-brainer for people reading blogs already.

• Write for blogs.

Sites like Word Press make it easy to make and control content for the average user.

• Start a wiki page under your name.

I was surprised to find Pbwiki.com has a page rank of seven on Google. Schawbel even suggests you could turn this page into a resume.

With so much information out there, I know it would be very wise for an individual (or group) to try to take control of information about themselves now before it becomes too late.

And with undeniable truth that Google or some form of online search engine will continue to be used defends the fact that maintaining information about oneself will also continue to be important.

Now while this is all fine and dandy, will I be motivated to change what pops up?

Chances are I wouldn’t bother to change it unless something negative is high in the search results. And when this happens, it would probably be too late.

Has anyone out there ever tried to control the results or anything? Or think it could be of some use to you?

Marketing and Public Relations, are they interchangeable?

Like many of you I am going to be a college graduate in December. I will soon have to spread my wings and get a big kid job. Therefore I have been looking for jobs lately and I feel like many companies and job search sites lump Public Relations and Marketing into the same category. But they are not the same thing. Even a top PR professional, who spoke in one of my classes, lumped public relations into marketing. While researching this topic through google I found a site called topstory.ca that laid out the differences for us.  The main difference is that marketing focuses on the market, the consumers and the demand of products. While public relations main focus is building relationships and telling a story. What do you think? Could you move from public relations to marketing? Should the Cronkite public relations program include marketing and advertising because many companies want an integrated marketing agency?

Google — Your company’s new homepage?

By Sparkle Media

Through this class and others, most of us have learned that being successful in public relations goes beyond just being a good writer and verbal communicator. Nowadays, entry level practitioners will have to know the ins and outs of social media, marketing and search engine optimization.

Controlling our client’s image to its stakeholders and spreading its message are important. One of the most strategic ways of doing this is through search engine optimization. But now, many PR and marketing professionals argue that content is just as important, if not more, than key words used to determine your client’s Google ranking. One such person is Kami Huyse. She covers this issue in Six Game Changers: Why Content Will Once Again Be King in Search Engine Optimization.

Huyse points out that companies used to focus on using popular key phrases in their content and monitoring the number of visitors to their Web site to propel them to the number one spot on Google’s search engine. She says recent changes to how search engines organize information has changed these methods.

Search engines now focus on a site’s emphasis instead of just key words. They rank search engines’ results by how local (regional versus national) they are to the searcher. A site’s relevancy is determined by the credibility of the sources it has linked itself to. These are just some of the developments.

But why should we care?

Well, our jobs depend on how well we can publicize our clients. A huge part of that is our client’s online persona. Many people find out about an organization through the Internet. How well they can find our clients online is determined by our skills, which includes knowledge of search engine optimization.

Your Search Engine Results are as Important as Your Resume

by Metis PR

I selected a posting from the PRos in Training blog called, “Your Search Engine Results are as Important as Your Resume.” Most public relations professors, like many of the people in this class, focus on honing their skills while gaining experience. But it’s also important to develop a positive professional image and this includes online reputations. As many students and other up-and-coming pr practitioners are being urged to join the social media bandwagon, it’s essential that they understand and utilize the latest online trends such as social networking sites like Myspace, Facebook and Twitter. In a digital age, public relations must, too become digital. And this begins with immersion in cyberspace. Being internet savvy certainly gives people an advantage as they pursue PR positions and advancements. Clients and other stakeholders want people working for them that understand all things digital.

With this in mind, I think this particular blog is interesting because it discusses professionalism amidst the internet. As college students, it’s likely that everyone in this class at one point or another has posted information about themselves such as photos, videos, blogs, bulletins, and the like on a social networking Web site. With background research only a mouse click away, more and more employers are now Googling job candidates’, searching for any discrepancies. In fact, many job hopefuls have been turned down based on embarrassing or racy search results. It’s important that JMC 417 students are mindful of this trend. I have both a Myspace and a Facebook, and I’m always careful to privatize my information and monitor what other people post. Although privacy settings and a sense of responsibility usually keep online content appropriate, I don’t believe many college students are as careful as they should be. As we begin joining the workforce it’s essential that we become aware of our “digital footprint”. In this blog you’ll find some helpful tips on how to protect your online reputation.