Why You Need a Personal Webpage

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Why do you need a personal webpage?  Afterall, webpages are for businesses, right?  Yes, businesses need a webpage but more and more people are getting a personal webpage.  Why?  To give off the right first impression in a world consumed with searching online.  

A personal webpage gives you control of how people perceive you, rather than letting them piece together who you are through Facebook posts, pictures where you are tagged, online remarks about you, etc.

Why A Personal Webpage?

The saying, “your reputation precedes you” has never been so applicable as it is today.  Nowadays, first impressions aren’t made in person, they’re made online.

Think about it, if you

• are about to meet someone for business, about to interview for a job with someone
• want to find out more information about your teen’s new friend, or
• learn more about your child’s school’s new principal…

Where do you go?  Online of course!  There’s scores of information about…well…nearly everyone.  All you have to do is search Google.

If you search online to find out more about people, you’re not alone.  According to a study by Wakefield Research in October 2015 conducted for Domain.ME, found that…

16% search people in preparation for a business meeting or work related event

23% search for people because a friend has mentioned them in conversation

14% go online to check someone out before a first date or social gathering

42% of Americans surveyed actually have changed their opinion about someone else based on content they saw online. Again those numbers are higher for millennials with 57% of them agreeing with that sentiment

Search For Yourself!

So, if you are searching about others online, it’s pretty safe to say, others are probably searching for you too, wouldn’t you think?  Have you searched for yourself online lately?

If you haven’t you’re not alone.

In a recent survey Domain.ME conducted on 1,000 adults active on the Internet and social media,  they found more than half of Americans have never searched their name on Google or another search engine.

Go ahead and Google yourself, what comes up?  Most likely, you’ll find links to find you on your Facebook, Instagram, twitter, and other social pages.  Perhaps you’ll find quotes you stated in for a local newspaper.  Left any comments on a website? It’s likely to show up.  Now go back to your Google search and click on the images tab, do you see pictures of yourself?

Now check Facebook.  Type in your name in Facebook and you’ll find pictures of yourself, posts you wrote, things you wrote on other people’s wall, and pictures where someone else tagged you.  

Did you find anything upsetting or negative about yourself?

Nearly 25% of Americans admit to being negatively affected by online information about them.  This number soars to 50% for millennials.

More than 25% of Americans (including 1 in 3 millennials)  believe they are more likely to make a first impression online than they are at a party

42% of Americans surveyed actually have changed their opinion about someone else based on what they saw online. Again those numbers are higher for millennials with 57% of them agreeing with that sentiment

Your Work Life

When I searched for myself on Facebook, I found many of the pictures I posted online as well as pictures posted by friends.    Think someone can’t find out about you unless they are a friend?  Think again.  I looked up a number of people that I am not friends with on Facebook and got to see their pictures and some, if not all of their posts.

Are recruiters using Facebook to find out more about a job candidate?  You bet they are!  According to a panel at the University of California Berkeley’s Beyond Academia conference,

      61 percent of recruiters in the survey said that online content helps them identify “red flags” with candidates

     1 in 5 recruiters surveyed said they “frequently or always” screen candidates on Facebook, and almost half check candidates’ Facebook at least some of the time

What are they looking for?  

• 71% said they are looking for risque pictures
• 69% negative comments about work
• 66% negative comments about a current or former employer
• 65% cursing or inappropriate language

So review your Facebook posts and delete any posts that could decrease your opportunity for a new job or promotion.  Remember, however, that if someone shared your post,you’ll have to contact them and ask them to delete the post as well.

Your Social Life

Are you active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc?  The whole point of social media is its shareability.  Each of these channels was created so others could share your message, pictures, and videos…whether you intended them to be shared or not.  

Not everyone who comes across your shares may be on the up-and-up.  In other words, there are people out there, known as “trolls,” who take great pleasure in hijacking your message to either flame you or point to it as support to their extremist point of view. 

If someone attacks you in this manner, asking them to take down their comments will only happen with some legal assistance on your part.

Your Personal Life

Facebook, Instagram, Google +, and others are a great place to share with family and friends about what is going on in your life.  Just count the number of pictures you’ve posted on your Facebook page!  If you have kids, you’ve probably posted a lot!  Your child’s ultrasound, birth pictures, birthdays, celebrating the Holidays with your family, documenting family vacations, commemorating nights out, videos of your kids doing funny things, times with good friends, it’s all there.  It’s easy, it’s fun, and serves as a time capsule to view past memories and milestones.  

Although these sites are a good way to learn about somebody, it’s chopped up into bits and pieces (through posts), it doesn’t give a full picture of who you are.  If recruiters and people who are researching who you are are looking at your Facebook page, it likely doesn’t put your best foot forward.

How To Improve Your Digital Reputation

First of all, be well aware that anything you post can be used against you, so post cautiously.  Remember, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, website comments, etc. are not the place to publicly rant.  Hold your tongue…or keyboard, in this case.

If you see others have posted things about you that could be seen as negative or accusatory, see if you can work with them to take down the post.  Though know that it could backfire and a person could tell everyone you asked to have it removed.  But in this case, it makes the person look bad too.

There are plenty of places you can “live” online.  LinkedIn is great for sharing your professional side.  Facebook is great for sharing about you and your memories, Instagram is great for sharing your most artistic pics or last family vacation.  But no one website combines your professional, social, and personal life together to show off who you really are.

A Personal Webpage

A personal website allows you to showcase who you are as a personal brand.  It gives off a good first impression and establishes a strong flattering foothold in the digital world.

61% of Americans agree that a personal website could help manage their reputation online

So what exactly would you put on a personal webpage?  Ideas include…

• a general summary of who you are
• professional achievements
• projects you’ve worked on
• a portfolio of some of your work
• awards and honors won
• volunteer activity
• any self-authored articles written about your work or involvement with community activities
• hobbies/interests

Add pictures to show off your personality and your personal webpage is a good place to list all your social channels as well.

So where do you start in creating your personal ​site​?  .ME​ ​domains ​are a perfect way to create a personal touch to your digital presence, whether for personal or business reasons, with all the same SEO benefits of other domains.

Visit Domain.ME to secure your name in the digital world and take a big step forward in managing your digital reputation.

Reposted from Is Your Good Name at Risk? Survey of Americans Reveals Importance of Managing Online Reputation