You have an online brand, wheter you want to or not these days, potential employers will google you. This is a breif presentation on some areas to consider with your online brand and also some tools that can help.

1. Your Online Brand and why your should care Aimee Maree Forsstrom @aimee_maree Solutions Architect Social Media Addict Proud Geek Girl

2. First Some Facts 64% of HR managers think it is appropriate to look at online profiles of candidates* 41% of HR managers claim to have rejected people as a result of their online profile* 58% of people don’t even Google themselves, but employers and potential customers do* You have an online brand whether you like it or not The results that occur when someone Googles you is a reflection on your brand 2010 report by Microsoft on American Management*

3. Its a new world So own your own namespace Purchase your own domain Create a LinkedIn account Unleash a twitter account Start a Google Plus account Make an about.me page Locate Social Networks specific for your needs and target audience ex. Behance.net for designers Try out new social networks and mark out your namespace Try not to spread yourself thin know your target audience

4. What are your Goals? Know your target audience Know and promote your strengths Be realistic about the time you can allocate to your online brand Avoid joining social networks just because they exist make sure it is aimed at your target audience Write a strategy plan if needed Make 90% of your communication about others, or how to help others, and save a maximum of 10% (90/10 rule Jack Humphrey)

5. Put yourself Online Create your own portfolio List work you have done, if done with a company or team give them credit If your a student, list your projects Write a blog and write guest blog posts Post articles about the tech your into and the type of work you perform Promote your own blog, tweet about your posts and mention in forums Create a wiki or edit a wiki Contribute on forums or irc Report on bugs and create how-to's

6. Google Yourself Do not be afraid to Google yourself Potential Employers will Google you Helps you to see your online brand presence as the world will see it You can set up Google Alerts to receive email when there are new posts that mention your name or handle Use TwitterweetScan tweetscan.com Use Pipl pipl.com/ Check handle and name availability namechk.com

7. Do things in the physical world to grow and promote your online brand Go to Conferences Speak at barcamp's or un-conference's Join a user group and put your hand up to give a presentation (meetup.com) Apply as a speaker at conferences, you may not get accepted but its like a job interview practice makes perfect Upload your presentations and videos to Slideshare / Vimeo / You Tube Network, Network, Network

8. Some skeletons may not stay in the closet The Internet is archived Comments and Posts stay around Think twice before posting Remember that you cant control what others will say or think but you can control how you act and react The more people google you the more links google will make between older posts and content, overtime your index will grow Protect your online identity, keep up to date with social network privacy changes

9. Online branding is not about playing a role So be yourself People will recognise quickly if you’re being someone that you’re not Truth Speaks Volumes so lies are not needed Organic Growth is best, it wont happen overnight but it will happen

10. Questions, anyone? Aimee Maree Forsstrom @aimee_maree