Your online reputation will
follow you wherever you go, so maintaining a good online reputation is
important. Because online footprints are a trail that you leave behind on the
Internet, treading carefully and cautiously is vital to your online survival.
Understanding online ethics is
important for web masters, as well as for those who use social media web pages or
create their own blogs.
The freedictionary.com defines ethics as “a set of principles of right
conduct” and “a theory or a system of moral values”.
In other words, when in doubt,
always do what is right online.
Consider the following tips for
maintaining a good online reputation.
For web masters, search engine
optimization (SEO) offers appropriate guidelines for websites and web page
construction. The key words and key phrases you incorporate will help to ensure
that you have viewers beyond your family members and friends. Because your
Internet outreach is global in scope, you will want any data transmitted
electronically to reflect you and your reputation in an appropriate manner.
Remember that your online reputation can have repercussions with respect to
your family and friends.
Maintaining an online
reputation that is good does not mean that everything on a website or web page
has to be perfect. Ideally, that should be possible, but seldom is a reality,
especially for a web master who is just starting out. Editing websites and web
pages carefully is a good practice to get into, so where there are
imperfections, resolving them as soon as possible will help you to maintain a
good online reputation.
The language that you use on
the Internet is important and reflects both you and your personality. Different
forms of language abuse on your web site or web page can and will affect your
good reputation adversely. They will also cause you to lose ratings, as well as
viewers and reduce your potential Internet income.
Remember that social media web
pages reflect your personal set of values. While others may find it fun to
abuse or mock you on your social web page, it is ultimately a reflection of
them and their own social values.
How you respond to them is a reflection of
yours.
Removing inappropriate social
media content is a good idea. There are times when a reprimand may be
in order. Sexually offensive material tends to upset viewers, as does different
kinds of bullying. Racial and cultural issues can arise on social media web
pages, so caution is important.
If you are working on a blog on
a regular basis, be aware that not everyone wants to follow your blog all of
the time. In fact, it can prove to be an inconvenience for anyone with a smart
phone. If someone does want to follow your blog, offering your URL is appropriate,
but do not be offended if he or she chooses not to become one of your
followers. Newsletters can be interesting and fun to write, but at the same
time, they can tie up smart phones and computers, creating an inconvenience for
the owner.
Blogs can also be or become a
source of social unrest because a rant and rave blog may upset viewers. Not
everyone wants a steady diet of controversy.
While your thoughts and ideas
are great, will others around the globe be able to relate to them?
Avoiding abuse of chat lines
will help to maintain your good online reputation. Not everyone wants to tie up
time and talents with you and your online comments constantly; nor will
everyone want to read every word you write. Trying to force them to do so may
cost you their friendship. While it means you get extra clicks on your web page or
web site, it can also make viewers angry. While they may encourage you at the
start, they may walk away very quickly.
Be aware that common courtesy,
good manners and respect for others are important in any Internet action or
interaction. Your online reputation is what you make of it, so create and
maintain a good online reputation.
Your efforts to maintain ethical footprints
will prove rewarding on a long-term basis.
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