The Internet is akin to a permanent storehouse of our past and present interactions. It won’t forget anything posted about you in a hurry. So it is absolutely vital to refurbish your professional reputation by constantly publishing positive information about your business. To put the best foot forward, create an identity you want others to view favorably. Link anything positive you publish to your business site so that opinion makers, bloggers, and influencers can take a cut and take it forward.

To start with, be an active participant in a professional network like CareerBuilder or LinkedIn. Establish meaningful connections with business contacts there. Seek recommendations from those who know you well so that you reputation is enhanced. Make comment on widely read professionally-oriented blogs, join online forums, contribute informative articles, review books on topics of your interest. Invite people to make comments and initiate a conversation. Gradually build a community of followers on a subject about which you can claim to be knowledgeable.

Start a blog in your own name. Enhance reputation through precise information, solid arguments, reader friendly approach, unique writing style, neat design, high quality images and good presentation. Keep your profile page, site or blog active by writing regularly.

At the outset, separate professional and personal identities. For each profile, use different screen names, email addresses and tone of communication. Do not link your business associates or divulge sensitive information with other profiles you create. Fill personal details to your professional profile in a judicious manner and only as it jells well with that image. Try and build distinct friends lists on social networks – for family, your office team, and so on – in order to manage what you opt to share within one page – professional or personal.

Manage who can check your respective profiles, how people can find you, and how to block access by unwanted people. Of course, despite every precaution that you take, adverse material about you or your business is bound to surface on the Web. In such a scenario, you cannot simply shift blame to your competitors. Instead you should be proactive in restoring your online reputation

An array of Web services are available to deal with a peculiar problem of online reputation. Over the past few years, several self-proclaimed experts have cropped up, promising to manage this one major negative area of online world: As rapidly as commentary, user feedback, blog posts, status updates and images are put up on the Web, especially the problematic ones get spread by search engines and algorithms, producing an undesirable viral effect. Look for an online reputation management service that meets your expectations.

The choice does matter a great deal in an age when a professional’s identity is increasingly shaped by Facebook, Twitter, Google and LinkedIn. Improving how your image reflects on the Web is invariably managed by concealing negative features and spotlighting flattering ones.