If you are not sure what it means to be on the cloud well you are sitting on it as you read this. The cloud is really the ability to provide anything web based for others to use or collaborate on. As we make the shift from desktop applications and programs to everything being web based we are all leaving the security of our computer and giving all the wonderful people of the world the potential to see what you do online and what people have to say about you.
Years ago before the popularity of the internet you might have a negative article in a newspaper or magazine but once the new issue came out most people forgot about it. Not on the web. Reputation kind of went out the window when we all started posting every little thing we like and do online. Everybody seems to know everything about everyone now and I don’t think this is going to slow down a bit. As a business you really have to watch what you do and say online because almost nothing ever gets removed once it has been published by someone else. The web cloud has allowed us all to be connected 100% of our time and depending on who you are that could be a great thing, or it could be disastrous. The days of angry clients and disgruntled ex-employees just going away are no longer around. The cloud has given anyone that might usually be quite a platform for a voice that can be heard across the world and all it takes a few minutes on a couple of websites and your business can be in for some pain.
Depending on how bad a situation can be cleaning up your image online can take a great deal of time or it can be quick. Either way it takes some effort to make things right again. The great thing about a business trying to make their mark on the cloud is that you also have the opportunity to put up a nice barrier before it happens. This doesn’t mean that you are necessarily anticipating any negative information finding its way into the search results about you it just means that in case it should happen you can build a wall or buffer to soften the blow a bit.
Some things you can do to build a barrier for yourself online:
- Launch many business profiles
- Launch PR surrounding your business name
- Launch all social networking profiles
- Use social networking profiles daily
- Release company videos on all video sharing sites using your company name often in titles & descriptions
- Write strategic quality articles
- Launch a blog on your website and actually write in it
These are just some of the ways you can get started. Remember that this could also kill two birds with one stone if you do it right. Most of these areas have some sort of possibility for link placement so don’t forget to drop a link into anything you do online.
