Online Reputation Management For Dummies

Fanning the Flames of Positive Engagement

A few years ago, it seemed like I was always teaching new bloggers how to get their content shared online. I really wanted them to succeed but realized very quickly that it was going to take more than a well-designed site, great writing, and a cute personality to cultivate influence online. It requires having a system that works and using it consistently.

I’ve discovered that this system works for every kind of blogger I’ve shared it with. Whether you’re looking to build an online reputation for a cooking blog, a solar energy online community, or a celebrity fan club, this method works. I call it my Blogging Jump-Start Project. Anybody can do it. “Writing Your Way to the Top” involves getting to the top of the rankings, so you need some social media engagement to get you there.

Many people assume that whenever they post updates on Facebook that all their friends can see it. This is just not true. Facebook has worked out some pretty impressive algorithms that rank users according to perceived influence on Facebook. They keep these algorithms under lock and key, but Facebook does share some basics about the things it looks at when it decides whether your post is going to make the newsfeed or not.

Facebook calls this EdgeRank, its algorithm that determines the updates, posts, photos, and so on you will see in your Facebook newsfeed.

Your job is to take the status updates that you use to spread your blog posts and make them show up a lot more ...