Clive Thompson:
Google isn't a search engine. Google is a reputation-managment system.What do we search for, anyway? Mostly people, products, ideas - and what we want to know are, what do other people think about this stuff?All this blogging, Flickring, MySpacing, journaling - and, most of all, linking - has transformed the Internet into a world where it's incredibly easy to figure out what the world thinks about you, your neighbor, the company you work for, or the stuff you were blabbing about four years ago.It might seem paradoxical, but in a situation like that, it's better to be an active participant in the ongoing conversation than to stand off and refuse to participate.Because, okay, let's say you don't want to blog, or to Flickr, or to participate in online discussion threads. That means the next time someone Googles you they'll find ... everything that everyone else has said about you, rather than the stuff you've said yourself. (Again - just ask Sony about this one.)The only way to improve and buff your reputation is to dive in and participate.Be open. Be generous. Throw stuff out there - your thoughts, your ideas, your personality. Trust comes from transparency.
Google isn't a search engine. Google is a reputation-managment system.
What do we search for, anyway? Mostly people, products, ideas - and what we want to know are, what do other people think about this stuff?
All this blogging, Flickring, MySpacing, journaling - and, most of all, linking - has transformed the Internet into a world where it's incredibly easy to figure out what the world thinks about you, your neighbor, the company you work for, or the stuff you were blabbing about four years ago.
It might seem paradoxical, but in a situation like that, it's better to be an active participant in the ongoing conversation than to stand off and refuse to participate.
Because, okay, let's say you don't want to blog, or to Flickr, or to participate in online discussion threads. That means the next time someone Googles you they'll find ... everything that everyone else has said about you, rather than the stuff you've said yourself. (Again - just ask Sony about this one.)
The only way to improve and buff your reputation is to dive in and participate.
Be open. Be generous. Throw stuff out there - your thoughts, your ideas, your personality. Trust comes from transparency.
[via]
Robin Grant
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Member since: 03 Jun 2008
Last login: 02 Jun 2009
Total Posts: 733
