Vizibility Takes the Surprise Out of Googling Yourself

Googling yourself may sound a bit self-centered, but it can be an eye-opening, often sobering experience. Vizibility’s “Google Me” technology helps professionals avoid unpleasant surprises when they (or anyone else) run a search on their name.

Vizibility, an identity management specialist and a division of All-State Legal, is the maker of VizCards, a hosted mobile-optimized business card platform that helps “professionals package and share their online identity,” according to CEO James Alexander.

The hosted solution, which he describes as “the third side of your business card,” provides the basics, as expected, but it also offers social media integration and discovery features, a multitude of sharing options (including text messaging, as demoed for this writer) and real-time updates for followers. It also features the innovative “Google Me” button.

Think of Google Me as a curated, business-oriented search experience—a time-saving shortcut that helps new contacts find the best version of you online. While the Internet at large revels in unrestricted access to the Web’s collective knowledge store, in professional settings, it can be downright frustrating to filter out the noise.

The goal: to help professionals make a good first impression and to maintain a good reputation.

Improve Your Personal SEO

Often, googling oneself can be an exercise in futility, Alexander told Small Business Computing. Take his plight, for instance. In his case, having an identity that is based on two popular given (first) names can pose a challenge.

James Alexander, as it turns out, is not exactly an SEO-friendly name. During on online demonstration, he showed how googling his name opens up a trove of resources that reference James and/or Alexander. None of those coveted top results belonged to him, however.

Sure, it’s possible to steer Google to the right results, but the average user isn’t going to wrestle with the search engine’s advanced operators. Enter the Google Me button.

Vizibility’s technology lets you “pick and rank five [Google] search results that will always show first,” said Alexander. No coding involved. When others push the Google Me button, they are greeted with these verified results, he added.

Reputation Management

The reasoning behind the Google Me button is simple, even if the technology masks its complexity, said Alexander. Instead of falling victim to Google’s algorithms, which may emphasize parts of one’s life with little bearing to their career, or worse, those of a notorious doppelganger, it allows professionals to take control of their online personas.

In short, Google Me lets professionals assert control.

Vizibility announced earlier this month that it had launched a new patent licensing program, which includes its Google Me button. Online reputation management specialist, Reputation.com, has already taken the company up on its offer. In a statement, Alexander said his company’s “services have expanded beyond traditional online reputation management, so we’re excited to be able to offer this portfolio of intellectual property to other companies which may value it.”

Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at Small Business Computing. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.

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