Have You Googled....You?

In real estate, perhaps more than in other professions, image is important. Realtors recognize the importance of a professional appearance and demeanor in person, but how about your online image?
One tip that I picked up and regularly follow is to Google your own name periodically. With the abundance of posting and social networking sites now, you may find unflattering or even untruthful comments about you on sites of importance in the industry. When a potential client searches you on the internet, these comments could make the difference between winning a new client - and commission - or losing.
If you find untruthful comments, you can ask the administrator of the site or forum to have these comments removed. Or at least you can post your own dispute of the comment. On my site, www.lockboxdeals.com, Realtors are notified when someone posts a new comment on your listing, and I have a Terms of Use policy that allows me to edit or remove comments depending on content.
I also periodically Google my company name, which not only gives me an idea of what people are saying but also of how many folks are talking!
By the way, when I checked my name, Lisa Merritt, another real estate Lisa Merritt, an agent, turned up in Colorado. If you are reading, Hello from Miami!