Having a presence on the World Wide Web is a must for everybody nowadays - whether you’re a job seeker, a small business owner or a boss of a large corporation. Not only is it crucial for networking, but also important in order to ‘control the message’ related to your name or business. Especially if you haven’t launched your own website yet and belong to a profession which is regularly discussed in online chat forums and professional rating websites (I recently wrote an article about doctor rating sites) - then you definitely need to become proactive.

Here are 7 tips what to do to manage your internet presence and take control of your online reputation:

1. Reputation management in the internet age requires commitment, willingness to communicate and openness to new technology trends. Google yourself. If you don’t exist online, that’s bad. If there are websites with unflattering stuff (binge parties etc.) about you (or another person with the exact same name) in the first 10 search results, that’s worse. Act immediately.

2. Take control of your web presence. Start to create of improve your online brand today. If you don’t have a personal website, don’t waste any time anymore. Don’t go for a cheap solution. It will look unprofessional. Hire a web designer or an internet consultant to help you to create visually appealing website to reflect sincerity and credibility. Even better, add a blog to your site. These economically challenging times are the perfect opportunity to be proactive and stand out from the crowd.

3. Update your website regularly. Add new content at least once, ideally two to four times weekly. Write about your biggest passion, write articles discussing your specialty, or share news about your industry, for example. Weblog software products, such as Wordpress or Typepad are user-friendly and therefore ideal content management systems for your website.

4. Use the internet to advertise your services. Many online directories like AnyWho.com offer to publish your website and business profile at no charge or for a low fee. It’s also highly recommended to create a profile on LinkedIn, the most popular and fastest-growing social networking site for professionals worldwide. Take advantage of all the possibilities the internet offers today to promote yourself, make new contacts and grow your business!

5. Initiate a dialog. If you have been mentioned on one of these rating websites, address any negative comments and respond to them. Many opinion forums will publish your answer directly below the comment about you. Make sure your response is factual and refrain from adding personal insults. Enable comments on your websites, interact with your readers - and be part of the online conversation in your niche or industry.

6. Continue to monitor what’s being discussed about you. Set up a Google Alert - or check with Twitter Search what kind of comments have been made about you. If you find negative remarks - try to establish a dialogue and find our the reasons for the criticism. Don’t let emotions get in your way.

7. Don’t sue - communicate instead.. Unless somebody’s comment is completely false, defamatory and has a damaging effect on your business. Before you take action in the heat of the battle, talk to your attorney or another legal advisor about your options.

Last, but not least. If you run a business, remember this: The importance of the World Wide Web as a consumer empowerment tool will continue to escalate. Countless other service providers and product manufacturers have accepted this new reality and faced it head-on. Take a leading role and use the opportunity to create a positive image with existing and potential customers by developing a well-defined internet communication strategy.

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After attending the Blog World Expo last weekend, I have to say that I feel enriched in many ways: I made new connections with interesting fellow bloggers of all sorts, learned a whole lot about blogging, microblogging, online journalism and social media at all these sessions and workshops - and I got new energy and inspirations as a blogger and online writer.

Although I lost my beloved cordless computer mouse (by Logitech) and customized mouse mat with a photo from the beach of Santa Monica, it was totally worth the 300 miles drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (yes, I went by car) and be a participant of this young conference (2008 was the 2nd edition).

There are countless things I will remember from this great event - but these are my 5 most important takeaways:

1. Bloggers are cool and friendly
Whether is a short chat or an in-depth discussion - I experienced the bloggers at the Blog World Expo as friendly, communicative and helpful people. Even superstar bloggers I admire like Robert Scoble, John Chow, Doc Searls or Copyblogger Brian Clark were very approachable, chatty and forthcoming with all the ‘regular Joe’s’ at the event.

2. Blogs are media
“Blogs are media and are changing the game in advertising and branding”, said Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra during his keynote address last Saturday morning. Indeed - based on all the impressive stats Jalichandra presented from his latest ‘State of the Blogosphere’ survey (in-depth coverage in a separate post), the numerous exhibitors at the Expo with blogging related products and services and the wide range of workshop topics (how blogs changed - or are about to change - marketing, advertising, corporate communications, customer relationship strategies, personal branding etc.), I got even more ‘evidence’ that blogs and social media represent a whole new industry which has a major impact on consumer habits and disruptive effects on the traditional business models of a wide range of industries.

3. Traditional journalism is f**ed.
Because of my 15+ years background in journalism and my undiminished passion for newspapers, I don’t say this light-heartedly: I believe that 80% percent of media companies which are still in the ‘dead tree’ business will not survive in the digital age with their current approach/attitude. Although I’ve seen some great and promising examples during the conference how some of the old media companies adapt to the ‘new world’ of blogging and social media (more in upcoming posts), I share Jeff Jarvis scepticism that the MSM will ever ‘get it’ (his recent post titled “Zell is not your problem - you are” is a Must-Read for every journalist!). Only a few corporations in this business are willing to make the switch from old-fashioned (one-way) reporting to a real conversion with the consumers.
Additionally, I believe that there should be new, independent powerhouses which outsmart the ‘big boys’ on the web - for diversity’s sake in the media business. Where are the promising new media companies of the future? Is it Huffington Post or Techcrunch? Will it be one of the big blog networks like B5 media, Pajamas Media, Giga Omni Media and UK-based Shiny Media? Or is it more likely going to be Google, the ‘closet media company’? Either way: like in politics - it’s time for a change!

3. Despite the social media madness - it all comes down to real life contacts
I’ve probably never been at a conference before when I’ve have the word “social media” so many times. There were soo many sessions where bloggers were urged not only to create great content, but also to promote it (and themselves) on social bookmarking, social news and social networking websites. At the end of the conference, I got the impression that networking on the web is more exhausting that offline. The question remains: How valuable are hundreds of “friends” on sites like MySpace, Facebook and StumpleUpon or 5000 Twitter followers really for you career or personal life?
My take: All the social media sites are great tools to expand your reach in networking. But lasting connections and real friendships are still made offline, during an inspiring one on one conversation, a great dinner and a glass of wine.

4. The blogosphere discovers the importance of Search Engine Optimization.
But in my opinion, Search Engine Optimization was the up and coming topic and this year’s Blog World Expo. In the majority of the 10+ sessions I’ve been, the topic Search Engine Optimization came up and speakers offered (mostly valuable) SEO tips for bloggers. And there several sessions like the “SEO, SEM & New Media” workshop which were explicitly about SEO. As an SEO Specialist, I thought it’s great that every blogger attending the BWE go the chance to become familiar with the concept of Search Engine Optimizions and get some basic recommendations how to make their websites appealing not only to readers, but only to search engines.

5. Immediacy is everything! And: hashtags rule!
At the Blog World Expo, instant communication and immediate news exchange was everything. I expected that people would use cool live blogging tools like Cover It Live. Instead, everybody was using Twitter for the live coverage of the workshops. I realized quickly that I could get great summaries about all the BWE sessions by checking out all the tweets in Twitter Search with the hashtag #bwe08. Even better was the fact that I could narrow down the search to the session I was attending by typing in the combo of #bwe08 and the sub hash tag #cred (for the “Establishing Blogger Credibility” session). Needless to say that everything else about the conference - including general BWE news, meeting requests of fellow bloggers, memorable quotes of the sessions, party info and even contests by exhibitors (with trendy tech prices) - could be found on Twitter. Since my return from Vegas, my interest in microblogging increased substantially, and I am currently exploring various ways how to incorporate it more effectively into my daily blogging and communication activities.

Bonus takeaway: Avoid the Sahara Hotel. I don’t wanna go into details, but its rooms are below your basic hygiene expectations. And please, dear Blog Word Expo organizers, drop it from your list of official conference hotels.

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Blog World celebs John Chow and Tim Ferriss (Photo by Shashi Bellamkonda)

Richard Avedon once said: “All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.”

Truth or not - the good news is: Hundreds of little Avedons were among the attendees of this year’s Blog World Expo. Everybody took pictures of everything and everybody else (especially of the ‘celebs’). Since we live in the age of photo sharing, I don’t have to rely on my own snapshots anymore. As of now, 4587 photos related to the BWE have been posted on Flickr. Wow - and all these pics were taken in 3 days (if you include Friday with all the BWE partner programs)!

Since I was curious what kind of pictures my fellow bloggers were taking, I made the effort to browse through Flickr and find the accounts which include a great variety of this year’s new media and blogging conference in Las Vegas.

These are my 10 most favorite Blog World Expo photo collections on Flickr:

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As I mentioned in my previous post, the thing which surprised me most about my experience at this year’s Blog World Expo in Las Vegas is the fact that all the attendees - including the famous and successful A-Bloggers - were super cool, friendly and willing share many blogging “secrets”.

As a long time fan and avid reader of the infamous blog Problogger, I am especially pleased that Darren was kind enough to give me a couple of minutes of his valuable time, accepted to be “dragged” to a quiet conference room and was willing share his wisdom about blogging in a one on one interview (ca. 5 minutes).

In this interview, I ask him…

1. Why you should start blogging today
2. What his most important advice about maintaining a blog is
3. What his personal biggest rewards of blogging were so far
4. If microblogging (the latest trend) will be becomr bigger than old fashioned blogging
5. What the future of online media is (mainstream media vs. blog networks)
6. If he will still be interested in blogging in 5 years.

For those who don’t know Darren: He is one of the world’s most popular and respected authorities for blogging, the voice behind the no. 1 blog for blogging tips, Problogger, and the Vice President of training and development at B5 Media, one of the largest blog networks on the planet (which he launched with three fellow bloggers in 2005).

Besides Problogger, he also blogs at Digital Photography School, a blog with tips and product reviews around digital photography. According to Wikipedia, these two blogs get around 15,000-20,000 page views a day and over $20,000 in total ad revenue a month. (Impressive numbers, I have to say!)

If you’re interested to get more of Darren’s useful blogging tips, I highly recommend that you read his (and co-author Chris Garrett’s) recently published book “Problogger: Secrets Blogging to A Six-Figure Income”. It’s contains a wealth of valuable information how to start a blog, increase your readershop and make money with it. (Darren himself became a Six-Figure Blogger in September 2005)

Another tip: Follow Darren on Twitter (@problogger) and to check out his online activities on Friendfeed. It’s worth it!

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Robert Scoble, Hugh McLeod and Stowe Boyd during the B5 Advisory Board Q&A

One day before the official Blog Word Expo started, B5 Media - one of the largest blog networks in the world - was running a training day for their bloggers, titled B5 Blogger Summit, that was opened up to any BWE registrants that wanted to attend.  Needless to say that I did not want to miss this great opportunity to get blogging tips from the pros and get to know the people behind this rapidly expanding blog network in person.

In the hindsight I have to say that it was totally worth to take this additional day off and travel to Las Vegas already on Thursday night in order to be fresh and ready for the first session on Friday at 9 AM. Here’s why:
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With a live audience of 75,000 people and a TV audience of 38 million viewers, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama delivered not only his best, but also the most watch Convention speech ever. It won rave reviews from the media as much for style as for substance. Pundits praised it as “one killer speech”, “more a symphony than a speech”, an “soaring oratory” with “the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop”, among others.

Barack and bloggers have one thing in common: They both have to rely on their phrasing skills in order to make their case in front of an audience.

Barack certainly delivered. Can you?

Here are 10 things you can learn from Obama’s acceptance speech:

1. Be prepared for your big moment.

Whether you give a speech hoping to become the next President of the United States or set up a website hoping to become one of the best and most popular blogger in the whole country: Do your homework. Know what you’re going to talk/write about. And set the stage appropriately (= blog design).

2. Be a master of your words.

Breathe. Don’t overthink. Choose your words wisely. Don’t use vocabulary you’re not accustomed with. And most of all: Try to avoid mistakes (typos). Always spell-check your sentences. You don’t want to become known worldwide for being “language-challenged” like President George W. Bush.

3. Share where you come from.

You’re potential blog readers are like voters who don’t know you (yet). Be personal. Talk about your (personal or professional) past. Share an anecdote from your life. Stories are the emotional glue of blogging. Show why you’re passionate about your blog and the topic you write about.

4. Have a core message. And be consistent with it.

“Change you can believe in”. Everybody knows that “change” is the core message of Obama’s campaign. Why? Because you’ve heard for the last 18 months. Because Obama mentioned the word “change” 16 times in his acceptance speech. And because you saw change everywhere else: on billboards, signs, T-Shirts, stickers. Sticky messages also good for bloggers. Communicate the purpose and the goal(s) of you blog clearly. So you can be distinctive - and increase your following.

5. Be different. Be unique. And: It’s not about you.

Don’t be a blogging copycat. Talk about something which represents a unique feature, skill or piece of knowledge of yours - or offer a new and surprising approach to a well-known topic. Focus on it and present it in a way that it shows clearly how it helps and benefits your readers. Like Obama said: “It’s not about me - it’s about you”.

6. Face your enemy.

Obama’s obstacle and “enemy” is his political opponent John McCain. The challenges you face might be writer’s block, laziness, distractions or blogger fatigue. Approach it like Barack: Don’t cave in, address it, be firm, have always your goal it mind - and discuss your obstacles with your readers (if that helps). The blogosphere shares at least one thing with politics: They both needs fighters with good hearts.

7. Show humor.

Did you see how Obama smiled and made jokes during his big night at the Democratic convention? It’s amazing to see him so humorous and uplifting after 18 long months on the campaign trail. Take-away for you: If you take blogging as serious as Obama his pursuit of the presidency, it takes a lot of effort and can be tiring. Nevertheless, keep your sense of humor. Be witty, crack jokes. Make people laugh with your posts. (These award-winning humor blogs might be an inspiration for you…) It makes you even more likeable. And entices web surfers to come back to your blog.

8. Celebrate every success. And say thank you.

You will experience many ups and downs on your journey to become a successful blogger. That’s why it’s important that you celebrate every success you experience with your blog, small or big. Your first blog post series, your 1 year blog anniversary, your first guest post for a blogger you admire - you know, what I mean. And if you make it to the front page of Digg, reach a new record number of blog feed subscriber or comments, don’t forget to say a big ‘thank you’ to your readers. They’ll appreciate it.

9. Surprise with a firework.

Do it like Obama did it: Offer a firework of words and visual effects in your blog. Add a unique and creative header to your blog, for example. Write a passionate love declaration to a fellow blogger. Or a fiery rant about a disappointing product or service. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive. But it has to get the attention of other bloggers and start a conversation, even if your idea for a “firework” is disputable. The point is: Make a lasting impression.

10. Dream big.

Hey, if Obama dares to dream to become the first Afro-American President in the history of the United States, why can’t you dream to earn enough money to become a full-time blogger, get a lucrative book deal or surpass the readership of popular blogs like Boing Boing, Lifehacker or ProBlogger? As Zadok Rabinwitz once said: “”A man’s dreams are an index to his greatness.”

What were the most inspiring things for you about Obama’s acceptance speech? What do you think bloggers can learn from it?

Darren Rowse had a great idea: he organized a Killer Titles contest on his popular blog Problogger as part of its latest group writing project.

The contest is only three day old, but the list with the submissions is already very long. Here are my 10 favorites so far:

• Soy! Oh Boy! by Liz Scherer
• A Slacker Wife Celebrates Do Nothing Day by Sandra Foyt
• How to Get Half a Million People to Visit Your Blog by Simon
• If I Unsubscribe from Your List Will You Ever Talk to Me Again? by Des Walsh
• Stop Being Broke Right Now: Kick Off Financial Success with 10 Minutes and $10 by Dave
• Banish Blogger Butt in 7 Beneficial Ways by Stephanie Quilao
• How to Despise a Country in 10 Minutes or Less by EC Stewart
• If your life was a book, would you read it? by Rich 
• Twitter and Plurk get Pinged by Jen
• Masturbation means never having to say your sorry by Millar Prescott

There are some great advices how to write killer titles out there. Here are just a few examples:

- How to craft post titles that draw readers into your blog, Problogger
- Blog Titles are ads, Performancing 
- How to title stuff, Seth Godin 
- Captivate your audience with a killer opening, Copyblogger
- Why do some headlines fail, great 12 page e-book by Sean D’Souza, founder of the blog Psychotactics

Do you have advice or useful links how to write great blog titles?

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