Reputation can make or break a business. And with the ever increasing popularity of social media applications like MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and so on, business and personal reputations are more public and publicized than ever.

Everyone, everywhere, has a reputation. Your friends and family may think of you as kind and thoughtful or harsh and self-centered. Online you may be perceived as professional and helpful or immature and uncaring. You may think your personal reputation doesn’t effect your business; that people shouldn’t mix personal and business. But people do. And your personal reputation definitely carries over into your business.

A poor reputation leads to lack of trust. People who feel a lack of trust believe they cannot rely on you or your business.

Customers who believe you have a good reputation, who trust you, will become loyal to you and your business. They will be repeat customers and are likely to refer others to you. The better the experience, the better your reputation, and the more profitable your business.

Do you know how you and your company are perceived? A company’s reputation can be partially judged by searching the Internet and seeing what people have to say. Check with the Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce are also very good ways to determine company reliability. Search for yourself and your company at Google and on Twitter to see what people are saying about you.

Protect your reputation by remembering that anything you add to public web pages is out there for all to see. While it may not be of much interest today, you never know who might pick up on it next week or next year. The old adage that “bad publicity is better than no publicity” may no longer apply. It can be difficult to overcome a highly negative reputation.

Always put your best foot forward. You don’t want it to come back and kick you in the behind!