Upping your online presence (Part 1 of 3)

I’ve served on the boards of two Los Angeles-area writers groups. I’ve gotten to know more than two dozen writers since launching this blog. Some of my clients are writers. I like writers!

That’s why it drives me nuts to meet talented, determined writers who are all but invisible online. The right online presence can introduce you to future readers, let you network, and show agents and publishers that you mean business.

My posts this month are simple suggestions for writers who need to start getting their online houses in order. Nothing scary or too techy, I promise.

This week: Google yourself.

See what’s out there. Remember to put your name in quotes: “Jane Smith.” If your name is very common, add “writer” to your search terms, like this:

“Jane Smith” writer

Does the first page of search results contain current, accurate, appropriate information about you? Or are you wondering how that old photo of you in your prom dress and headgear ended up online?

Now do the same search on Bing. In fact, run your searches once a month to track your progress over time.

Next week's post: Define and propagate your message