Article Lead Image

On Facebook, do you give a damn about your bad reputation?

A new service, Reppler, aims to protect your good name on the social network.  

 

[email protected]

IRL

Posted on May 25, 2011   Updated on Jun 3, 2021, 4:25 am CDT

If you’ve been on Facebook longer than six months you probably know better than to display a picture showing you sucking down a few drinks (or bong hits)—on the off chance that someone like a boss (or your mom) might see it.

And you may even know that you can untag photos from your friends who surreptitiously snap images of you in compromising positions so they don’t show up on your profile page.

But do you also scour your wall for posts that paint an unflattering picture?

Just look at Brandon Small, with his post about hangovers, tequila, and hot sauce that you left open to everyone on the Internet.

Maybe you should consider taking a hard look at your own profile.

That’s the premise behind Palo Alto-based startup Reppler, “a social media monitoring service designed to keep your social reputation clean and safe,” as Reppler describes itself.

So far about 30,000 people have had Reppler scan their Facebook pages in search of incriminating information and potential privacy leaks.

Nearly half — 48 percent — of those 30,000 profiles contain profanity. In theory, you have total control over our own profile. But maybe you’re not the one to blame. According to Reppler, some 56 percent of that profanity comes from other people who post wall comments. Right — your so-called “friends.”

But seriously, who really cares about naughty language these days?

If you work in the technology world, maybe no one, says Reppler founder Vlad Gorelik, who hails from the security industry.

“On the other hand,” Gorelik says, “Let’s say you’re a teacher. That’s going to have an impact.”

Or maybe you are unwittingly undergoing a security check because you happen to be looking for a job or applying for school or even dating.

“Our view of all this is we’re just going to help you give you the tools to help you manage your reputation online.”

Unlike Reputation.com, which has been around for awhile, Reppler focuses on information on social networks.

And it isn’t just profanity and pictures you might consider sanitizing: your social network may say more about you than you intend.

On its blog (reppler.wordpress.com), Reppler writes about a University of Maryland study that concludes you can tell a lot about someone’s personality by his or her Facebook page.

So be careful what you post. And scrub your wall daily.

Or not.

It just could be that the only person scouring the Internet looking for you is well, you.

Share this article
*First Published: May 25, 2011, 10:50 am CDT