Whatever you put on the Internet stays on your permanent record. I'm paraphrasing Andy Sernovitz, CEO of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (www.womma.org), who spoke to marketing execs and business owners at a recent event.

Many of his recommendations and talking points apply directly to managing a successful career.

Your permanent record. Think about it. You've got a lot to say, you started a blog, and one of your favorite things to do is to pontificate on extreme political or religious issues. Hmm. Not necessarily a big plus, depending on the type of career move you're planning.
Many companies do a Google search before interviewing a candidate. What's on the net may hurt your chances. Sernovitz provided some excellent strategies to combat digital dirt.

He said that the more recent material gets read first. Put out more of the positive to bury the negative. Sernovitz recommended addressing bad blog press or reviews and fixing the problem. Because blogs are updated frequently, your ability to make a potentially bad situation end well can be a selling point. "This person did right by me." What a good thing for your permanent record.

And what a great way to demonstrate to potential employers your ability to solve problems.

Challenge: Search out blogs where your name may be mentioned and reply. Turn digital dirt into digital diamonds with positive communication.