Fifth in an occasional series looking at emerging digital employment opportunities.

If your offline reading focuses on the social pages while your screen time is spent on social media, you may be a good candidate for a job as a personal online identity manager (POIM).

dreamsystemsmedia.com

Also known as a personal brander, this job has been described as a digital extension of the role played by stylists, publicists, life coaches and executive coaches. A POIM constantly reviews someone’s real-world persona and goals and makes sure their virtual brand/image matches up. It combines social media monitoring with proactive content creation and proactive engagement with online communities.

Not everyone needs – or wants – their own online reputation manager, but you have to admit it’s hard even for us ordinary people to stay on top of what’s being said about us online, much less maintain contact with our social network and keep up a positive profile. Having someone do the heavy lifting for you online – reviewing the buzz about you, responding to negative comments and creating and posting positive content – certainly has its appeal.

Like a good web analyst, a good POIM knows the tools and processes needed to capture all the necessary information and respond appropriately, applying creativity, finesse and personality to the job. Get Elastic outlines some of the basic skills / traits a person should possess to tackle this role:

• An understanding of the social web, including blogs, forums, social networks, microblogs, photo/video sharing, ratings and reviews, RSS etc.
• Exceptional communication skills
• Someone who comes across as pleasant, positive and polite in online communications
• Attention to detail (Remember the kerfuffle over Hugh Jackman’s visit to the “Sydney Opera Centre” last year?)
• Good at using search engines for research and understanding SEO
• An “insanely curious person”

To me, it would make sense for PR/publicity firms and social media agencies to develop this competency, as it is closely related to corporate online reputation management. In our increasingly individualistic post-modern environment, look for POIMs to become a must-have accessory for prominent people.

David Jackson is managing director and principal talent broker for S2M Digital, www.s2m.com.au a recruitment agency specialising in the digital space.