If Google’s the Game then “G”-Cred’s the Name.
In our hype-happy, what-to-believe, Information Nation, it comes down to one very basic thing — credibility. What is the Good House Keeping seal of the of the present and future?
For many, it’s blogs and other social networking venues that foster and spread open discussion and untainted perspective on everything. That open-source context has given way to the term “Street Cred” as a new barometer of credibility. With the proliferation of this Internet Truth formula, I suggest one better…
G-Cred.
“G” is for Google which has such universal acceptance that “to Google” something, or someone, is part of our cultural lexicon. From a business perspective, Google is a Godsend. If you’re checking out a product, company, or person, Google is both an instant information resource as well as a worldwide publicist. With that, Google has become the ipso facto barometer of credibility.
As Web Two-Oh whizes ahead at the speed of bandwidth, online visibility will equate to professional cred in every area. It does now. If you’re doing due diligence on someone and little or nothing comes up in Google, that doesn’t bode well for the subject of that search.
And, the relevance of G-Cred is not limited to those creating scholarly works, running Fortune 500 companies or marketing themselves as pundits. It applies to anyone in a professional career. Marketing gurus like Tom Peters and Seth Godin have long preached the value of creating and building one’s personal brand, regardless of who you are. Godin’s Purple Cow discusses the importance of standing out and “being remarkable.” And, ten years ago Peters’ The Brand You, commented on how survival is not about blending in, but rather, standing out.
“Regardless of age, position, or the business we happen to be in,
we need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs
of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most
important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. (And)
for most branding campaigns, the first step is visibility.”
If that was true ten years ago, you can imagine how much more true it is today, especially with Google. So, if The Web’s the Way and G-Cred is King, the only question is:
How’s yours?
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