Bing gave people more control over what shows up about them online last week when they partnered with Klout to create Bing Personal Snapshots. Personal Snapshots are an extension of the previously implemented People Snapshots, but it functions to give you some say in how you appear within the Snapshot column on Bing.
Bing and other search engines are one of the most common ways to find information about people, but those search engines usually gather that information from social media, which isn’t always full of information we want displayed to everyone who searches our names.
These new Personal Snapshots allows you to ensure the information you want displayed is shown while your more personal or embarrassing details can be withheld.
This works by allowing users to sign up for Klout and claim a profile, which Bing will then connect to your social networking profiles. From there, you’ll have some ability to manage your digital appearance and persona. The update will also allow Bing to show your most influential moments from social media within the same bar, along with a verified badge.
This isn’t total control over your online identity, but the change gives more power over your online presence than previously available.
If you don’t have a profile with Klout already, you should be aware that it is a social ranking website which relies on analytics to evaluate individuals’ online influence over social networks.