How did you say you spelled your name?

If you're wondering why people aren't inviting you into their social or business networks on facebook or LinkedIn, it just may be because as far as the rest of the world is concerned, you're invisible.

The cure is simple. Check how your name is spelled on the network site.

No, I'm not kidding. Yes, I know you typed it in yourself when you set up the account. Yes, I'm sure you know how to spell your own name. Honestly, I'm not saying this to embarrass you. Just check. Please.

Why am I raising this issue once again? Because yesterday, I stumbled across two people I know on LinkedIn whose names were misspelled. Guess how many people were persistent enough to find them...

You're probably saying to yourself that I'm making this up. Honestly, I'm not. Go ahead and look up the name Aaaia on LinkedIn. That's not his name, but he's a real person and he really did misspell it.

It's really amazing how often people misspell their own name on the web or in email. Obviously, it's just a typo. No one does this deliberately. Unfortunately, this is one place where it can really hurt you.

Just a word to the wise...