Billions of new thoughts, ideas and feelings are shared online every day. With all of that information floating around, it's really tough to see what people are saying about you.

Unfortunately, that means negative information about you can spread quickly without you noticing. You might even be responsible for the bad things about you online.

A sketchy post you made ages ago could still be visible to the public. That's not even mentioning how much of your personal information is easy for anyone to find.

This might not sound too terrible to you. However, the wrong person seeing the wrong post can have huge consequences. It could be seen by your boss, potential employer, your insurance company or even a hacker. It could even be used in an investigation or lead to higher prices when shopping.

Your online reputation doesn't have to spiral out of control like this. With a little effort and the right security measures, you can take command of how you appear to others online.

1. Find out how others see you
You would be shocked how many stones a Google search can overturn. Search for your name first to see what comes up. Then pair your name with your profession, previous employers and locations. This should turn up anything said about or by you on social networks and blog sites.