This is the second post in a series on social media and how it relates to businesses.

The second step to building your social media portfolio is:

2. Create profiles on channels you don’t plan to utilize on a regular basis to protect your image from false information.

Half of your social media portfolio is creating profiles and content on various sites. The other half is protecting your content and monitoring what is being said in social media to protect your image and stop false information from spreading. This is where the importance of stagnant sites comes into play.

There is a double-edged sword to social media. On one hand, it’s great that everyone can create content. On the other hand, it’s…not great that everyone can create content.

The classic example of this paradox is an electronic business directory. This is where the definition of social media can get a little fuzzy. Location based and check-in based applications like Foursquare or Google Latitude can act like a business directory in the same way that Yelp or Google Maps can. Location based and check-in based programs function to gather information about a business or a place that will assist and enhance a user’s experience. The catch is that the businesses being listed may or may not have created their profile on these sites.

Picture this: An imaginary tourist is sitting in the imaginary “Sunflower Café” a few blocks away from their imaginary hotel. The tourist takes out their smart phone and launches the imaginary check-in based application “The World in Your Pocket.” After using the search bar in an attempt to find the “Sunflower Café” with no results, the imaginary tourist decides to create a listing for the business without the café’s knowledge. The problem? The imaginary tourist has a touch phone and accidentally spells the word “sunflower” as “sunflwr.” The owners of the “Sunflower Café” do not dabble in social media and have no knowledge of this profile. The spelling mistake leaves their business looking questionable to other patrons using the same check-in based application.

Accidents like this are innately innocent, but they can create a bad image for your business. They are also a pain to clean up after the damage has already been done. The solution? Create the profile before someone else does. Or, check your business’ existing social media profiles to make sure the information is correct and make changes if necessary. You do not want someone else’s mistake detracting from the hard work you have done to build you social media portfolio.

Many sites have the option to “claim your business.” This means you can either create a profile, or edit an already existing profile by signing up for the application and going through a few simple identity-verifying steps.

Business directory sites are the easiest social media profiles to create and consequently forget about. They generally require little to no maintenance once created, unless they are being used to distribute special offers or for some other creative purpose. By going through various sites and establishing your business, you can prevent false information from circulating while simultaneously adding pieces to your portfolio.

Keep in mind that it may be necessary to use a smart phone when creating social media profiles. Many sites allow you to sign up online, but you can only go so far without the actual smart phone application . Sites like these include Foursquare, Gowalla, Google Latitude, Whrrl , Brightkite, Loopt, and Facebook Places.

Stay tuned for Part III of “Building Your Social Media Portfolio,” focusing on maintaining a consistent image across all your media profiles.