Online Identity for Company Branding, Growth and Your Reputation
By Lark Birdsong
Birdsong Research
Overview
Using computers and the internet is a given for business, many individuals and this usage comes with an abundance of information, communications, connections and efficiencies. As well, it brings the implications and responsibilities that the internet/web brings for online publicity whether you like it, want it or even solicit this exposure. A growing field of online reputation management is available to help a company or individual manage their online/internet brand, identity, resolve problems if they occur, or monitor what is being said about a company or individual.
Business Interest
Companies with an online presence have the ability to maximize their presence with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques and by using other non SEO techniques such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, forums and social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. People as well have the ability to post comments on the web about a company in various websites, which is where trouble can begin for a company. Posted comments can be favorable or unfavorable, deserved or undeserved.
So what do you do if you want to mitigate what is being posted on the web? Companies providing online reputation management can be turned to for help. A company’s online reputation is managed in many ways, some visible, some not so visible and a company’s reputation is more than what a search of keywords comes up with on your company. Companies like Nielsen BuzzMetrics (http://www.nielsenbuzzmetrics.com), Cymfony (http://www.cymfony.com/) and Umbria (http://www.umbrialistens.com/) can help analyze what is being said online about a company. This gives you a starting point to manage the good or bad that is being written about your company. Other companies can help with SEO techniques and reputation management, with some providing all services to help with a company identity, brand, SEO and reputation. Public relations firms can also provide this assistance.
John Battelle, author of The Search, in a conversation with BusinessWeek.com columnist John Tozzi(http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/apr2008/sb20080430_177447.htm?chan=search discusses the need for a company to take a “white hat” approach to managing online reputations. If the company selected to manage your reputation, is using tactics that are not generally accepted business practices on the internet to increase a company’s presence or manage its reputation, your company can end up in a boat load of bad publicity even though you intended a positive outcome. You may want to give some thought and time to seeing what is being said about your company on the web and find assistance with some experts if further work is needed.
General Interest
Additionally, you have your own name and those of your family and kids to think about on the web. There are companies that manage an individual’s reputation online if so desired. One company, Reputation Defender notes they were the web's first online reputation management solution and have powerful testimony in their favor. They also have some detractors as a quick Google search found some negative comments on the company. It is important to keep in mind your information literacy skills when analyzing any information you read to see if it is valid and useful to your situation. In many cases there will be positive and negative comments about a company or person. The white hat approach mentioned by John Battelle is important to keep in mind when you pick a company to defend your reputation or that of your family’s. A few sites to check out are listed below.
Some Online Reputation Management Companies
Reputation Defender http://www.reputationdefender.com/index focus is on you and your family.
Reputation Reset http://www.reputationreset.com/ focus is on your name or company name.
ClaimID http://claimid.com/about focus is on your name and needs active involvement by user.
TrustPlus http://www.trustplus.com/about/ focus is on people and by building their own reputations and letting them view the reputations of others.
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