Category: online reputation
Back in the late eighties, the reputation of city institutions seemed bullet proof. As mysterious as they were venerated, ambitious graduates of the day would talk in awed terms about big fives and big fours, while leafing through prospectuses made from linen and parchment.
In private banking, one name soared above them all, a name guaranteed to score big yuppie points with the stripey shirted city aspirants of the day.
In 2010, that bank’s reputation is in danger and in this guest blog for Stopgap Group, Furlong PR CEO Ross Furlong lays out why venerable institutions need to wise up to the new world of online reputation.
A few weeks ago I fell off my chair at a comment one magazine editor posted on Twitter, speculating that members of a certain London club suffered from, shall we say, onanistic tendencies.
Such scope for personal expression may not last long. The LA Times has issued updated social media content guidelines for their staff emphasising that just about anything they post online both personal and work related, reflects on the reputation and credibility of the newspaper.
“Integrity is our most important commodity: Avoid writing or posting anything that would embarrass The Times or compromise your ability to do your job,” says the first guideline.
It goes on, “Your professional life and your personal life are intertwined in the online world, just as they are offline, attempts, for instance, to distinguish your high school friends from your professional associates are fine, but in all spaces one should adhere to the principle that as an editorial employee you are responsible for maintaining The Times’ credibility.” More »
In a post on her blog on Thursday, Susan Moskwa, Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst recommends proactively publishing “useful, positive information” to gain control of your business (or personal) online reputation.
Moskwa’s comments come in the context of dealing with negative online publicity and in 2009, it’s still the case that most businesses only think of online reputation when something goes wrong. It’s the online equivalent of crisis PR.
Other companies are taking a more considered approach, combining elements of search and editorial planning to ensure that their online reputation matches their brand values. More »
So says Weber Shandwick’s US based chief executive Harris Diamond, speaking this week to PR Week’s Danny Rogers. Diamond sees the Italian suited ad execs and Ivy League management consultants ‘walking away’ from the challenge of driving reputation in the era of dialogue and a more strategic place for PR in the corporate pantheon.
On a more micro level, I was in a restaurant in Reigate this week, eating a cheese omelette with some very successful international marketers, talking about social media. The thing that stands out is not the need for technical advice, though there was a bit of chat about blogging platforms, but the need for good quality, on- message communications through new channels which they simply don’t have time to handle. More »
UK Google search results for online reputation have risen 41% in the last year, according to data from search specialists WhyCommunicate?
Internationally, the US, followed by UK and Germany are the countries running most searches for online reputation with “online reputation management” and “bad reputation” the fastest rising search phrases.
Interest in online pr has grown over the same period by 27% and micro-blogging (Twitter) by 72%.
Interest in online pr is surfacing more frequently in the media too. Recent news stories include the LSE’s findings that companies with good online reputation grow 4-5 times faster and the slightly surreal recommendation from Gartner that company avatars follow a dress code. Centaur launched a dedicated site to the subject – Reputation Online last month. More »
