Online Reputation Management: What Is It?

About Online Reputation Management

Online reputation management (ORM) refers to the act of monitoring, improving and maintaining the publicly available online information about individuals, businesses and organizations. It began in the mid-‘90s, in response to the proliferation of online social media and the opportunities for anonymous commentary to be made about anyone—and for that commentary to remain online forever. Today, it is also used to ensure people and organizations can be found online and that the information about them is accurate, up-to-date and authentic. 

 

ORM consists of three areas: management, repair and monitoring

Managing the information that is publicly available about you or your organization online is vital. Doing so allows you to “take ownership” of your online reputation. When you don’t take an active role in determining what biographical and professional is posted about you, others may make that decision for you. Too often their primary concerns are not accuracy or your best interests. That’s why it’s important to take the first step of knowing the information about you that exists online. You can’t control what people say about you in articles, blogs and online forums. But you do have control over such items as professional biographies, company profiles (often compiled by sources other than your place of employment) and news releases generated about your volunteer or philanthropic activities.

The more you contribute to the body of information about you that is online, the more you will sup­plant inaccurate and unwanted information that may surface about you (or someone with the same name). Having a solid amount of factual information about you online also ensures you have a presence in the wider community.

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(Source: reputation-communications.com)

Online Reputation Management: How Can I Learn the Identity of an Anonymous Poster?

When any computer connects to the Internet it is assigned a unique code of numbers called an IP address. Computers connect to the Internet through Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which register the IP addresses of users.

Identifying anonymous posters can be difficult, especially if they are hiding their identity. While logs collected by the blog host might correlate posts to a particular IP address, the address may not necessarily reveal the poster with any level of certainty. Difficulties may arise from public network use, dynamic IP address assignment, access from private networks that translate addresses, or through direct obfuscation by means of internet proxies which are used to “sanitize” identities. (We recommend two such IP concealing tools in our Resources section, mainly to protect yourself from unwanted online tracking by marketers.) In the event that the blog is maintained in a public forum the only way to access log information is through a court order.

Legal action can result in a court order and subpoena for an internet service provider (ISP) to identify the IP address. Law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and police departments around the country obtain IP identification every day.

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Online Reputation Management: Can I Sue to Have Online Commentary About Me Removed?

Online Reputation Management: How Can I Fix Old or Incorrect Online Information About Me?

That depends on where it is located and how it originated. Many online information platforms, like Zoominfo, use programs to automatically scour the Internet to aggregate information and post it. Some allow users to access their profile, so you can edit and update information about you on those sites. Other platforms make that process much more difficult. Public databases like Intelius and several like it publish the home addresses, ages, family members’ names and other information that is accessible to virtually anyone. 

Blogs often will correct information that is inaccurate (the name of your company, your title or position, etc), if you contact them in a neutral, reasonable manner – the way you would a newspaper editor.

If the information is on an online gossip site, a forum or many other types of online platforms you have little control over it short of legal action (if you have grounds for an online defamation suit). Any request you e-mail to the website administrator may be ignored, declined or simply posted itself, actions that are each in compliance with the Communications Decency Act.

The expungement, or erasure, of public records from news providers and other resources is an issue of growing debate. In “Erasing History,” a April 29, 2013 New York Times Op-Ed piece, Bill Keller addresses legal and related aspects of the topic.

Creating your own online image – with information that accurately profiles your career, business and other relevant endeavors – is the best strategy for counteracting and possibly replacing inaccurate online information.

Protect Your Online Rep, a Daily Worth interview with Reputation Communications founder Shannon Wilkinson, provides examples of how to do so.

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Online Reputation Management: Why is it Necessary?

Online reputation management is necessary because anyone can say anything online: anonymously, posing as an expert or as someone else.

The engineers who developed the internet in the late 60’s and early 70’s didn’t foresee millions of people would be online now. As internet use evolved, no mandatory laws or universal systems were created to authenticate credentials and identify Internet users (such as a driver’s license or building ID.)

Few laws are in place to regulate or address what is said and posted online. Currently, website operators have legal immunity over what is said and posted on their sites. That means they are not held responsible for it in a court of law (except, generally, in cases that constitute defamation).

Why? Because of the Communications Decency Act, a law that was passed in 1995 and has not caught up with the tremendous proliferation of online usage since.

According to Section 230 of the Act, “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” 

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Online Reputation Management: Can I Have an Online Photograph of Me Removed or Replaced?

The open culture of the Internet – where it is common for bloggers to be transparent about editing errors they have corrected and post disclaimers if they write about a company they have worked for or accepted product samples from – helps explain why it can be so hard to have a photograph (or anything else) removed. Doing so without a publicly posted explanation would be considered unethical by many online publishers and writers. Wikipedia is a good example of this system. Whenever a fact is changed, removed or replaced, it is accompanied by an explanation of who edited it and why the edit was made.

So not only is your request likely to be declined, it is possible it may be published on the site, drawing more attention to the image and making you the target of other sites that will post the image. In any case, the longer a photograph stays online, the more it is cached (stored) in other sites and gains prominence in search engines.

The best option is to post your own photographs online – the images you believe represent you and your organization best and most authentically – and take action to ensure they take precedence over other images of you in search engine results. Posting photographs on Flickr and similar platforms is one way to be proactive. If you are on Facebook, ensuring your Facebook privacy controls are up to date — including removing the ability of anyone to tag you in photos — will help. The following tips address Facebook’s newest privacy options.

Staying Private on the New Facebook

Somini Sengupta’s February 6, 2013 New York Times article about how to control your Facebook posts using 4 key privacy controls is timely – and a quick, useful read.

In December, Facebook reconfigured its search tool so that anyone can find you (and your posts) online, not only by your name but by tags others have made to your pictures (and posts).

“It can allow strangers, along with “friends” on Facebook, to discover who you are, what you like and where you go,” writes Sengupta. “Facebook insists it is up to you to decide how much you want others to see. And that is true, to some extent. But you cannot entirely opt out of Facebook searches. Facebook, however, does let you fine-tune who can see your “likes” and pictures, and, to a lesser extent, how much of yourself to expose to marketers.”

The day after her toolkit was published, she followed up with “New Stuff I’ve Learned Since My Facebook Privacy Toolkit.” It highlights My Permissions and Scrambls, two additional tools good to know about.

If you haven’t revisited your Facebook privacy controls since December, now is a good time to do so. 

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Online Reputation Management’s Four Tools

The four main tools of online reputation management include content, platforms, search engine optimization (SEO) and strategy.

Content. Content is information-rich text that is not duplicated elsewhere online. It is helpful, relevant and well written. “Content” can also be video, photographs, podcasts and any other form of information placed online. SEO, platforms and strategy can only take you so far without continuous, quality content. That is why the best online reputation management plans begin, build and end with it.

Platforms. Platforms are the online sites where content is placed: websites, blogs, micro blogs, forums, directories, news sites, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and hundreds of other outlets.

Search engine optimization. SEO is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines using frequently-searched for words throughout, inbound links (links to the site from other sites) and other techniques.

There are two types of SEO used in online reputation management: “white hat” and “black hat”. White hat methods conform to search engine guidelines and do not involve deception. Black hat techniques attempt to improve rankings in ways that are disapproved of by search engines. If search engines discover sites using black hat methods, they often penalize them by making them disappear online (by dropping them a thousand pages or so down in Google). Or, they eliminate their listings altogether.

SEO tips and techniques fill volumes of internet pages – far too much to share here. SEOmoz has excellent tools and resources, including a comprehensive free beginner’s guide to SEO. It is a good place to learn more.

Strategy. Every online reputation is different. Managing them requires a goal, strategic plan and timetable. It is well worth the effort.

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Online Reputation Management: The Importance of Branding Yourself

Many damaged reputations occur when people, businesses and organizations don’t control the information available about them online – and don’t put any general information online about themselves at all.  A myriad of information from public records, old articles, college Facebook sites and other sources can then surface, rise to the top (because there is nothing else there), and stick. That is why branding yourself online is so important.

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” A brand can also apply to an individual’s career and personal interests, in a process called “personal branding”. Advice about personal branding has been circulating for decades, but it was Tom Peters’ 1997 Fast Company article “The Brand Called You” that thrust the term into mainstream usage.

Creating a personal brand is the first step in reputation management. This brand establishes a foundation for showcasing your value, differentiating you from your competitors and affirming your reputation.

Many people have built notable careers without intentionally branding themselves. At some point, however, even they may find it helpful to rebrand themselves or establish their brand on a more visible platform.

Don’t leave the interpretation of your identity to other people

Without a current, clearly identifiable brand, you leave the interpretation of your achievements, skills and identity to other people. That interpretation will usually be based on incomplete, and sometimes inaccurate, information. Part of establishing a brand is building a strong presence online. As mentioned before, a common reason why people suffer online reputation damage is that they lack a strong “digital footprint” – a significant, informative and current body of material about them on the Internet. Without that reputation insurance, anything that anyone posts online about you (or even someone who shares your name) goes straight to the top of the list of results in a Google search– and can stay there.

How do you brand yourself?

The essential branding tools are factual information and a new photograph. Both should be updated at least once a year. A personal website, blog, an updated company website or webpage are additional platforms. Social media sites such as Twitter (especially valuable if your name is still available as a Twitter handle) are additional options. This Forbes article provides additional tips. 

Establish a set of benchmark goals and implement them until you have a strong, authentic brand identity. The more well-established your brand, the better your ability to build consensus, make an impact, and attract opportunities.

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Online Reputation Management: Managing Negative Information When It’s True

What to do when negative online information is accurate, or just appears to be so?

The first goal of anyone who is the subject of negative online commentary is to get rid of it – especially if it is true. But even after multiple attempts to resolve the situation you may see it persist for months or years.

We find a content strategy is the best solution to counter significant negative information online about you or your company. Together with the right technology, SEO strategies and social media platforms, new content is the most effective tool in substantially diminishing the placement of negative online content.

But a content strategy does not alter the facts.

A content strategy very effectively counters disinformation. But it does not alter the facts. If the negative online information is true, the best approach may be to own it. To “own” a fact is to acknowledge it. Doing so makes clear that you accept responsibility and are not trying to hide the truth. It also restores your ability to participate in the argument and ultimately influence perception of those facts. If it is appropriate, you might indicate the steps you have taken to address the issue in a positive way or ensure it does not reoccur. How this will be done depends on of the strength and character of the online presence you have built. There are a variety of options for turning what was negative into something positive.

Case in point: this Reputation Issues blog post highlights how a 2007 FTC investigation revealed that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey anonymously attacked a competitor in online financial forums prior to making an offer to buy the company. “That led to a realization, Mackey told Paumgarten: ‘If I wanted to continue to do Whole Foods, there couldn’t be any part of my life that was secretive or hidden or that I’d be embarrassed [about] if people found out about it.’”) He made coming clean part of his image and continues to be CEO.

It may be best to present a new, balanced image

In many cases it may be advisable to create a new or updated online image that authentically integrates these new facts with the achievements reached and the goals set in you professional (and personal) life. This can be done in many ways, on many platforms, to provide a balanced view…even if you don’t reference the negative issue in your new content.

If the negative material does not disappear altogether, this new online image will present audiences a far more accurate and comprehensive image of you. Without this tactic, you leave the shaping of your image to your detractors.

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You, Inc.: Managing Your Reputation

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Garrett Hoffman is one of Silicon Valley’s most prolific investors and has been instrumental in the launch of numerous successful tech-oriented company start-ups. His book “The Start-Up of You” released by Random House in February 2012, has received accolades from diverse thought leaders.   Hoffman’s advice to attain career success in this new, more uncertain, economic environment? See your career as a business and yourself as an entrepreneur who aspires to stand out from your competitors.

Reputation management has grown in importance for similar reasons. Reputation management isn’t pretending to be someone you aren’t or whitewashing your background; it means that you have taken steps to ensure the audience you care about knows who you are.

According to the Reputation Institute, reputation is the new corporate and professional currency.The business world understands what is at stake. Mainstream companies such as Toyota and MasterCard now have reputation managers. “Reputational risk” is the second biggest concern of boards of directors, surpassing regulatory issues. Responding to the rising interest in online reputation management, Google launched in June 2011 “Me on the Web,” a free reputation monitoring tool.

Who controls your image?

If you do not “own” and publish your story, someone else will do it for you.

Case in point: In May 2011, The Federal Trade Commission approved the services offered by Social Intelligence, which provides background checks on potential new hires by scouring social networking sites (and monitors the online activities of current employees). This is important news for users of Facebook and other social media, especially those who do not realize the impact that their online posts can have on their career opportunities.

News headlines regularly offer examples of the dangers of online communication. But, if managed properly, your online image can be a powerful tool in your personal and professional life.

Trust is a key factor in doing business and building relationships, and a degree of transparency is necessary to engender trust. Your online presence offers that transparency. That is just one benefit of establishing and maintaining a strong online reputation.

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