A Journal: Fostering A Positive Image In A Digital World
Increasingly, a positive reputation for a firm is directly correlated with the content that is available about it on the web. People now search for company information, personal information and product reviews on an unprecedented scale. This is because search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing have made it easier than ever to find information on the web about a certain topic or individual.
So how are businesses responding to this trend in reputation management? They are for one, trying to control which content is being published about them on the web. This includes developing their own websites, blogs and periodically releasing press releases. All of this creates positive content that will hopefully be found by searchers on the web about the firm. The positive content creates an appearance of a good reputation. It also helps to crowd out negative or false information.
As for reviews, many companies or businesses will attempt to address them directly. Some review sites allow a business or person to respond directly to a customer complaint. A business owner could sometimes respond directly to a negative review or complaint below it. This provides people reading the review both sides of the story in a conflict. Other review sites will not allow any interference from the party that is being reviewed.
The following applies not only to businesses but individuals as well. If there are outright personal attacks, lies, slander or misinformation posted about a business or person deliberately on a website, you may be able to have it removed by simply requesting the web administrator to take it down. This is down by everybody from celebrities, major companies, small businesses and the average Joe and Jane Doe.