You’ve got a reputation online
- Tue, September 04 2007
- Filed under: Social networking and web 2.0
You have a reputation online. What is it? Find out. You need to know what people are saying about you. Then you need to join the conversation.
I’ve already mentioned the 101 basics of monitoring the conversation—go to technorati.com and search for your organization and keywords. Set up google alerts for you, your organization and your issues. And for heaven’s sake, google yourself and your issue regularly. (Here are some shortcuts that can improve your search results.)
If you’ve already done that, then you’re ready for this. It’s a fantastic oldie but goodie resource from Marketing Pilgrim that’s intended for companies but works equally well for nonprofits or educational institutions.
The only thing I’d add is this: when people say bad things, don’t attack (or hire a lawyer) as your first reaction. Listen. Acknowledge. Discuss. Don’t be defensive. Ask questions. Answer questions. Offer to set things right. This usually works very well, unless you’re dealing with a crazy person—and there are some out there.
Oh, and if you’re young and your online reputation extends to some embarassing old MySpace content, here’s a solution to that.