LookupPage Blog | Professional Web Presence and Visibility

Can Google Suggest be Modified?

Google search is constantly changing. It seems this time around, Google does not share the information with the end user in the same fashion as it did in the past. Let us start with the obvious, conducting a search for the term “Tony Blair” on Google.co.uk and on Google.com yields different Google Suggest results. That is actually understandable but one thing that is slowly being phased out is letting the user know just how many results there are for every suggested term. Searching on Google.co.uk will still inform you how many results there are for each suggestion, but Google.com only lists the top ten suggestions without sharing any metrics.

Why is it an issue if Google does not share the metrics with the users? 

Analyzing metrics can often lead to improved performance. If people knew how many indexed pages on Google have a chance of “earning” a Google Suggest spot, than they would try to manipulate these results for personal gain. Google is trying to avoid that but by doing so is eliminating an informative metric from ordinary users. The fact that this metric was available and might not be in the future reduces the quality of the search that people can conduct using Google.

How does Google Suggest affect online reputation?

When searching the term “Tony Blair “Google Suggest picks ten options it deems relevant for the time. Once again, there is no real way to know how Google decides what is relevant at any point in time. It is likely that recent queries as well as trending topics on major blogs and news services have an influence on what is suggested. but the bottom line is only Google knows what exactly dictates what is included in Google Suggest and what does not. Recent searches that we have conducted on both Google.co.uk and Google.com for “Tony Blair” brought negative suggestions along with positive ones. A negative suggestion that appeared on both was the word “antichrist”.

If a high school student is researching the former Prime Minister of the UK for a school report and clicks on Google Suggested results for “Tony Blair the antichrist” there is a chance that these results would rank even higher on future searches, this can have a negative effect on Blair’s online reputation. Blair is certainly not alone in this predicament; Google suggestions for Tiger Woods  are mostly negative nowadays as well. 

Online Tracking and Monitoring Tools – A Review

An important element of establishing a strong online brand is tracking of what is being mentioned about it across the web at all times. Tracking and monitoring of a brand has many benefits. It could provide valuable feedback about one’s product or service, and this type of feedback can point to what a business is doing wrong and help in making adjustments in an attempt to build a stronger customer base. It is also important to monitor any mentions of a brand online as some of them may become negative at one point resulting in an online reputation problem.

We have often highlighted the advantages of Google Alerts, with the most obvious advantages being that the service is free and simple to set up. A number of premium services out there offer meticulous monitoring services that offer quite a bit of features that Google Alerts does not cover. The question is whether these services are worth the money spent, and how they are different from one another. We decided to review 2 online monitoring services: Trackur and BrandsEye.

Trackur   

Tarckur is the first tool that we examined. One important feature that it offers that Google Alerts does not have is filtering., This enables the user to exclude specific domains from the online search it conducts for tracked terms. This is a valuable feature since it allows the person conducting the search the exclusion of websites that are controlled by that business, essentially reducing the results that he or she would have to go through. The user can also filter out certain keyword. For example, an alert can be set up for “Michael Jordan” that has to include the term “shoes” and exclude the term “Golf” allowing for a more specific tracking of what is being said online. This feature would help a large company that has a number of different products and wishes to track only mentions of the brand within a specific context.

BrandsEye  

BrandsEye, another online monitoring and tracking service, offers three packages each allowing the user to track a certain amount of phrases and receive updates in specified increments of time. Their tracking system does a lot of the filtering for the client as it automatically removes duplicate content and spam from its findings.

The BrandsEye system allows its users to “educate” the tracking system on what is important to them. It enables the user to customize the tracking so that each mention could have a different ranking on significance based on author’s name, origin, credibility and sentiment of the over all mention. These are all advanced features that would most likely only be useful for large companies. 

Both BrandsEye and Trackur are solid tools that offer more than Google Alerts does. While we agree that a professional or a business should be proactive in monitoring what is being said about him, her or it online, we feel that Google Alerts is a solid tool that is effective enough to monitor a personal brand or a small company. A large company that has a number of products and generates hundreds of mentions each day online could benefit from premium monitoring of its brand.   

Celebrity Twitter of the Month – Lance Armstrong

 Seven time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong is a unique athlete. Not only is he the only person to win the Tour De France more than five times, he is the only person to have won the tour seven consecutive times after recovering from advanced stage cancer. When Armstrong was 26 years old, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that at that point had already spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. He underwent several operations and opted for alternative form of Chemotherapy and that led to the remission of the cancer in his body.

By 1998 Armstrong was already deep into a training regiment that would spark his return to the Tour De France, The fact that Armstrong won seven tours in a row starting in 1999 and participated in yet another race in 2009 marks him as one of the greatest athletes of our time.

Lance Armstrong describes himself in the short Twitter Bio as “7-time Tour de France winner, full time cancer fighter “. Armstrong is tweeting on a regular basis about his daily life, travel, cycling and of course, the Lance Armstrong foundation, LiveStrong, a non profit organization which strives to inspire and empower those who have been affected by cancer. Armstrong has over 2.3 million followers on Twitter. He is using Twitter to engage his fans about topics that are important to him and to promote his organization via the micro blog.    

Lance Armstrong is an exceptional athlete that could get the attention of the world media in many ways. The Fact that he chose to have an ongoing relationship with his followers via Twitter is a complement to the technology and the recognition of how ground breaking it really is. Businesses and professionals are choosing to use Twitter as a part of their marketing effort because it is currently enjoying solid web visibility from search engines, meaning that a Twitter account could often rank highly within the Google CV of a professional or a business. Please Follow LookupPage on Twitter to learn more about online visibility social media optimization and online reputation management. 

Who needs Online Reputation Management? Mark Zuckerberg Knows

Mark Zuckerberg, the 25 year old founder and CEO of Facebook conducted his interview for “60 Minutes” a few years ago when he was wearing flip-flops. Zuckerberg’s appearance was not viewed as disrespect to the popular television news magazine as the American public is infatuated with success stories of this caliber – a young person who has come up with an incredibly popular social network and is already worth 2 billion dollars at an age most people only graduate from college he was allowed to dress as the 23 year old that he was.   

Zuckerberg has found himself in facing an online reputation problem last week when new Facebook privacy guidelines that are allowing more access to other people’s content (even if you are not their facebook friend) have enabled the public to look through his personal photos. In one of the pictures from Zuckerberg’s college days he is seen lounging in his pajamas wearing women’s shoes and clutching a teddy bear. This photo would not be more than an embarrassing image except for the fact that a medal object that looks like a pot-smoking pipe is sitting on the table right next to him, along with some beer bottles.

Obviously this problem goes beyond a negative online image, Facebook is making an effort to become more open and gain the type of growth Twitter currently is enjoying, the issue with that is that facebook is more personal. People are uploading stuff there they do not necessarily want to share with the world – case in point photo below. Facebook failed at protecting the privacy of their young CEO and in addition raised the issue of their privacy guidelines for public debate.

The other problem that surfaced along with this photo is that Facebook in an attempt to become a publicly traded company cannot afford that its CEO will be associated with drug use. Shareholders are looking for an impeccable record when entrusting their money with a company and a CEO who is very young as it is will have trouble convincing them that he is the right person to lead the company forward. In order to be taken seriously in the future Mark Zuckerberg will have show that he has matured. Images of him in a suite and tie at conferences will have to surface regularly if he has any chance of cleaning up his Google Resume.  

 

What Can be Learned From the Tiger Woods Scandal?

Since the tales of infidelity have started to circle around Tiger Woods, large sponsors such as Accenture have cut ties with the athlete. Accenture who has been a sponsor of Tiger Woods in the past 6 years, using his image for campaigns in print, television and airport advertising in 27 countries around the world has terminated the sponsorship deal all together. Other companies such as Gillette, Tag Heuer and AT&T have all decreased the use of Tiger’s image in their campaigns but have not ended their relationship with the athlete. 

Pepsi who named a Gatorade energy drink after Tiger Woods, decided to pull the plug on the drink shortly before the news of Tiger’s car accident made headway. They too decided to scale back the relationship with the pro golfer as opposed to ending it. Golf is considered an upscale sport and some of the products that Woods was promoting are high scale as well. Some of the potential customers for these products are conservative and others would simply feel that Woods no longer represents elegance and luxury. To put in basic terms, Woods is suffering from a negative online image that brands do not want associated with their products.

The fact that it is much harder to build a reputation than to destroy it could not be any truer in this case. Most of us are not celebrities and will never be known to millions of people around the world. We all go about our business and live our lives without the issue of public perception having an effect on the choices we make. Since we are not paid to be a brand we can afford to do what is best in our opinion at any given point provided it is acceptable by our family and friends. 

It was not long ago that comedian David Letterman confessed on national television that he had not been faithful to his wife. Letterman opted to be the one who breaks the news to his fans as opposed to the media. While it is fair to assume that had Tiger Woods announced that he was leaving his wife and new born a few months back his reputation would take a hit, it would certainly not be as bad as things have become for him as of late. However, there are still things that can be done to protect the brand of Tiger Woods brand – but this is an issue for a different post…

 
 

 

Tips to Establish an Online Presence – Wordpress

 If you follow several blogs or even read a blog post every now and then there is a good chance that Wordpress was used in the process of publishing the content you are reading. Wordpress is an open source blog publishing application that is being used on more than 202 million websites around the world. People love to voice their opinions and one way to do that online is by blogging. When it comes to establishing an online presence, a sure fire way to get a Google ranking for your name would be to keep a blog.

The main reason people are drawn to use Wordpress for their blog is the simplicity of use that it offers. Another element that is taken into consideration with Wordpress is how big and popular it has become. Bloggers are interested in improved SEO – search engine optimization for their content. More traffic could mean money in their pocket from the sales of ads or simply the satisfaction of knowing that more people in cyberspace are connecting with what you have to say. 

Google bots are not in the business of missing new and fresh content so Google will not overlook a platform used by millions of users provided unique content is added to each blog on a regular basis. In other words, when people create a web site out of thin air they are often required to submit the site to Google for indexing. This is not necessary when creating a new blog on Wordpress. Google bots will index a new Wordpress blog because it was created on Wordpress and will continue to do so as long as new content is posted frequently. 

Google strives to find the most relevant content possible for every search. This also means that the search engine bots are looking for different types of content. We all receive video and image results for our queries for a reason, people actually clicking on them; otherwise Google would not be presenting them at all. Because Google is looking for anything relevant, it is taking into consideration just about any type of file in cyberspace as long as it relevant to the search query. Blogs in general are very relevant. They are often personal and are updated on a regular basis. A WordPress blog has the potential of ranking extremely high in a person’s Google CV  provided the blog is updated frequently.

Who Needs Online Reputation Management ? Carrie Prejean Knows

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months, you will be only too aware of the controversy surrounding former Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean. Still, in order to fully understand what's been going on, here are the simple facts in black and white.

Carrie Prejean came under fire at the 2009 Miss USA Pageant when she answered that she believes marriage should be between a man and a woman, after Perez Hilton asked for her opinion of gay marriage. "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."

Hilton publicly vilified her for her lack of political awareness but there was also some speculation in the media that her response was valid because she answered honestly as opposed to giving the politically correct answer just to win the title.

Of course that’s not the end of the story. Just two months after winning her title, topless photos of Carrie started to do the rounds on the internet and pageant officials began to question whether Prejean was an appropriate candidate to represent the state of California. Donald Trump, owner of the Miss World beauty pageant, ruled in her favor and decided to allow her to complete her year in office. However, Prejean was officially fired in June 2009 for alleged "breach of contract".

There is no question that during this whole fiasco, Carrie Prejean's reputation has come under fire, which brings us back to the question in hand: who needs online reputation management?  In today's world of advanced online technology there are countless ways to ensure damage control and one can only hope that Carrie's team of advisors and public relation officers will do their best in ensuring that her reputation is restored as soon as possible.

Whichever side of the fence you are on when it comes to the hot topic of gay marriage, one thing is for sure: should you ever find yourself in hot water for expressing your opinions, remember this name – LookupPage.com – the place where you can control  information found  on the internet and professionally manage your online reputation.

45% of Employers are Using Social Networks to Screen Job Candidates

A recent survey by Harris Interactive for CareerBuilder.com shows that researching of potential candidates on social networks by managers and human resource staff, has doubled in the past year alone. Two thousand six hundred sixty seven managers and human resource employees took part in the survey and were asked whether the information they found on social networks regarding the candidate had an affect on their decision. More than a third of the participants said that what they had found on social networks influenced their decision to pass on a candidate.

The websites employers were searching through included facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Myspace and the number one factor that deterred employees was provocative photos followed by references of alcohol and drug use. Other negative elements potential employers were looking for were bad mouthing of previous employers and poor online communication skills. Employers do realize that people lead private lives. At the same time, they also prefer to hire people who are responsible enough in order to maintain a somewhat professional online reputation. Being careless at managing your own image online does not portray a job applicant as someone who would improve the image of his or her employer. 

  What can people do to maintain a positive online reputation?

1. Create top positive search engines results that you can control. LookupPage allows professionals to create a positive result that ranks high on major search engines and includes additional information regarding the job applicant as well as provide links to reports, images and recommendation letters. Other forms of content that can project positively on a potential candidate include blogging or twitting about a topic that has to do with the position one is trying to obtain.
2. Keep private profiles private. Social networks (including Twitter) offer various privacy settings that allow users to be visible only to friends and family who obtained the approval of the user.
3. Consider who your Facebook friends are. Facebook is a great tool to keep in touch with friends and loved ones. Adding people from your office as your friends on facebook means they can have access to most of your conduct on the social network. This has often backfired when people forgot their boss is also their facebook friend.
4. Keep track of your Google image CV. Removing negative images from search results is a tedious task but is often well worth the effort.

Best Selling Toy Needs Online Reputation Management

With the holiday season approaching fast, a best selling toy is facing a serious online reputation problem. A San Francisco based consumer lab named GoodGuide tested the Go Go Hamster, a furry hamster toy manufactured in China by Zhu Zhu and reached troubling results. The findings that GoodGuide reached was that one of the models of the toy contained a high level of Antimony on the toy's nose and hair, which may be linked to cancer, lung and heart problems.

The Go Go Hamster, a small hamster toy that squeaks and runs across the floor became a hit this holiday season partly because of its low price in a difficult economic period. It had already been marked as one of this season’s hottest toys. A speaker for Character Options the distributor of the toy in the UK said only a week ago that the company is expecting to sell north of 600,000 hamsters before the end of the year. The toy that became a hit partly because of its low retail price of £10 was picked up by speculators who assumed the toy would sell out and would fetch a higher price on eBay or Amazon.

Russ Hornsby, chief executive of the firm Cepia, said in a statement "We want to assure everyone already enjoying Mr. Squiggles or other Zhu Zhu Pets, and those planning to purchase Mr Squiggles or another Zhu Zhu Pet this holiday season, that the toy is 100% safe and in compliance with all US and European toy safety standards.” This statement on behalf of Zhu Zhu is a good start but the fact is that the Google Resume for the term Go Go Hamster is currently very negative

What can a business do if it is finds itself in an online reputation crisis?

Zhu Zhu would be smart to address the concerns of its customers in the most direct way possible. It would be of sound strategy to occupy themselves with the people who have already entrusted their children’s health with the company. By addressing the customer, the company is not only showing that it stands behind its product but also that it is thinking long-term and not only about short term sales for this coming holiday season. The company should follow what Comcast and Domino’s Pizza have done in the past and establish a twitter account so that people could contact the company directly and receive answers for their question. This would show the company is tackling the issue heads on and is not trying to bury the story.

 

Follow Up to the Michelle Obama Google Image Controversy

Last week Google made headlines when it refused to remove a racially offensive image of the First Lady of the United States. Although Google has a firm policy when it comes to removing sites from its search index, claiming they would only take down illegal content or pages that directly violate the company’s webmaster guidelines, the image was removed from Google Image search for the query “Michelle Obama”. The image still appears in Google image search for a more precise description.

Google, on its part has purchased sponsored listing ads explaining that it does not condone these images and that it apologizes if user’s feelings were hurt in the process of using Google. The same sponsored ads first appeared in 2004 when searching for the term “Jew” on Google image search turned up anti Semitic images. Google Spokesman, Scott Rubin said last Tuesday “Google has a bias for free speech “and that hate speech that would result in removal of a site has to attack or advocate attacks on a person in order to be considered as such.”An image alone may not provide enough context to constitute a violation of the policies," he added.

As an interesting experiment, and also our way of telling Mrs. Obama that things could be worse, we recommend doing a Google image search for “George Bush”. For those of us who do not have the connections the White House has when it comes to removing a negative image from Google Image search, we have assembled few suggestions on how to remove negative results from Google Images.

Has Tiger Woods’ Reputation Been Tarnished?

 
One of the world’s most famous athletes is under media scrutiny after a late night single car accident outside his Florida home. Woods hit a fire hydrant and a tree leaving him bruised and unable to participate in a Golf tournament scheduled to take place in California later this week. Details are still unclear as to what led to this accident but what is known is that Woods crashed his SUV and that a phone call from a neighbors’ house to the police stated that he was unconscious. His wife later told the police that she had used a golf club to break the windows of the car in an attempt to get him out of the vehicle.

The fact that the rear window as well as the front window was smashed raises several questions about the event. This accident is being closely examined after a report in last week The National Enquirer stated that Woods who is married and has a child has been seeing a New York nightclub hostess named Rachel Uchitel and even spent time with her in Australia when he competed in the Australian Masters tournament. The fact that Uchitel has hired a high profile lawyer after the story broke out only increases the speculation that the rumors are true. 

Woods is reportedly the first athlete to earn more than a billion Dollars in his career and his main income is from advertisements. Golf is considered an upscale sport and some of the brands Woods has been paid to promote can be very sensitive to any negative press. For the time being, major sponsors such as Nike and Gatorade have stated that they will stand by Tiger Woods during this difficult time. Woods has only addressed the issue of the accident in a short statement on his website asking for privacy for himself and his family.

The fact that Woods is choosing to keep silent about what has led to this accident could damage his reputation. Although he is a great athlete, part of the success that the Tiger Woods brand has enjoyed is based on the positive image he had for many years. Because more people than ever before are voicing their opinions online via blogs or twitter, thelonger he waits, the more difficult it would be to maintain a positive online reputation.