LookupPage Blog | Professional Web Presence and Visibility

Managing Your Professional Reputation Online

As more and more people spend time online and on social networks like Facebook, the private and the professional are continuing to collide. In response to this collision, institutions are establishing policies about how professionals should conduct them online. Most recently, the Ontario College of Teachers released a report over their concerns that teachers are establishing relationships with their students on social media sites like Facebook.

Even though Facebook has many privacy settings that enable you to group different people together and change your settings based on the group, the teachers association is concerned with how electronic messages will effect students' relationships to their teachers inside the classroom. Facebook messages and other online activity don't allow for people to communicate as clearly as in person, and this online communication can effect how students learn, the association argues. 

At the same time, cyberbullying between students has become increasingly monitored by schools as online student relationships spur offline reactions that school officials must deal with. In some severe cases, students have been bullied so badly online that they have committed suicide -- increasing concern for school officials over social media activity. However, teachers participation in online discussions with their students are still seen as blurring the lines between professional and private and are in general still frowned upon. 

However, students are incredibly tech savvy and young people use text messages and Facebook to communicate some of their most important social actions. This means that their is also a necessity for schools to find a way that they can use social media and teach their students how to act professionally online. Many schools are now starting to have Facebook pages and increasing online presences -- making it more important than ever that they also educate their students in the classroom about how to effectively and professionally use social media to manage their professional and personal online reputations.

Real Time Public Relations

There are many different ways to do public relations online, but real-time public relations is a whole new ball-game. While press conferences have become more popular online, today will mark the first ever real-time performance of a play!

A remake of a Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing, will become the newest social media experiment and will bring facebook fans together to view the play. This real time experiment is also a great way for the two founding organizations to generate positive publicity, reach out to new potential supporters and bring attention to the important issue of privacy -- especially on facebook. 

According to Read, one of the sponsoring organizations, this is the plot synopsis:

Much Ado is a romantic comedy that showcases villainy at its most vicious as an innocent girl’s reputation is damaged by lies and deception. The play also features the memorable characters of Beatrice and Benedick, who start out at each other’s throats and then act out a romantic plot of their own.

In addition to showing the play online, the group has created facebook profiles for each of the characters and gives them an online persona for fans to interact with. This is a great way to fictionalize facebook and a new way of using social media -- always exciting and buzz worthy for online users and a great way to build a positive reputation online. 

Lastly, the project asks users to be super interactive and change their facebook news feed settings to show posts from all your friends and pages -- this will insure that users get the "full theater experience" and is a great way to insure that their message will get into other supporters news feeds. 

 

The Best Reputation in the World

Managing your reputation can lead to lots of good publicity and connections with other businesses and potential clients. But some company's reputations can take them even farther, and now Google has been given the status of "The Best Reputation in the World" by Harris Interactive, a US based company. 

According to Harris' sophisticated rating system, Google beat out Johnson & Johnson for the best reputation, as well as 3M, Apple and other highly well regarded brands and companies. The status of "Best Reputation" was awarded by Harris after conducting a survey of 30,000 Americans on their opinions of the 60 "mot visible companies" in the USA. The survey groups responded to six categories that mattered most to the firm's reputation "emotional appeal, products, services, social responsibility, vision and leadership."

The technology sector had increasingly high reputations, with Apple and Facebook, among others, coming in the top 50. Over the past decade, the technology sector has become one of the most favorable as people interact with technology brands on a daily basis and many of the companies have some element of democratic participation. Additionally, unlike other companies that produce hard products, technology companies have less chance to create reputation disasters like oil and gas companies or other companies that's work negatively impacts the environment. 

One of the best ways to improve your company's reputation is surely to enter different competitions for best brand, best product and other categories. These kind of competitions can be found easily online simply by searching and can provide your company with an opportunity to compete, beat out and shine other competition. Additionally, people love to see quotes from former and current clients and testimonies from their experience with your company. This boosts consumer confidence and improves your company's online reputation.

 

Reputation Management on Facebook Improves

Today, writing comments on facebook is just as important as commenting on blogs. While it doesn't improve your SEO like writing comments on high ranking websites, it certainly can bring a lot of targeted traffic to your website and if done right, improve your online reputation. However, sometimes, when commenting on facebook their is a mistake in posting. Previously, the entire comment had to be deleted and re-posted -- until facebook updated its modification rules. Now users can edit their own comments on facebook immediately. 

To edit commentss, simply press the "x" icon in the upper-right hand corner of the commenting box and select "modify". However, this modification option only lasts for 10 seconds, afterwhich you'll have to delete the whole comment and start again -- the old way of commenting on facebook. 

Even though their is a time limit for modification, facebook's email system still sends two notes to all of the people who have commented on the post and the owner of the post -- first with your original comment and then with the edited comment. Edited comments also don't appear instantly and instead, users will need to refresh their facebook page before they see the changes made to the comments. 

While this new feature doesn't work perfectly, it is a small improvement from the past and can greatly help you to improve your online reputation and insure that each comment that you submit is perfect. If you're interested in learning more about this new feature, you can watch the quick tutorial that facebook created here:

 

 

How to Prevent Leaks and Reputation Management Spoilers

Sometimes, even if you plan your public relations campaign very carefully, someone can spoil your efforts. For example, if you've carefully planned an online contest, tallied the results and determined the winner, you'll want to send out a virtual press release to top bloggers and media sources announcing the results. However, it is usually necessary to send this kind of release out a few days in advance of announcing the results on your site -- thus creating an opportunity for a leak of the highly secret information. 

Leaks can create big public relations messes and reuion your surprise, so it's imperative that you put a big header on your press release that details that this is confidential information. In some cases, it's also a good idea to ask journalists to sign a confidentiality agreement. Take for example the recent case of a Glee extra spoiling the season finale. Last week on Twitter, Nichole Crowther revealed who would become prom king and queen on the show -- a big spoiler.

This created a backlash against Nichole where angry fans responded to her spoiling the show and the producer of Glee, Blad Falchuk, tweeted "hope you're qualified to do something besides work in entertainment" and "Who are you to spoil something talented people have spent months to create?"

Unfortunately in this case, the standard union contract that Nichole signed did not require her to sign a non-disclosure agreement, so filing a suit for liquidated damages would be difficult. However, if Nichole had signed an agreement with a pre-set amount of money for leaking, Glee and Fox would be protected from such actions -- and more importantly -- would probably prevent such reputation management problems from occurring at all. 

Managing Your Green Reputation

Over the past decade consumers have become much more environmentally conscious and are making many of their purchasing choices, including online choices, based on companies with good green reputations. That is making it increasingly important for companies to firstly make wise business choices when it comes to the environment and secondly to manage their green reputations -- especially online. While small companies and brands are less likely to have independent environmental watch organizations conduct investigations on them, bigger companies and brands have to manage their green reputation carefully or else they could end up with a reputation crisis like Apple is currently finding itself in.

Last week, the powerful NGO Greenpeace published a report about the top internet companies and their green reputations. The 35 page report details how much energy data companies like Yahoo, Google and Apple use to create the massive internet cloud. According to Greenpeace, the internet is consuming nearly 2% of the worlds power. After looking at a number of influential companies, Yahoo was ranked the cleanest -- improving its reputation with eco-savvy surfers -- and Apple was ranked the dirtiest. For Apple, who has a reputation of being a progressive organization, this is a blow to its reputation and in order to curb the bad public relations that this report will produce, Apple should change its policies and find ways to save more energy. Additionally, the company should send out a press release acknowledging their lack of eco-consciousness and perhaps even launch a campaign to reduce their energy consumption.

Today, in an ever increasingly environmentally conscious consumer driven world, being green isn't just about being trendy. NGOs and other civil society organizations are keeping a close watch on private companies and using the net to share with the world whose really green and whose just green washing. Thus, it's important that you truly know your companies green record and find a effective way to share it with the world and keep your online reputation as clean as possible.

 

Social Media Necessary for Political Campaigns

Nearly four years ago now, President Obama launched his campaign for presidency to a packed stadium in Illinois. While this public appearance is crucial, it may have been just as important as the online appearance that it made on his website and across social networks. Now as presidential candidates gear up for the next election, social media is becoming an increasingly important component of political campaigns.

A great example of this new trend is how President Obama kicked off his re-election campaign -- via an online video. It shows how important social media has become for politicians and it is a tip of the hat to the public, which is most accessible online. Even though Obama is known for being technologically savvy -- the Democrats in general have been leading in online media since Howard Dean launched his campaign for presidency in 2000 -- it isn't only the Democrats who are turning to social media for political success. Former Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney announced his presidential bid in an online video as well.

 

This represents a change in voter activity as well. To become informed about political candidates, voters are looking online -- following their candidates Twitter feeds, facebook pages and the buzz written about them on blogs and online news sources. However, it is also increasingly important for candidates to manage their online reputations. If they aren't careful, they can end up in reputation management disasters like GOP candidate Carly Fiorina who released a YouTube video portraying an opponent a sheep. This caused an unnecessary fall out for her campaign and turned her campaign into a mudslinging contest and a reputation management disaster -- something most serious candidates don't want to be associated with. 

Donations are also increasingly coming from online. Instead of the fancy, expensive Washington dinners of the past, big money is being raised online. In 2000, John McCain raised $500,000 online in 24 hours, setting a new bar for online success. In 2008, Obama also used social media to raise large sums of money online -- couping the democratic nature of the internet with the importance of grassroots democracy. Obama also used SMS and text messaging to get his supporters to donate to his campaign and announced his VP nomination via SMS.

As we gear up for the 2012 campaign season, it will be increasingly important for candidates to not only use social media and other online sources for public relations, but also to raise money and engage their supporters in planning fundraising parties, knocking on doors and contributing to the campaign with their time. Over the past few years, it has become increasingly easy for supporters to sign up to volunteer online, an integral part of any political campaign, and in this coming election season we're sure to see more creative ways for people to contribute.

Making Your Online Business Boom

The whole rulebook of how to run a business has been thrown out the window. No longer is it possible to run the most effective business that you can without the help of online reputation management and marketing. In fact, some businesses go so far as to make the whole business online. Creating an online business may be even easier than trying to make a brick and mortar business for some people. This means that without the overhead, the individuals running an online business are going to be able to make more money. In order to achieve some of these goals for yourself, you need to make sure that you understand some of the basics of online marketing. 

The very first thing that you are going to want to think about is how you are going to be able to reach the largest audience possible. Not only are you looking to reach the largest audience, but you are also hoping to reach the audience that is going to be the most interested in what you are trying to sell them. This requires you to target your audience through many of the online tools that are now available.

The first place to start taking a look at a new marketing frontier is through the social media websites. The social media websites are some of the most popular on the web, and they are the ones that many people go to every day. This is a great place to do some marketing because of the fact that people are sharing information with one another every day. An online business can benefit from this because of the fact that they are sharing information about the business with those who are sharing information with their friends. It is a virtual word of mouth campaign that helps many businesses large and small to gain a larger audience for their products. 

Social media websites are just the first step of an effective online marketing campaign. Another option is to use mobile devices as a way of marketing. Through the increasing popularity of apps on different phones, companies can market themselves to users who don't even realize they are being marketed to. A company might consider making an app that can be used as a utility by customers. Some companies even create games for users to play that simply has their logo embedded into the game. The customer is just enjoying their game play without realizing that they are actually being marketed to as well.

When you start to apply some of these online principles to your marketing, you are going to find that the results translate well to the real world. Before long, you are going to find that you are able to bring in more money than you ever imagined possible. When this kind of activity is going on, then you are going to find that your business is able to grow and you are becoming more and more of a household name. That is the ultimate goal of all who get involved in business.

Improve Your Reputation with Social Media Sites

In recent years, social media has sent ripples through the online world. One of the most important aspects of social media news sites are that people can easily advertise their business and messages easily and effectively. Through social media news sites, individuals are able to connect easily with prospective clients and business enterprise partners. Some of the best social media sites include the following:

1. Facebook:

Facebook is unmatchable as the most fast developing social networking web site, where members discover new folks, schoolmates, encounter groups and fan pages and contribute their opinions and share their favorite things. Advertising through a facebook profile or fan page is easy and the more friends you have, the more people you'll be able to reach for free. In addition, if people like what you're sending out online, they'll be sure to "share" it with their friends and send the message to others.

2. Twitter:

Twitter is a micro-blogging social media site. Here you are able to add as many "followers" as you wish. Only follow them and a few of them will follow you back. Make your profile and place tweets concerning your website -- but only 140 characters per tweet: a brief note where you can add a short sentence and a link to get people immediately to your web site.

3. You Tube:

You Tube is the first video share-out web site in the virtual existence. In this big video share-out web site, you are able to contribute your videos with ease. A video is a big means to charm people towards your products or web site. Create a video and allow people recognize how you resolve a challenge or something similar to that. Still, utilize the links to your web site and as well employ the link on Facebook.

4. LookupPage:

LookupPage is the first social site created specifically to improve search engine results. While it focuses on business professionals and companies, it's a great way to add information about you or your business to the web and see your name at the top of Google, Bing and other highly important search engines. 

5. Digg:

In the virtual existence, Digg is the first rated social networking news sites where members contribute various kinds of news. The news program that generates a good enough ranking is probable to be visited by thousands of people.

These are the most powerful social media news sites, where you are able to advertise your website effectively, improve your online reputation and get more traffic to your website. In addition, since most people are on social networking sites, you'll be able to meet lots of like minded people and businesses who will share your work with others (if you're willing to do the same). So if you haven't already, join the social media revolution adn start benefiting from all of the targeted traffic.

Getting People to Like You

If you want to get your business and brand message out there, you've got to be on facebook -- by now that's clear. But how to get people to like your fan page and to sign up to get your messages in your news feed, well that can still be a challenge. At the same time, several businesses have found successful "like" campaign strategies.

The most recent "like" campaign that caught our eyes was Corona's New Facebook Campaign. In fact, to get people to "like" their fan page, they created an entire facebook application. After you "like" the Corona page, Corona's facebook application downloads giving fans the chance to upload their photograph to the application and see it appear in the advertisement that Corona will be running in New York City's Time's Square. This opportunity is exciting for many fans, who'd love to see their face in the Big Apple, and encourages them to "like" Corona's facebook page and sign up to recieve lots of advertising messages from the company.

Another way to get people to "like" your facebook fan page is to run a contest. For example, tell existing members that if they refer 20 people to your facebook fan page, they'll be in the running to win an iPad, kindle or some other exciting electornic. This get's people talking and sends them to their friends trying to spread the message about doing something as simple as inviting their friends to click a button -- what could be easier than that.

Lastly, it's easy to get people who you know already appreciate your business or brand to like your fan page, so make sure that you take stock of your existing email database, clients and other contacts and invite them to be fans of your facebook page. This is one of the best ways for you to spread the word about your business and to get more people to sign up to recieve your savvy facebook marketing messages, advertisements and more -- all of which greatly improve your online reputation.

Social Media at the Emmy Awards

As we've seen before, there is immense power to strengthen your brand and reputation by holding a virtual press conference. Now, entertainment is taking social media and virtual outreach to a new level by making the Emmy Awards social. As Mashable reported earlier this week, the 2010 Emmy Awards will be equipped with Twitter, UStream and yfrog to bring a virtual real-time experience to audiences world-wide. But what are the elements that can make this event a success?

1. Live Twitter Messages

The Host Jimmy Fallon is going to be receiving live tweets during the Emmys -- making him accessible to thousands of fans who want to ask questions or chime in about their opinions of the Emmy awards. Fallon may then use these tweets during his introductions and bring virtual commentary to the Emmy awards, making it more democratic than ever before. In addition, NBC will also be taking requests for red carpet inquires via Twitter and reaching out to celebs that virtual viewers want to hear from right on the red carpet.

2. Live Back Stage Cameras

Want to know what's going on backstage? NBC and CBS are going to have live cameras set up so that viewers will always know what's going on behind the scenes. This adds a unique element to the show, taking the stage behind stage and allowing for everyone to have a back stage pass to all the action. The network hosts hope that this will increase their ratings and encourage people to visit their websites, becoming more familiar with their brand and finding new ways to love the Emmys.

3. Real Time Red Carpet

In addition to having the ability to Tweet to the red carpet, fans and show hosts at the red carpet will have an online place where they can share their pictures and videos of all the stars decked out and glamorous on the red carpet. This will also provide a place where people can comment about their favorite stars dress and vote if what they are wearing is "hot" or "not" -- another way to bring democracy and participation to the Emmys that's never been seen before.

The goal of this new social media Emmy Award strategy is to engage fans in a new way. Today, many network televisions are finding that their views are down and that people are more likely to tune in online than on the television. This has led them to change their engagement strategy and to involve their fans in creating the Emmys. This type of strategy can also be used at events for your business or personal brand, meetings and conferences to give your customers and potential clients more ways to interact with you and participate virtually. Since so many businesses today are based online, it’s important that you find ways to reach your base and to give them an experience with your virtual reputation and brand no matter where they may be in the world.

How to Manage Your Reputation When Quitting Your Job

Recently, several people have decided to use the power of the Internet to quit their jobs and made attempts to cause reputation management crisis's for their former bosses. However, using the Internet to quit your job could have a much more devastating impact on the former employees themselves, who will have to endure the impact of their actions and the trail of news stories left by them online for years. Before you quit your job and share your distaste for your former boss online, you should consider the impact that it will not only have on your former employers, but on you. 

Speak to the Right People

Most everyone has been frustrated with their job at one time or another. And while most people will be able to understand your frustrations with your job, boss or co-workers -- these kind of feelings are normal and certainly can be grounds for leaving your job -- it’s important that you choose to vent these emotions to the right people. For example, taking aside one of your co-workers during lunch to tell them how terrible your boss is might not be the best idea -- especially if you have the same boss. 

This can often put your co-workers in an uncomfortable situation and not necessarily be the most effective way of dealing with you frustrations. In fact, it’s usually best to find someone who is outside of you work environment to discuss your problems with. Their outside opinion can be very helpful and it will allow you to say the kind of things that you need to get off your chest without being worried about how it will effect them in the workplace or their relationship with their boss.  

Don’t Vent Your Frustrations Online

Another pitfall that people fall into, is venting their frustrations online. Perhaps it’s just a facebook update or a Tweet but this kind of information can get back to employees and your boss quicker than you’d imagine. While you may feel the need to speak about your current employment situation, it’s probably best if you don’t do it online. When you publish something on the internet, even if it’s just 140 characters, the chances that it can get out and damage your reputation are very high. So usually, it’s better to keep your thoughts about your boss and co-workers off line and out of social networks.

Think About Your Future

One thing that's hard to keep in mind when you're frustrated with your current employment situation, is your future job. However, this can be one of the best ways to calm yourself down and to make sure that you don't cause any damage to your reputation. Think to yourself, would I want my future employer to know this about me? Would I want them to worry that I would cause a reputation problem for them as an employee or can I deal with this in a more mature way?