Online reputation management is the active process of managing your reputation online. People are going to talk about you on social media sites, whether you participate in the conversation or not.
Staying proactive online can help you pick up on damaging or false mentions before they get out of hand. The internet is not going away. Protect your reputation – no one is going to do it for you. Below is an article I found on onlinerepmanagement.com with tips on how to handle your reputation online.
Surviving a natural disaster of any size may have taught you to purchase a backup generator or a case of bottled water for future outbreaks of Mother Nature’s wrath. But what can you learn from such disasters in terms of emergency preparedness for reputation management, social media or SEO disasters.
Social media has been a powerful force in recent disasters such as the Japanese earthquakes and tsunamis and Hurricane Irene’s pounding of the East Coast. How the city of Troy, New York, handled the hurricane can provide some valuable lessons for online management of disasters, according to Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media. The city’s mayor is an active user of social media and employed Facebook and Twitter to relay messages and respond to citizens’ concerns regarding the disaster.
Before disaster strikes, start by preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. Learn from others’ missteps and correct actions. And although you cannot plan for every possible scenario, be prepared for the worst – so anything short of that will feel like a cake walk. Part of the plan should involve establishing a network of consultants, agencies and teams that can be trusted to give facts and act in your best interest when a disaster hits.
Other key steps to your online disaster prep plan should include: the implementation of an early warning system in the form of a reputation management tools such as Radian 6, Trackur or Google Alerts; early mobilization at the first signs of trouble; frequent communication before, during and after troubling times; and swift and reasonable action when the time comes.
Just as a city cannot possibly prepare for every disaster both natural and manmade, your company cannot anticipate every potential online crisis that could come about. But just taking the time to consider the possibility of a digital disaster and how your company or you as an individual would respond will put you miles ahead of those who blindly act online without considering the future.
