Free Website Content - Reputation Management
The Internet is a bit like the old wild west,
and sadly, people often post material about an individual,
product, company, or service that is inaccurate or simply
nasty. Businesses and individuals alike are struggling with
how to best deal with online inaccuracy and defamation.
The normal steps for dealing with defamation typically involve
litigation, but this is not always realistic for Internet-based
situations since the Internet is global, and not managed
or governed by any single set of laws.
If you have the good fortune of being located
in the same legal jurisdiction as the offending poster and
their website hosting company, you might be able
to successfully prosecute them; or at the very least, you
might be able to get the webpage with the offending material
taken down by the website host. Keep in mind that most defamation
court cases require that you show that actual harm was done
by the offending material, which can often be difficult.
Of course, even if you are able to remove
the initial post, cross your fingers that it was not part
of a syndicated blog using RSS feeds. If the posting was
syndicated, it will truly be an uphill battle to track down
and remove all copies.
But despite the fact that legal action is
rarely successful, do not despair -- there are still some
things that you can do!
1. Face It Head On
If you see a webpage or blog post that contains inaccurate
information, face it head on. Contact the poster, tell them
why the information is inaccurate, provide sources if appropriate,
and give them the opportunity to correct it. Keep your communication
professional, and stick to the factual inaccuracies; do
not get into a debate about opinions.
2. Do Not Argue; Offer a Solution
Instead If there is a problem that is highlighted in the
post, such as a situation where you or your company failed
to react in the appropriate manner, acknowledge the problem
and offer a solution. If the original post was part of a
blog, post a follow-up note after the problem is resolved
so that others will know that the situation was corrected
and resolved.
3. It is Okay to Apologize
There is nothing wrong with apologizing when a legitimate
mistake is made. In fact, consumers typically respect an
individual or company when they acknowledge their mistakes
and apologize for any short comings.
4. Remain Professional
Always stay professional. If the dialogue in a blog discussion
degrades into a mudslinging fest, you should remain calm,
take the high-road, and keep your comments and public statements
professional.
5. Control Search Results
Lets face it, when something negative appears in the search
engines as the result of your name, your company, or your
product being searched, it can be very disconcerting. One
solution is to create alternate search results, containing
positive information, which will appear higher in the search
results when those same keywords are searched. This sounds
difficult, but really it is not. Use the standard Search
Engine Optimization techniques, and watch the "positive"
material inch up in the search engine rankings, which in
turn forces those pages containing negative material to
lower (and often ignored) positions.
None of us enjoy having our name, our company,
or our product smeared and sullied online. Online libel
is difficult, if not impossible, to prosecute. Learn to
use the tools within your grasp to manage your reputation
and minimize the impact of any defamatory comments.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and
podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll
http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
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This article may be used freely in opt-in
publications and websites, provided that the resource box
is included and the links are active. A courtesy copy of
the issue or a link to any online posting would be greatly
appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
Additional articles available for publication available
at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm
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