All posts by Reputation Communications Staff

About Reputation Communications Staff

Reputation Communications Staff

Reputation Communications' staff of writers, editors and researchers contribute to You(Online): The Magazine.

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Authenticity is the new buzz word.

It’s everywhere you look. Chris Brogan, co-author of the New York Times bestselling book “Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation and Earn Trust“, thinks some attempts at authenticity are heavy-handed (inauthentic?). Instead, he suggests people aim to be helpful.

“Present your most helpful side to the people who need it and do so with as much genuine interest in other people’s success as you can possibly muster,” he advises. “Be clear and disclose [biases that influence your opinion].” That can apply to businesses, too.

In our online reputation management glossary, we define authenticity as “the quality of being genuine; a valued quality among bloggers and the larger online community.”

Trustworthiness is another definition of authenticity. That is something we all would welcome more of now, wouldn’t you say?

 
 
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Right to be Forgotten on Google

Last week, New York Times writer Thomas L. Friedman published an Op-Ed piece titled, “The Start-Up of You.” It was inspired by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Garrett Hoffman’s upcoming book on career strategies, coming out in early 2012.

Hoffman’s advice for attaining career success is to think entrepreneurially: add value to and differentiate yourself. Friedman wove that theme within the context of current economic and employment upheaval.

Here is some additional advice: to be credible and make an impact on the issues that matter to you, manage your reputation. That doesn’t mean pretending to be someone you aren’t or whitewashing your background. It simply means telling your story in online and social platforms that reach the audience you care about.

Establishing and maintaining a strong online reputation – one you have some control over – is an invaluable tool for building trust in your social and professional life. If it is authentic, the resulting credibility will help “You, Inc.” form the relationships to empower change in your life – and in the world.

 
 
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Internet law

Recently, a group of online reputation management experts were comparing solutions for moving negative blog posts off the first page of search results.

Asking bloggers to remove the post is one option that has worked in some cases. (The requests were courteous and/or referenced factual errors in the posts.) In other situations a cease and desist letter from an attorney worked. In those cases the posts were not consumer complaints or negative reviews, but posts considered libel or slanderous.

Cease and desist letters are not an approach for everyone, but they are appropriate for some situations. An attorney should be consulted if it is an option you are considering.

Keep in mind that increasing numbers of sites are also posting more stringent user rules. In cases where commenters are breaking them, they can be barred from using the site and their content is removed by site administrators. Resolving some issues may be as simple as an email to the site administrator.