More chief executives are perusing anonymous online reviews of their performance on websites like Glassdoor, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.
“A growing number of sites such as Indeed.com, Vault.com, Kununu and Fairygodboss let people post anonymous appraisals of their employers,” reports Vanessa Fuhrmans. “A poster can comment on everything from pay and benefits to workplace likes and dislikes. Glassdoor is one of the most extensive sources of online employee feedback, displaying reviews of more than 700,000 companies and whether reviewers approve or disapprove of their CEOs.” One CEO she cites “has responded to some 70 reviews on Glassdoor and has a 95% CEO approval score on the site.”
Potential investors take a close look at how employees rate their workplaces, she warns. Often, they decide not to make acquisitions because of what they find. But tread carefully if you are an employer considering asking employees to post favorable reviews. They may inform Glassdoor about your request. A better solution may be to sign up to receive alerts when your company is reviewed there…and consider it important intelligence about how to improve your company culture.
London-based risk management provider AON recently released its Global Risk Management Survey. Damage to reputation/brand remained the top ranked risk by businesses. While defective products, fraudulent business practices and corruption continue to be key threats to reputation, social media has greatly amplified their impact, making companies more vulnerable. Additionally, risks that are traditionally uninsurable are becoming more volatile and difficult to prepare for and mitigate.
“We are living in a challenging new reality for companies of all sizes around the world. There are many emerging influences that are creating opportunity, but at the same time, creating risks that need to be managed,” said Rory Moloney, chief executive officer for Aon Global Risk Consulting. “As the risk landscape for commerce evolves, businesses can no longer rely solely on traditional risk mitigation or risk transfer tactics. They must take a cross-functional approach to risk management and explore different ways to cope with these new complexities.”
Huffington Post has published an interview with Reputation Communications CEO Shannon Wilkinson about personal branding online. These are highlights from Stacey Cohen’s article:
“Personal brands are complex, shaped by our skills, our interests and the content we create, from our tweets to our blog posts.
But at the foundation of any personal brand is a singular – and paramount – trait: our reputations.
Without a positive reputation, no personal brand can flourish. If you’re not viewed as a dependable and trustworthy professional, your skillset, interests and output – no matter how impressive – won’t matter much.
And in today’s digital world, where photos, social media profiles and news stories are immortal, upholding a sterling reputation is more important than ever. One hiccup, whether an awkward photograph, or unforgiving article, can haunt a professional for years.
Few people know the nuances and importance of modern reputation care better than Shannon Wilkinson, a leading expert on online reputation management, or ORM. Wilkinson’s NYC-based firm Reputation Communications serves a suite of international clients and offers services ranging from reputation-building and reputation research to reputation repair. Wilkinson is a familiar byline in the Wall Street Journal’s “Crisis of the Week” column,” a seasoned speaker and regular blogger at her website, You(Online).
I recently caught up with Wilkinson about ORM and polishing and protecting reputations in the age of the Internet.
Wilkinson paints a vivid picture of just how important ORM is in today’s world and shares guidance on how to best navigate this new realm.
First, assess what’s already out there – and resist the belief that you can be invisible online. “The digital age ensures that each of us have an online reputation, whether we want one or not,” Wilkinson explains. If we throw up our hands and surrender, our reputations will be determined by “bots that scrape, index and republish the publicly available information about you,” Wilkinson warns.
Next up: Start creating content that accurately represents, and enhances, your reputation. “Counter-balance third-party content and replace it with new, positive and authentic material,” Wilkinson says. “This is a key ORM strategy.” Ensure the items you do have control over – your LinkedIn profile, your company bio, your blog and your Twitter – carry the right messaging.
There’s lots more to ORM than just this, and mercifully Wilkinson is quick to share her agency’s most popular blog post, “The Essentials: Online Reputation Management FAQs.” It’s a useful inventory of strategies and tactics you can use to start burnishing your online reputation today. If you have a presence online (and remember, everybody does), it’s worth the read.”
Privacy protection is the central concern of online reputation management for many high net worth individuals and their families. Without careful planning, they can find themselves in the glare of an unwanted spotlight. This often results from a news or social column about them. Because of their prominence, any new information about them will show up on a page ranked highly by Google. If they haven’t built an online presence and taken ownership of their name on the Internet—perhaps out of a desire to maintain a low public profile—this page will almost certainly dominate their search results.
This can lead to much more than simple embarrassment. If you live in dangerous countries or have a history of threats, it can be a serious issue of physical safety. Digital defense must be part of your security plan. By building a strong body of online content, and ensuring you own the top results from searches of your name on Google and other search engines, you can establish control over your image and your privacy. We specialize in developing such protective defenses for high net worth clients.
For more information on our approach to digital security, please read this interview with our CEO.
Congress has sent proposed legislation to President Trump that wipes away landmark online privacy protections. According to The Washington Post, that means removing limits from what companies like AT&T, Verizon and others can do with information like your Internet browsing habits, app usage history, location data and Social Security number. It will also reduce rules requiring providers to strengthen safeguards for your data against hackers and thieves.
Not only will Internet providers be able to monitor your behavior online: without your permission, they will be able to use your personal and financial information to sell highly targeted ads. The providers could also sell your information directly to marketers, financial firms and other companies that mine personal data — all of whom could use the data without your consent. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission, which initially drafted the protections, will be forbidden from issuing similar rules in the future.
If this alarms you as much as it does us, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has extensive resources available to help you reclaim your privacy. First and foremost is Surveillance Self-Defense: Tips, Tools and How-to’s for Safer Online Communications. Browse the section for authoritative information on securely removing deleted information from your computer, the most secure email systems, and the basics of encryption as well as an overview of encryption tools.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. You may not support their stance on all Internet-related issues, but they are an excellent resource if you are concerned with the security of your data. Their site merits revisiting whenever you want to assume more control over your online privacy and security…or just want more insight into what your options are.
This post was originally published on August 3, 2015.
Aside from the candidates themselves, no one faces greater attacks on their credibility, morality and beliefs than a billionaire with the goal of influencing an American presidential election. And no smear campaigns are as devious, effective and below the belt as those in politics – regardless of which side you favor.
So alongside thousands of other reputation industry experts, public relations professionals and image-fixers, we were engrossed by “Koch Brothers Brave Spotlight to Try to Alter Their Image.”The New York Times article provides a rare inside look at how such political powerhouses manage their reputations.
Reputation-Building on a Global Scale
Preparing for maximum resistance is a critical factor in winning both public sentiment and political support. By creating a new reputation portfolio consisting of everything from new photographs and television commercials to a groundswell of philanthropic organizations and sponsorships, the Kochs are positioning themselves to win the largest number of supporters possible. They have timed the rollout of their campaign to span several months, taking us right up to the 2016 election.
This is reputation-building on a global scale—the stakes involve deciding the next leader of the free world. It is an excellent look at what can be accomplished with a massive cross-media campaign, and how it is done.
Wikipedia is often a source of puzzlement to people who wonder why others have entries on it…and they don’t. The key to contributing to Wikipedia is to understand Wikipedia’s rules — and follow them. Most important is determining if a potential Wikipedia subject meets Wikipedia’s criteria for notability. If it doesn’t the result is that Wikipedia editors will remove it, often within minutes.
These tips will help you determine if you are an appropriate subject for a Wikipedia entry.
How to Publish a Wikipedia Entry
Having an entry for yourself or your business on Wikipedia is an invaluable online reputation management tool. As one of the most highly ranked Internet sites, Wikipedia entries are usually the first to appear in a Google search.
However, doing so requires navigating a strict set of rules and principles. Here is what you need to know.
Wikipedia requires that entries be about notable subjects and defines notability as:
“…the property of being worthy of notice, having fame, or being considered to be of a high degree of interest, significance, or distinction. It also refers to the capacity to be such.”
To prove notability, entries must cite authoritative sources.
Examples of authoritative sources include books, academic papers, reports published by credible organizations and articles from news organizations. Self-published books and promotional materials are not considered credible.
If the notability of the subject you are considering for Wikipedia cannot be supported by citations, Wikipedia editors will remove the new entry, often within minutes of its posting.
Anyone can edit, write or remove information on Wikipedia.
Many people are intimidated by the thought of having a Wikipedia entry about them because they fear damaging commentary will be added. But Wikipedia has a rule against featuring contentious material about living people – and this rule is actively supported. Wikipedia’s editors will quickly remove negative commentary unless it is accompanied by solid factual support.
Your entry must adhere to Wikipedia’s core principals.
Wikipedia requires editors maintain a neutral point of view, in addition to providing sources for all statements. Wikipedia will reject material that is written in a promotional style.
Follow these rules and success in publishing on Wikipedia is yours.
“Revenge porn” isn’t a pleasant subject. But it is pervasive on the Internet, and wreaks havoc, fear and shame for victims. (So is harassment, blackmail and extortion, all related crimes.) If you face such a crisis, The New Yorker’s article about Carrie Goldberg, a New York City attorney specializing in sexual privacy, will help you to understand how to navigate it.
Here are key takeaways relating to the legal aspects of fighting such an invasion:
Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have adopted nonconsensual-porn laws.
Using copyright law to combat revenge porn is a commonly used tactic, because copyright is one of the only restrictions that the Internet respects.
Since images proliferate swiftly online, takedown notices have to be filed with each site separately — and as quickly as victims can once they learn of their existence.
A criminal case can be filed against some perpetrators, charging them with invasion of privacy in the third degree.
Extensive information for victims, with action steps they can take, are available at the resources section of Carrie Goldberg’s website.
