We are all increasingly hearing about hot button issues such as fake news controversies, the “digital divide” and the range of narratives influencing public opinion on the internet.
In the United States, those issues are affected by the laws governing free speech and Internet content. At Reputation Communications, we are committed to educating the greater public about the laws, opportunities and nuances inherent in Internet perception-shaping and publishing.
Here at You(Online), we publish the most extensive resources specific to those topics.
Recent highlights include the following articles, which examine the “Right to be Forgotten,” Internet laws and one way President Trump protected his brand–something every public figure and many CEOs should do.
Dan Shefet: Creator of the Internet’s OmbudsmanHe made worldwide headlines in 2014 when he forced Google to remove links to defamatory information about him. He has since established the Association for Accountability and Internet Democracy (AAID).
As a trusted source of information on these topics, our blog has attracted a worldwide readership and been cited in leading media platforms. Please share our content with your friends and colleagues who care about these issues…and follow us on Twitter @reputationnews.com.
CNN broke a story yesterday showing a rare inside look at the steps public figures take to protect their reputations from defamation on the Internet. Since 1997, according to the network, President Trump’s team has purchased 3,643 website domain names with variations of the word “Trump.”
That is a classic online reputation management strategy to protect one’s name from the attacks and extortion attempts that come with being a public figure. Celebrities and high-net wealth individuals have been snapping up website domains utilizing their names for years. They cost $12 each at Google Domains, which is half the cost charged by other providers. If you do buy one (or thousands), select the private registration option. That will shield your identity from the public and make it harder for CNN to find your stash should you become President. And certainly, anyone planning a role in politics should follow President Trump’s playbook before they take a single step toward launching a campaign.
In 2014, we wrote about a cybersquatting lawsuit Donald Trump won against a man who developed four parody websites using his name. The sites published anonymous “commentary, often disparaging, on Trump and his television shows,” according to CNN.
Such practices have proliferated on the Internet for years,” we wrote. “Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms are also used for cybersquatting. Celebrities and other public figures are a common focus of such sites. So are CEOs and other high-profile executives.
“Many “domainers,” as the instigators are known, purchase unsecured domain names with the intent of charging high fees to sell them back to their victims. Creating parody sites can be a ploy to force them to do so faster. Victims often feel they have little recourse over the situation or don’t want to take legal action that would attract publicity.
“Trump’s attorneys used the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act as the basis of their suit, which was filed in March 2013. (The sites were created in 2007.) The law permits damages of up to $100,000 for each unauthorized domain. In this instance, the court ruled that the domainer must pay $32,000 in damages.”
College-educated professionals between the ages of 40 and 60 have long formed a significant part of our clientele. They include attorneys, C-Suite and mid-level executives, law enforcement and medical professionals, financial services experts, MBA candidates, and established artists and authors.
They are computer conversant, but are not digital natives. Often they lack an intuitive understanding of how to use the web for self-promotion. In fact, they are the demographic least likely to be using the Internet to their advantage. We help them to craft an online presence that supports their professional goals. That includes replacing outdated content currently coming up high in their Google results.
Creatives
Artists and authors need to promote their work in a comprehensive way: with up-to-date websites and strategic social media messaging. They also need to connect with and engage with the audience that most matters to them, including decision-makers in their industries. We help them increase their visibility across all fronts.
Critical-Stage Career Builders
Mid-level employees need a web presence that reflects their career accomplishments, technical skills, and a personal appearance appealing to young recruiters and hiring managers. In an increasingly turbulent economy, this sector is at high risk for unemployment and can find it harder to move from job to job due to their higher income and seniority.
We help this demographic how to best showcase their strengths and be competitive, appealing prospects for promotions and recruitment.
Mid-level managers and job-seekers who are 50 or older:
As The Wall Street Journal reported in November 2016, the 55-and-older crowd is now the only age group with a rising labor-force participation rate. Still, millions of professionals over the age of 50 are unemployed. Age discrimination also remains a problem for many older job seekers.
We offer these professionals a detailed road map to creating an online profile that best promotes their value to employers, clients and shareholders.
All online reputation management uses reactive technical actions including search engine optimization, social media management and other strategies. But these are just one component of building a desirable online reputation.
Reputation Communications provides a customized approach to online reputation management that begins with claiming ownership of your online brand. While we utilize the essential technical repair tactics, our focus is on proactive reputation building and smart reputation management that utilizes effective public relations tactics in the digital age.
Over 3 billion people worldwide now use the Internet. The world is truly a stage and you’re on it. How big or small is your role online? And what information can the world find out about you?
Your online reputation doesn’t just “happen” to you. At least, it doesn’t have to.
An outpouring of reactions to the news of Brangelina’s divorce has flooded the digital space. But it was Allie Jones’ cool assessment of Angelina Jolie’s well-planned public relations offensive — published in New York Magazine — that caught our attention.
Celebrity messaging has tremendous power to affect reputations. But Brad Pitt, Ms. Jolie’s husband and the focus of her messaging, has maintained an elegant silence in the face of this attack. That strategy takes restraint, but is often the winning card in a digital firestorm. And in the face of a reputational crisis, taking the high road can speak louder than words.
The Washington Post has published “The Fall of Roger Ailes,” an article that references 25 women who claim the former Fox News CEO harassed them. Their details support Gretchen Carlson’s sexual discrimination lawsuit against him. This situation won’t hurt Fox’s ratings. If anything, it will increase them.
It could hurt the Murdoch family, though. As more proof emerges that Roger Ailes led a culture rich in sexual harassment, the Murdochs will face a growing quagmire. Job discrimination is often linked to harassment. Federal laws govern such discrimination. The Ailes’ lawsuit has opened a Pandora’s box to a company culture that will be revealed in coming weeks. Details will spill online and off regarding not just Fox’s former CEO, but the many executives and news hosts who supported his behavior.
Rupert Murdoch is impervious to such associations. But his sons James and Lachlan, who now run his media empire with him, may not want to be affiliated with such a culture. With Fox their most profitable asset, how they navigate this crisis will be telling.
We often write about reputational threats to CEOs. As a contributor to The Wall Street Journal‘s “Crisis of the Week” column, I follow situations like this as they unfold, wondering how they were allowed to reach such a crisis point. In months to come, Gretchen Carlson’s lawsuit could look small compared to the potential damage Fox News itself may face.
If you are a CEO, there are several ways you can ensure you do not find yourself in this type of position. Don’t stumble in the diversity arena. Stay aware of the key issues concerning women, especially those regarding employment opportunities, the lack of women on boards and the glass ceiling that continues to face many. Tuning in to these and related concerns will help you avoid becoming the focus of the next wave of hashtag protests (and nightly newscasts). It will also help ensure you avoid the type of reputation crisis that can impact your brand as well as your company’s stock valuation.
Here are additional tips to avoid other common workplace missteps:
1. Don’t be an out of touch CEO. CEOs attract blowback online when their actions or public comments make them appear out of touch with the majority of their customers and their community.
2. Beware of backtracking boards. Before making a big decision that will be evaluated by the greater public, boards of directors shouldseek outside opinion regarding how their decision will be viewed by the world at large. That includes the part that forms their consumer base. Too many boards continue to green-light decisions from which they have to publicly backtrack after consumers launch protests. Doubtful? Check out change.org and scan the numerous public petitions targeting public companies and various other organizations. These often go viral and end up on national news.
3. Monitor mean managers. And don’t be a jerk at work. Otherwise, you can become the subject of a discrimination suit like this one. So can your managers.
4. Encrypt your emails. Or just don’t say it in an email.
Like many of you, we are transfixed by Donald Trump’s ascendance to the top of the Republican Party. His boldness has dominated the GOP Presidential campaign. His Twitter stream keeps him at the top of the news. His message resonates with millions. Watching the GOP grapple with this startling situation provides an insightful lesson in messaging.
Consistent messaging is an essential part of reputation management. That means presenting a unified brand—and a clear and distinct identity–all the time, across every platform. Once that unified brand is established, it can be amplified. That ensures your audience will encounter your brand in mainstream media outlets, at the top of Internet searches and on social media.
Like political campaigns, successful reputation management programs share three factors in common:
The campaign begins by identifying the image you want to project.
That image is authentic. (Otherwise, your audience won’t find it credible.)
That image is expressed through a clear message that is transmitted across all the platforms where it will reach the audience that matters most to you.
Donald Trump’s message is clear. But the Republican Party’s is less so. Division within its ranks has led to an identity crisis that helped fuel Trump’s rise. (Even the Koch Brothers, the Party’s most important supporters, have been utilizing a PR campaign to reboot their image.) It will be fascinating to watch how the Republican Party resolves this issue after the GOP Presidential candidate is officially announced this week.
Visual content has tremendous power to shape public perception. It is an essential aspect of crisis and reputation management. All it takes is one perceived controversial incident captured on video to ignite a viral response that can make a public company’s stock valuation plummet…and send a CEO out the door.
Optics are an increasingly serious issue for law enforcement professionals, whose actions are monitored, shared and amplified on digital media. One result is the risk of partial truth storytelling and reputation issues for law enforcement as a collective group. That impacts the social contract between police and the communities they serve.
Expert Solutions from the Private Sector
The Hetty Group has launched the Coptics Program to help police departments integrate digital marketing, reputation management and social media engagement into their proactive communications and community relations programs. Workshop participants learn how to be more effective in connecting and communicating with a digital media savvy public. They also benefit from the consulting, communications and social media training offered by the program.
Developed by Four Experts
Coptics was developed by four experts: Florence Chung, CEO, Hetty Group, a purpose-driven consultancy advancing community impact; Matthew Horace, a commentator on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and FOX and 28-year veteran of local, state and federal law enforcement; Bill Carmody, contributor to Inc. Magazine and CEO of Trepoint, creator of digital campaigns and strategies for Fortune 500 companies; and I, CEO of reputation management firm Reputation Communications and frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal’s “Crisis of the Week” column.
Our program is the only one like it. We are dedicated to advancing the brands, reputations and digital presence of police agencies everywhere. If you work in law enforcement or are a supporter of law enforcement and would like to learn more, please contact The Hetty Group.
Entertainment superstars Johnny Depp and Taylor Swift have been making more headlines than usual. Johnny Depp is going through an acrimonious divorce. Taylor Swift recently ended her relationship with DJ Calvin Harris. Amid a sea of headlines, both are managing their messaging well.
When the news of his divorce broke, Johnny Depp issued one statement:
Given the brevity of this marriage and the most recent and tragic loss of his mother, Johnny will not respond to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life. Hopefully the dissolution of this short marriage will be resolved quickly.”
As social media ignited with speculation about Taylor Swift’s breakup, Calvin Harris tweeted this statement:
The only truth here is that a relationship came to an end & what remains is a huge amount of love and respect.”
Taylor Swift retweeted it. And that was that.
When celebrities face a crisis or escalated public interest in their lives, they are on the public stage. Anyone can play a role, whether by defending the celebrity or by escalating the crisis. Celebrities can’t control the conversation. But as Johnny Depp and Taylor Swift’s statements show, they can impact it.
The challenge to a successful career as a celebrity has long been attracting publicity while avoiding overexposure. Striking that balance has always required a nuanced strategy. In the old Hollywood studio system, every aspect of a star’s image was carefully orchestrated, including occasionally avoiding overexposure by pulling him or her out of the limelight for weeks, months, or even years. That is next to impossible now.
Constant online access
The Internet has presented many new opportunities, and challenges, for celebrities. It provides them with far more control over their messaging: they can publish statements and reach the public on their terms using their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter platforms. Beyonce has had tremendous success using that strategy. So has Rihanna. But with the opportunity for constant engagement it’s important to know where to draw the line. Not even the most popular star can maintain the public’s attention indefinitely.
Singers and other performers have more leeway in this area than movie or television stars, as new music, concerts, tours and other developments give them more relevant information to share with their audiences. Justin Bieber, for example, has built his career by sharing his music and life through social media. But he has also established more boundaries over how available he wants to be there.
Choosing the smart approach
When deciding to dial up or dial down your outreach, strategic monitoring of social media and mainstream discourse can provide data that, when analyzed, serves as a valuable management tool. During prolific periods of their careers, social media is an incredibly effective way for celebrities to harness and maintain their audience’s support. Between those peak exposure periods, celebrities can use them as less direct or invasive channels of communication. Philanthropy initiatives can also give stars new content to talk about and share online.
If you are a public figure aiming for longevity in your career and want to minimize the inevitable bumps along the way, following the messaging approach of stars like Beyonce, Johnny Depp and Taylor Swift will help you to succeed. Equally important is developing the right social media strategy. That includes deciding in part how much usage is too much, and which platforms work best at different times. And then, knowing when to step back.
About You(Online)
Reputation Communications publishes You(Online) to help educate CEOs, C-Suite executives, rising stars and high net worth individuals about online reputation management.
Reputation Reboot addresses real-life online reputation management (ORM) challenges faced by CEOs, executives, VIPs and their organizations. Unless they are public figures, their names and related descriptions of all individuals and companies discussed are changed to protect their privacy. For a quick look at the types of situations facing many professionals, scroll down and check out the headlines.
Online reputation management enables you to take more ownership over what appears about you on the Internet.
Without it, the world controls how you look online.
Here are ten examples of the ways online reputation management is used by individuals, companies and organizations.
To ensure up-to-date and accurate information dominates search results for an organization or individual’s name.
To ensure that factual, credible reference material is readily available online.
That reduces the chance that fraudulent information will impact a brand.
To remove unwanted or inappropriate information, photographs or other content from the first few pages of Google search results.
To monitor social media and online forums for red flags signaling potential on- and offline threats against high-profile individuals and their organizations.
To create a strong online presence about a topic.
That presence acts as a barrier against potential distortions from third-party content, including anonymous and defamatory material. Without it, such items can go straight to the top of searches – and stay.
To ensure that your story is told by you and not by former partners or other potentially biased parties.
To establish a reputation within your area of expertise on multiple online platforms.
To create an online legacy for a VIP who is preparing for retirement or to exit an organization.
