All posts by Shannon M. Wilkinson

About Shannon M. Wilkinson

Shannon Wilkinson is the founder and CEO of Reputation Communications.

General, , , , ,
ultra high net worth reputation management

CanadianFamilyOffices.com, a thought leader in topics of interest to ultra-high-net-worth Canadians, quotes me in their new article, Family reputation is everything: How to keep yours intact.

It is a timely piece, as the number of ultra-net worth families has risen everywhere. These are highlights of the piece, written by Kira Vermond.

Another way to be proactive? Protect the family name. Literally.

Shannon Wilkinson, founder and CEO of Reputation Communications, an online reputation management firm in New York, has worked with wealthy families for more than a decade. She says some families give their newborn babies more than silver rattles – they register their usernames online, or open their Twitter handles so they can’t be hijacked and misused years later.

Yet even if a family wants to remain out of the limelight, complete silence online is not an option.

Without a LinkedIn page, or a family office website, “you have no digital defense,” she says. In other words, if a family finds itself feeling the heat over, say, a former employee’s tell-all interview, those articles will be the first links readers find when they search. And those links won’t drop to the second page – and essentially out of sight – unless something else takes their place. That can take months or even longer.

The best line of attack is, again, to anticipate problems and create a wall of neutral online information. Hire an online reputation management firm to create a website that lists philanthropic interests. Or have articles written and placed in publications about family causes.

…Finally, perform thorough background checks on any employee who will be in contact with the family. That goes double for new love interests, says Wilkinson. Their background could come back to bite the family.

“If you’re dating someone who has a history of making lewd or racist or inappropriate comments on social media, your relationship with them is kind of an endorsement. It can really impact your reputation,” she says.

 
 
General, Internet Legal Issues, , , ,
Online reputation management, about

If you spent years branding your name without filing for a trademark, you can still protect your brand with a federal injunction under the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (“ACPA”), according to New York attorney Susan Chana Lask.

She filed a federal complaint using the Anti-Cybersquatting law and won a permanent injunction to protect her brand after someone hijacked her name and registered it to a dot com using an anonymous domain registrar called NameCheap. They also parked the domain with her name on a pay for click page and had her name up for auction.

“The injunction I obtained established that my name is my common law trademark and directed NameCheap to transfer to me the domain they registered using my name. It also prohibits anyone from infringing on my name again,” she said. Ms. Lask has written a helpful, detailed blog post with what you need to know to do the same.

Read it at: Protect Your Online Brand With An Anti-Cybersquatting Federal Injunction, Without Registering a Trademark.

 
 
Google, , , , , ,
How to Avoid High-Risk Hires with Background Checks

The EU’s 2006 passage of the “Right to Be Forgotten” law gives European citizens the ability to force Google and other search engines to remove links to old or irrelevant information.

The passage of that law increases the contrast between legislation regarding online publishing in Europe and the United States. In the U.S. there are still very few legal boundaries constraining the publication and distribution of online content. Authors are free to post most any material anonymously. If anyone finds that material to be damaging, they have little leverage to demand a retraction and no clear target for prosecution. Discussion about new legislation has revolved around freedom of speech issues, issues that have strong advocates.

Understanding the implications of the main U.S. law governing the Internet — Section 230 of The Communications Decency Act – is helpful in knowing how to best protect the privacy, security and reputations of U.S. citizens. That law frees website owners from legal responsibility for what others post on their sites.

There is much discussion in the U.S. about updating Section 230, most recently in The New York Times’ article, What’s Behind the Fight Over Section 230. As reporter Shira Ovide observes:

“…The 26-word law allows websites to make rules about what people can or can’t post without being held legally responsible (for the most part) for the content.

If I accuse you of murder on Facebook, you might be able to sue me, but you can’t sue Facebook. If you buy a defective toy from a merchant on Amazon, you might be able to take the seller to court, but not Amazon. (There is some legal debate about this, but you get the gist.)

The law created the conditions for Facebook, Yelp and Airbnb to give people a voice without being sued out of existence. But now Republicans and Democrats are asking whether the law gives tech companies either too much power or too little responsibility for what happens under their watch.”

The answer is, yes.

 
 
Online reputation management
Reputation Reboot

You hear a lot about thought leadership and content creation these days.

What you don’t hear about is how much they have surpassed traditional public relations as a strategy to:

  • Amplify your brand.
  • Build your credibility.
  • Organically attract clients, investors, partners, and influential speaking opportunities.
  • Interest the media in interviewing you.
  • Establish, reboot or improve your reputation.

In this digital age, establishing yourself as a thought leader entails creating unique, quality online content—like articles, blogs, podcasts or videos—showcasing your expertise, point of view, or commentary. The more intelligent, in-depth and helpful it is, the higher the ranking it will receive online.

When people Google you or the topic you write about, they will find it. That is why content creation is one of the most important reputation management tactics you can take.

When you have a series of top-ranked entries on Google, they counterbalance—or even replace—any third-party content about you that doesn’t contribute to your brand capital.

Once your thought leadership content is published, it can be promoted in dozens of ways. Done monthly or quarterly, you can build a substantial, profitable collection of online information that is not only profitable, but also contributes to your reputation capital.

Don’t have time to create content? Outsource it. We’re here to help. We can amplify it, too. What do you want the world to know about you online? Your thought leadership and content creation will tell the story you want the world to know. Manage the conversation, or else you may not have a voice in it.

 
 
Crisis Management, Online reputation management, ,
Reputation Communications

Here is a common question for online reputation management firms:

“What if all the negative online information about people and companies is true?” If you are one of those people or companies, there are a few ways to address it. The first and most common is to  implement a content strategy that puts positive, authentic information online to replace the bad. When the situation is too difficult or high-ranking on Google to be improved that way, there is another option. It is one often used in crisis management.

Acknowledge the truth. Share how you are taking steps to address the issue, or have addressed it. If you are a successful CEO but spent part of your high school years overcoming a substance abuse problem, don’t wait for commentary about it to surface online. Approach an online publication and offer to write a piece for them about how you turned things around – and how others can, too. Look for an agent to get you a book deal. Donate the proceeds to an appropriate charity.

If it is a company issue, present the facts. Admit the problem. Share what you plan to do to fix it. And follow up with examples of how you are doing that. Invite your customers’ input by setting up an online platform where they can contribute ideas, commentary and feedback. For public companies, this will mean convincing your legal team that the concept has merit.

 
 
General, Social Media, , , , , ,
Mindful Messaging Matters

As we’ve seen during the recent U.S. election and the COVID-19 crisis, it’s important to carefully consider any statements you make regarding hot-button issues. Recent history shows a wide variety of public figures have learned this lesson the hard way. Saints quarterback Drew Brees and FSU football coach Mike Norvell attracted blowback from statements they made after George Floyd’s death. Social media influencers such as @traderjoeslist creator Natasha Fischer and YouTube sensation Tana Mongeau also faced backlash for their responses to the crisis. With CNN’s Don Lemon and others calling out celebrities for being too cautious and declining to weigh in, public figures, brands and business leaders alike are realizing that sometimes silence is no longer an option.

To assure you are communicating in a meaningful and effective way, we recommend practicing good social listening and being mindful of the long-tail effect your words could have. As always, authenticity is key—and the best way to achieve that is through honesty and clarity. Avoid vague platitudes and superficial lip service. For an example of carefully considered messaging that still displays unmistakable integrity, read former Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ statement calling for unity, mutual respect and a renewed common purpose during a challenging time in U.S. history. It is evergreen.

 
 
Google, Online reputation management, ,
reputation management tip

Last year, The Wall Street Journal published a riveting exposé about the online reputation tactics used by one agency for high-visible VIPs, from Washington appointees to hedge fund billionaires. 

If you are a high net worth or high visibility leader considering such services, it is an insightful read about the strategies used by many — but not all — agencies in this industry.

“Google removed five websites from Google News after The Wall Street Journal inquired about them. Google, owned by parent company Alphabet Inc., said the sites violated its policies around deceptive practices,” reported Rachael Levy.

That is just one take-away from the article. It is below the Journal’s paywall but well worth the price of a subscription to read.

More recently – in May – a second investigative piece, Google Hides News, Tricked by Fake Claims, came out in the Journal. As a result of the reporters’ in-depth analysis, Google replaced thousands of links to articles, legal notices and other content it had removed as a result of bogus copyright claims and manipulated removal requests.

Our takeaway: there are many false promises, claims and guarantees made in this less-than-transparent industry. As these articles show, it is best not to believe them all. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Related reading: Reputation Reboot: What Every Business Leader, Rising Star & VIP Needs to Know

 
 
Online reputation management, , , , ,
Boston Private reputation management

Edward Marshall, Managing Director at wealth management, trust, and private banking company Boston Private, recently interviewed me to discuss their new White Paper, Surveying the Risk and Threat Landscape to Family Offices.

In the podcast we discuss networks, risk management, partnering with the right vendors, and reputation management trends and concerns. I am pleased to share it with you here: Family Office Connections: Managing Your Online Reputation.

A family office is a privately held company that handles investment management and wealth management for a wealthy family, generally one with over $100 million in investable assets, with the goal being to effectively grow and transfer wealth across generations.

While my insights re serving high net wealth clients are highlighted in the podcast, so are online reputation management tips everyone can benefit from. I hope you will find it a helpful resource.