All posts by Shannon M. Wilkinson

About Shannon M. Wilkinson

Shannon Wilkinson is the founder and CEO of Reputation Communications.

Crisis Management, , , , , , ,
CEOs and Online Reputation Risks

At times like these, some of our thoughts turn to divorce. Divorce filings spike in times of duress.

The bigger the financial stakes, the deeper the reputational pitfalls before, during and after a divorce.

This is not a pleasant topic. But here is what you need to prepare for if you are a high-end reader and anticipate you may be one of those January statistics:

Media leaks favoring your partner

We have seen strategic media campaigns initiated by a spouse once s/he realizes a divorce filing is imminent. These include society profiles intended to elicit favorable public opinion and generate high visibility. This ensures their partner knows they now face a more formidable opponent.

False accusations via stealth blogging

Accusations of child, financial or substance abuse are just some of the insinuations that spouses can — and do — make anonymously on blogs and other platforms. The goal? Plant seeds of doubt among colleagues, friends and acquaintances before a divorce heads to court. Extortion to receive guarantees of financial awards or child custody before a hearing is often the reason.

Boasting or retaliatory claims via social media

Depending on the prominence of the couple involved, once a partnership ends, it’s the person “left behind” who might choose to air dirty laundry online. The one who feels scorned might share intimate details about the couple’s romantic life, live-blog about a reported mistress or cast aspersions upon the now-ex-partner’s financial or personal image. This could be real, or complete fiction. It doesn’t matter. The impact can be severe.

We’ve seen instances where attorneys representing one of the parties are aware of this planned reputation assassination. They might prepare appropriate actions to counter these reputation attacks to prove the rumors and allegations are untrue.

Too often, we have seen the fallout: Content about a contentious divorce still on the first page of Google results a year or more later.

We hope you do not need this information. If you do, please evaluate the level of reputation risk you, your board affiliations or your organization may face if you find yourself affected by this statistical trend. We’re here if you need us.

 
 
Google, , ,
Right to be Forgotten on Google

“How Google Interferes With Its Search Algorithms and Changes Your Results: The internet giant uses blacklists, algorithm tweaks and an army of contractors to shape what you see”, an investigative report by The Wall Street Journal,  is a disturbing read. It has also raised much concern in the SEO (search engine optimization) community.

The article is behind a paid firewall. These are some key excerpts:

“The company states in a Google blog, “We do not use human curation to collect or arrange the results on a page.” It says it can’t divulge details about how the algorithms work because the company is involved in a long-running and high-stakes battle with those who want to profit by gaming the system.

“But that message often clashes with what happens behind the scenes. Over time, Google has increasingly re-engineered and interfered with search results to a far greater degree than the company and its executives have acknowledged, a Wall Street Journal investigation has found.

“…Google’s evolving approach marks a shift from its founding philosophy of “organizing the world’s information,” to one that is far more active in deciding how that information should appear.

“….Far from being autonomous computer programs oblivious to outside pressure, Google’s algorithms are subject to regular tinkering from executives and engineers who are trying to deliver relevant search results, while also pleasing a wide variety of powerful interests and driving its parent company’s more than $30 billion in annual profit.”

Barry Schwartz, a leader in the SEO community, published this article on Search Engine Land in response: “Misquoted and misunderstood: Why many in the search community don’t believe the WSJ about Google search.”

Both articles provide insight into the challenges facing Google…and the challenges inherent in trying to produce the world’s most accurate search results, which has long been Google’s stated mission.

 
 
General, Internet Legal Issues, , , , , , ,
Managing online harassment

Paul Sullivan, the “Wealth Matters” columnist for The New York Times, has published an article detailing an online harassment campaign that resulted in a rare jail sentence for the businessman who masterminded it.

He paints a revealing picture about how fake blogs were created to post false, defamatory information designed to ruin the reputation of a respected hedge fund manager. Like so many such campaigns, it was planned as retaliation for a perceived wrong.

It started in 2014, when the perpetrator asked a blogger to launch a “negative internet P.R.” campaign. He directed him to use search strategies that would produce the articles when people searched for the target’s name. He also paid him to use online services to send out press releases containing the false information, then “contacted someone who specialized in ranking negative articles high in searches, asking for assurances that the campaign would keep the negative articles visible.”

Over the years, the articles spread across the internet and came up high in searches, creating substantial reputational harm to their target. After spending “several million dollars on legal bills and security experts,” and filing a court case, he won. The wrongdoer — who faced $2 million in legal bills for the criminal and related trials — was sentenced to nine months in a county jail for criminal harassment.

Related reading: An Attorney’s Advice for Removing Negative, Defamatory and Infringing Material from the Internet, by Christine Rafin, Esq.

What to Do When You Are the Victim of Online Defamation, By David Klein, Esq. & Christine Rafin, Esq.

Internet Legal Issues, our archive 

 
 
Social Media, , , , , , , , ,
reputation management

Just take a look around a crowded train station or a public park and you’ll see people glued to their phones — taking selfies and scrolling through their Instagram feeds. We live in a time when the currency of how many “likes” you get for a post adds up to a certain kind of digital fame. Superficial or not, it’s a key part of everyday life. What does it mean to aspire to be the next trending topic on Twitter or subject of a viral video? To gain more insight into why so many people seek stardom on social media, look no further than Lincoln Fenner’s documentary, “Fame Us.”

Currently available through Amazon, Fenner’s film delves into our society’s obsession with social media and our hope to find affirmation online. Released in 2017, the documentary interviews a range of famous faces — both relevant stars and those whose 15 minutes might have run out — from “Baywatch” star David Hasselhoff, President Ronald Reagan’s son Michael Reagan, TV journalist and author Diane Diamond to the late actor Joe Polito, among others.

“Just to have fame as a goal is an absolute illusion,” Hasselhoff says in the film’s official trailer. The TV star might have a point. In June, the Pew Research Center revealed that about seven in every 10 people in the United States use social media regularly to connect, stay on top of the news, find entertainment and share information about themselves.

Fenner’s film is particularly relevant because what we post online can say a lot about how we wish the rest of the world to see us. From company hiring processes to online networking to even dating, the way we brand ourselves through social content is a big part of how we are assessed by other people. Fenner, who conducted interviews around the world for “Fame Us,” is tapping into big questions that should be on all of our minds right now.

Related reading: Inside the Social Media Screening Industry 

 
 
Online reputation management, , ,
reputation management for lawyers

Imagine this: you run a boutique law firm with an engaged client base and public visibility. It is hit with an employee discrimination lawsuit, landing your firm’s name in the news and across social media outlets with hundreds of mentions in a matter of weeks. Some of what is published truthfully reports on the situation, but much of the attention is malicious in nature, in some cases promoting false information. These materials dominate the first page of your practice’s Google results for weeks, then months. Your prospects and revenues drop.

This type of reputation crisis happens every day. Depending on the size of your firm and its area of specialization, the reasons differ. If yours is a white shoe firm that has managed to stay out of the news except as an expert commentator, that situation can quickly change if your files are hacked. If yours is a criminal defense firm and represents controversial clients, you may be as newsworthy as they are . . . and attract as much reputational damage.

If you are like many attorneys, your closest association with reputation management may be referring your clients to firms that specialize in it. (Like ours: many of our referrals come from law firms.) Increasingly, though, you may find you need such a provider yourself.

If you are an attorney and recognize yourself or your firm in this narrative, I invite you to read my new article in the New York State Bar Association Journal.

 
 
General, , , , ,
Crisis management

In our current digital age, reputation is everything. From social media to personal blogs, how we present ourselves publicly constructs an indelible perception of our brands.

This is especially true for public figures. You could be a movie star, a healthcare leader, a social media influencer — you name it — your reputation is the key currency for how you’re viewed by the world. It means that any missteps you make can leave a potent mark on your brand. It can also impact the bottom line of companies you work with.

The reputations accrued by public figures, celebrities, thought leaders and influencers can make a serious mark on a company or campaign they partner with. How does a brand mitigate risk?

Enter the rise of reputation insurance. Boston-based startup SpottedRisk has launched a “reputational insurance” product that offers companies protection for celebrity scandals that might be spreading like wildfire online or gracing the covers of your supermarket tabloid.

Vulture recently profiled the company, showing how an era where #MeToo scandals and the viral release of celebrity mugshots can power days, even weeks, of bad publicity for a brand.

The publication interviewed SpottedRisks’ 33-year-old CEO Janet Comenos who outlined how her idea has flourished, recently earning the startup Series B funding for its next phase. For those unclear of what this is, it’s “like disgrace insurance, but for companies instead of people,” Vulture’s Boris Kachka writes.

There’s a reason why this has grabbed business leaders’ attention.

“One recent report found that reputational damage is the No. 1 risk that companies fear,” Vulture reports.

This also hammers home just why you might want to be mindful of how you conduct yourself in the public sphere. What you say and post reflects not just on you, but companies you work for.

 
 
Internet Legal Issues, , , , , ,

‘In the age of doxxing, revenge porn, and misogynist trolls, this book is required reading. . .” Esquire, Best Books of Summer 2019

Carrie Goldberg is a victims’ rights attorney specializing in Internet-related harassment (and much worse).  Since she launched her practice in 2013, she has become a major force in the legal industry. She is also an outspoken critic of the tech companies that enable such behavior.

In August, her first book, Nobody’s Victim, will be published by Little, Brown. In it, she examines a hidden world many people don’t know exists — one of online stalking, blackmail, and other disturbing issues. It tells the story of how she became determined to fight back and is now leading a revolution.

Nobody’s Victim invites readers to join Carrie Goldberg on the front lines of that war. Her battleground is the courtroom; her crusade is to transform clients from victims into warriors.

Riveting and essential, Nobody’s Victim is a bold and timely analysis of victim protection in the era of the Internet. This book is an urgent warning of a coming crisis, a predictor of imminent danger, and a weapon to take back control and protect ourselves — both online and off.

Order an advance copy on Amazon.