WebRev Blog

When I was in school, I remember being told by advertising experts that "any publicity is good publicity."  Perhaps in some industries, this is (or was) true. I remember Jerry Falwell galvanized what he referred to as the "moral majority," primarily by making statements that drew negative attention from the press, and some politicians and political pundits still seem to live by this principle.

Those not involved in social movements or politics, however, might want to re-think this old adage in the age of the internet - where good and bad publicity really never dies, thanks to the search engine caches.

Apple is gaining a lot of publicity right now because a few of their latest creations have been alleged to overheat (this is denied by Apple) and spontaneously combusting.  News of a few Chevrolet Volt fires hasn't exactly been good for sales, and will we ever forget Toyota's brake problems? The internet won't - long after all of  these isolated "glitches" have been resolved.

When people are thinking of making a significant purchase, they tend to Google the product to see what people are saying.  If the search engine results return a lot of bad publicity, it is likely the customers will keep shopping - fair or not.  Recently a local young woman was in a dispute with her former mother-in-law.  When the young woman was not where she was expected to be for a visitation appointment, the mother-in-law used her influence with local law enforcement authorities, and managed to have an Amber Alert placed on the mother.  The mother and children were soon "found," perhaps because they weren't hiding, but that young mother may have a bit of explaining to do each and every time she applies for a job or considers dating someone....perhaps for the rest of her life.  Amber Alerts rank pretty highly on the search engines, and when anyone enters her name into the search engines, they are likely to see her name, her photo, and her children's names and photos before they really see anything else.  I'm sure this isn't the type of attention she was wanting.

So what does this mean for your website and your blog?  Some folks still think that generating a little controversy is a good way to attract free media attention, or internet publicity.  Maybe this will work, but it could "blow up" on them in the wrong way.  Remember, whatever happens online will not just be on the six o'clock news, then be forgotten.  What happens on the internet truly does stay on the internet - forever.  Make sure it's something you're still going to be proud to read a few years from now.

We've cautioned many times here on the WebRev blog that an important part of protecting your digital reputation is being careful what you put online that could be viewed and perhaps judged disproportionally and out of context by potential clients or employers for many years in the future.

While that is sound advice, perhaps there are exceptions to the rule?  Increasingly, people are using the web to air their grievances online, and the lesson we might learn from them might be that if you really MUST do this, be sure to explain exactly what your said grievances are, and express your dissatisfaction in a clear, concise, and BIG way.  At least maybe you'll get points for humor, and creativity. 

Probably the most famous person to do this so far this century is Steven Slater, the former JetBlue Flight attendant, who just finally snapped in frustration of dealing with disrespectful passengers, flew into a rage, and quit by sliding down the emergency chute.  He then became a bit of a celebrity on Facebook (with nearly 200K followers) and in the media.  His story is on the Mail Online, and Wikipedia.  Fortunately, Mr. Slater accumulated a sufficient 401K during his career to live on for the time being, and is able to forego the job search while he is dealing with drug addiction and serious health issues...and his new rap career.

Mashable reported this week on a young man named Joey DeFrancesco was apparently tired of what he felt was mistreatment by his hotel employer, and quit his job - but he didn't make it all about himself.  He managed to get some publicity for his friends who have a brass band, by allowing them to provide the fanfare for his termination announcement - a move which has resulted in over 1.6M hits to the YouTube video so far.  Hopefully, the band will reciprocate by allowing Joey to be their manager...or bell hop, or something.  Or maybe he'll be able to find an employer with a really good sense of humor.

In the same post, Mashable pointed out that Joey's expose of his employer could potentially overtake the popularity of the video the folk band, "Sons of Maxwell," made after becoming upset at United Airlines for (reportedly) breaking one of their Taylor guitars (at the top of this post).  This video has nearly 12M hits on YouTube.  Unfortunately,  this particular attempt to revive a career may have been a spectacular career-ender for unknown reasons (see Wikipedia).  So maybe this one is a lesson in what NOT to do.  Maybe all of these are, after all.

Of course if you ever do manage to get yourself fired, the best defense is to claim that you were just too good looking for the establishment.

A company called Social Intelligence just gave you one more reason to beef up and clean up your online profile.  This a professional service that, ". is a fully compliant consumer reporting agency (CRA) with processes and operations designed and operated in adherence with federal, state, and local employment laws as well as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Providing a user friendly portal to employers, our infrastructure enables the scalability, security, and dependability that an organization requires in its business practices."

That's legal-eze for yes, they can do that.

I predict this is the way of the future for background checks, and will be standard along with criminal background checks and drug screening.  This type of service helps protect the employer (or prospective employer) from either inadvertent discrimination or the perception of discrimination based on factors that are currently illegal such as race, religion and gender. 

It protects the employee by...well, actually, it doesn't protect the employee.  The service is paid for by the employer (the prices aren't published, and are subject to negotiation), is run for the benefit of the employers who are looking for information to help them stay out of legal trouble while increasing the quality of their workforce.

This company searches up to seven years worth of social media presence, and will report anything that is normally considered inappropriate in the workforce - i.e., anything that could be considered disrespectful of other people based on race, religion, gender, etc..  The report will also include information about any illegal activities (even if written in jest), such as drug use or potential criminal activity. 

For more information about what the company can and will check and report, check out the FAQ page.  The crew at Gozmodo ran social media background checks on themselves using the service to see what would turn up.  You can check out their results here (language alert).  Also, Forbes and PCMag have more examples of the types of online activities that can reflect negatively on a job search.
 

With all of the public attention surrounding Twitter in the last couple of weeks, President Obama's 2012 campaign staff has decided this is an excellent time for the President of the United States (the leader of the free world) to jump in and start Tweeting (@BarackObama). I have no idea why, but this seems to be the same staff who created the "Win the Future," (aka "WTF"), slogan for our esteemed leader. 

Sigh.

I never thought I would miss "hope and change," but considering there will be about a gazillion people re-tweeting everything the President tweets (according to his profile, his tweets will be signed "-BO." Yes, same campaign staff.), get ready for the hashtage "#WTF" to be a trending topic on Twitter for the next two years.

So, as long as he's determined to do this thing, what does President Obama need to remember before he tweets, to help prevent the type of media PR disasters we've seen lately?

1) He should keep his private life private.  So far, the Obamas have been good about not embarassing the country in regard to their personal lives (and we thank them for that). If there are any indiscretions or scandals, we haven't heard about them, and that's how it should be.  But beyond this, however, President Obama needs to remember that there is no such thing as "privacy" on a social network; he should avoid any "open mic" styled gaffes on Twitter.

2) He needs to avoid discussing other job prospects. Hopefully, he learned his lesson about that last week.

3) He needs to make sure his "location" settings are off.  This can be done by signing in to Twitter, going to "settings," then "acccount," and un-checking the location box.  Right below that, you can delete all location information from past tweets.  The last thing we need is a national security incident via Twitter.

Can you think of anything else the President needs to remember about Tweeting?

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

The news media has taken a hit in the last few years, as more and more people question the validity and objectivity of what is being "reported."  Print newspapers are being replaced with 24/7 cable news and online news.  However, one thing has not changed:  People still want news!

Maybe there is a way you can influence the accuracy and quality of at least the part of the news - the part about which you are an expert.

An organization called HARO (help a reporter out), at HelpAReporter.com (note that the URL does not include the word "out"), matches reporters who are researching stories with expert sources.  It's free to use, and can be a really good way to get your business in the news in a positive way. Did I mention that it's free?

To find out more, visit the page on Facebook, or the feed on Twitter, the about page HERE:

"...Every day, HARO brings nearly 30,000 reporters and bloggers, over 100,000 news sources and thousands of small businesses together to tell their stories, promote their brands and sell their products and services.

"Since its inception, Two Cats and a Cup of Coffee under its mark HARO has published more than 75,000 journalist queries, has facilitated nearly 7,500,000 media pitches, and has marketed and promoted close to 1,500 brands to the media, small businesses and consumers.

"HARO is entirely free to sources and reporters, and unlike a majority of social media services, is independently owned and funded and has been profitable since day one... (more)"

If you sign up as a source, you'll receive a couple of e-mails per day advising what types of stories are being researched and what types of experts are being sought.  If you have something to contribute, you follow the instructions in the e-mail to respond.  It's as easy as that.

Click HERE to Become a Source.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

 I've spent the last several days helping a client with the online part of a PR "damage control" situation.  Without going into the specifics of the situation with that particular client, I will simply say that online reputation management is ALWAYS more easily handled proactively rather than reactively (after the damage has been done).  Sometimes this is not avoidable, however.  The more competitive or controversial your industry, the more likely this could eventually happen to you, so let's talk about a few ways to handle online reputation damage control:

1) Do NOT ignore the problem.  Once the problem exists online, it can take on a life of its own, and is often immortal.  You need to take actual as quickly as possible.

2) Tell your side of the story right away.  Whether you are being falsely accused of something, or you (or your company) have actually made a mistake, it is important to address the problem as quickly as possible.  If you find out about what happened on someone else's blog, you have already lost control of the dialogue, and you are now on the defensive.  If you can get a well-worded (honest) statement describing your side of the story out as quickly as possible, you will have more control over the conversation.

3) Rally your fans, customers, supporters, friends, family to help support  you publicly.  The interesting thing about public opinion is that it is contagious. If the public sees and hears people supporting you or your business, they will be more inclined to give you the benefit of any doubt.  If all they hear are complaints and criticism, they'll be more likely to believe that "where there's smoke there's fire," and stay away.

4) Propose a solution, and carry it out.  What this means, exactly, will vary depending on the nature of your business, and the nature of the problem. But one thing that never changes is that "actions speak louder than words."  Americans love a happy ending.  If people see you out there (in action) using whatever just happened to you to the advantage of yourself and others, they will be much more likely to see the problem as being resolved, and also to remember what you DID in response to the problem, rather than what other people SAID about you.

5) Realize that some people will never like you.  Ignore them. While it is important not to ignore any potential Public Relations catastrophe, it is also important not to give your competition or adversaries more power by trying to change their opinion.  Keep a sense of humor, and remind them that "any publicity is good publicity," and then focus on your business and your mission. 

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking.