Online reputation management
Encyclopedia
Online reputation management (or monitoring) is the practice of monitoring the Internet reputation of a person, brand or business, with the goal of suppressing negative mentions entirely, or pushing them lower on search engine results page
s to decrease their visibility.
, then utilizing sophisticated online and offline techniques in promoting positive and neutral content, while at the same time pushing down those links the sponsor (in most cases business or individuals) may not want to show when their name is searched.
Rather than working to raise link results with a particular search term in order to (ostensibly) generate more commerce or page views, the goal of ORM is to push already highly-ranked negative posts off the results pages so that they are seen by fewer people, thus creating a more positive results environment for the sponsor of the effort. ORM is the specialization in prevention and repair of online reputation threats, and has less to do with directly promoting businesses.
The term arose from a recognition of the importance that influencing how someone or something is perceived based on an internet search has to a business. As the amount of user-generated content on the internet grew, it began to affect internet search results more meaningfully, and the desire to change those results naturally followed.
(SEO) and uses many of the same techniques. However, their goals differ greatly.
Common ORM techniques include online promotional activity through new content creation, involvement in the social web sphere (through forums, blog
s, social networking), promotion of existing positive content and building social profiles. Traditional websites and consumer reviews are also monitored. The material monitored can include both professional journalism and user-created content such as blogs and blog comments. More difficult, but nonetheless relevant techniques can include formal "take-down" requests to try to convince site managers to remove negative content, and finally, litigation.
Proactive reputation-building techniques can include responding immediately to public criticism stemming from unannounced changes to a product's capabilities and features; offering free products to prominent reviewers; and writing positive comments and reviews in the guise of customers posting to online forums or review sites. However, most sites attempt to screen out such covert plugs, and rate their contributors based on how highly others value their contributions.
. By using user generated feedback ratings, buyers and sellers were given reputations that helped other users make purchasing and selling decisions. A countervailing service is emerging which exposes reputation information suppressed by online reputation management companies.
An online research report stated in August 2008 that the UK market for online reputation management would grow in that year by around 30%, to an estimated value of £60 million.
The first company created specifically to help individuals (not just brands) manage their online reputations was Reputation Defender (now Reputation.com). The World Economic Forum
recognized Reputation Defender as one of 31 Technology Pioneers for 2011.
Reputation management was first widely engaged by companies in developed countries. However, as the field grows, it is finding its way into developing nations as well. The Philippines
saw its first local online reputation management firm open last year, specifically serving local celebrities.
Search engine results page
A search engine results page , is the listing of web pages returned by a search engine in response to a keyword query. The results normally include a list of web pages with titles, a link to the page, and a short description showing where the Keywords have matched content within the page...
s to decrease their visibility.
Definition
Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the act of monitoring, addressing or mitigating SERPs (search engine result pages) or mentions in online media and Web sphere content. ORM primarily involves tracking what is written about a client on the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, then utilizing sophisticated online and offline techniques in promoting positive and neutral content, while at the same time pushing down those links the sponsor (in most cases business or individuals) may not want to show when their name is searched.
Rather than working to raise link results with a particular search term in order to (ostensibly) generate more commerce or page views, the goal of ORM is to push already highly-ranked negative posts off the results pages so that they are seen by fewer people, thus creating a more positive results environment for the sponsor of the effort. ORM is the specialization in prevention and repair of online reputation threats, and has less to do with directly promoting businesses.
The term arose from a recognition of the importance that influencing how someone or something is perceived based on an internet search has to a business. As the amount of user-generated content on the internet grew, it began to affect internet search results more meaningfully, and the desire to change those results naturally followed.
Techniques
ORM is related to search engine optimizationSearch engine optimization
Search engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid search results...
(SEO) and uses many of the same techniques. However, their goals differ greatly.
Common ORM techniques include online promotional activity through new content creation, involvement in the social web sphere (through forums, blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s, social networking), promotion of existing positive content and building social profiles. Traditional websites and consumer reviews are also monitored. The material monitored can include both professional journalism and user-created content such as blogs and blog comments. More difficult, but nonetheless relevant techniques can include formal "take-down" requests to try to convince site managers to remove negative content, and finally, litigation.
Proactive reputation-building techniques can include responding immediately to public criticism stemming from unannounced changes to a product's capabilities and features; offering free products to prominent reviewers; and writing positive comments and reviews in the guise of customers posting to online forums or review sites. However, most sites attempt to screen out such covert plugs, and rate their contributors based on how highly others value their contributions.
Growth
One of the first web companies to exploit feedback from consumer generated media was eBayEBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
. By using user generated feedback ratings, buyers and sellers were given reputations that helped other users make purchasing and selling decisions. A countervailing service is emerging which exposes reputation information suppressed by online reputation management companies.
An online research report stated in August 2008 that the UK market for online reputation management would grow in that year by around 30%, to an estimated value of £60 million.
The first company created specifically to help individuals (not just brands) manage their online reputations was Reputation Defender (now Reputation.com). The World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
recognized Reputation Defender as one of 31 Technology Pioneers for 2011.
Reputation management was first widely engaged by companies in developed countries. However, as the field grows, it is finding its way into developing nations as well. The Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
saw its first local online reputation management firm open last year, specifically serving local celebrities.
See also
- Search engine optimizationSearch engine optimizationSearch engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid search results...
- Search engine image protectionSearch engine image protectionSearch Engine Image Protection , also known as search engine reputation management, combines the expertise of Search Engine Marketing and PR, and is designed to protect a company or brand against incorrect negative publicity via the Internet....
- Social media optimizationSocial Media OptimizationSocial media optimization is the methodization of social media activity with the intent of attracting unique visitors to website content. SMO is one of many online methods of website optimization...
- Online identityOnline identityAn online identity, internet identity, or internet persona is a social identity that an Internet user establishes in online communities and websites...
- Online identity managementOnline identity managementOnline identity management also known as online image management or online personal branding or personal reputation management is a set of methods for generating a distinguished Web presence of a person on the Internet...
- Reputation capitalReputation capitalReputation capital is the quantitative measure of some entity's reputational value in some context – a community or marketplace. In the world of Web 2.0, what is increasingly valuable is trying to measure the effects of collaboration and contribution to community...
- Reputation managementReputation managementReputation management , also known as directory management, is the process of tracking an entity's actions and other entities' opinions about those actions; reporting on those actions and opinions; and reacting to that report creating a feedback loop. All entities involved are generally people, but...