Blog Posts Which Violate Terms of Service Can Be Removed

Posted in: Blog October 29, 2013

In many ways, the Internet remains the “Wild West” of communications.  Seemingly, anyone can say whatever they want with little penalty.  If you feel as though you are being unfairly attacked online, you have options.  If the blog post or comment is truly defamatory (see more here), you can likely have it taken down with the help of a lawyer and our legal system.  In addition, some negative comments or blog posts may be in violation of the terms of service of the blog site on which it is published.  For bloggers who use one of the popular blogging platforms such as Blogger, WordPress or Tumblr, they have to comply with the rules of that platform, which are outlined in their respective terms of service.

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Blogging platforms are notoriously protective of their user’s freedom of speech and allow them to freely express their ideas and opinions, without censoring them. They will not suspend blogs if they are not in violation of their terms of service, even if they are posting content that is offensive or objectionable. However, they do take their terms of service seriously and will suspend any sites that are found to be in violation. Blog posts which violate terms of service can be removed.Read more

Defamatory Blog Posts Can Be Taken Down

Posted in: Blog October 17, 2013

Online reputation management takes on many forms. When negative information is posted online about a person or business, a number of strategies can be employed. A business can respond to the criticism on review sites, like TripAdvisor or Yelp, by replying to a negative comment. One can also reply to an offending blog post. Some companies employ ORM companies to push down (suppress) negative content. We also offer another way for companies to respond.

However, if a web posting is truly defamatory, then it can be removed, but you are going to need legal counsel. We have pulled together some basic information on defamation, culled from our experience with journalism and media law. (We are not lawyers and what we have posted is not legal advice. If you think you have been defamed, contact a lawyer right away.)  Defamatory blog posts can be taken down.  It just takes some work.

Defamation, simply put, is a catch-all term for any statement that is knowingly false and intended to hurt someone’s reputation. It is further subdivided into libel (written defamation) and slander (spoken defamation.) Because of the infinite memory of the Internet, defamatory statements that are posted online often have a significant shelf life, which can have a long-term negative effect on the individual or business mentioned.

If you feel you need to take legal action, there are steps that can be taken to remedy the situation. Successfully trying an online defamation case can prove difficult but it can be done.Read more

Launch of PunditFact.com Gives Private Fact Checking Traction

Posted in: Blog October 13, 2013

We recently learned of the creation of a new website from the Tampa Bay Times called PunditFact.com. If you notice a similarity to the popular Politifact, it’s because both sites will be run by the same entity.

We see this as a validation of our new business idea to create a way for private citizens and companies to fact check bloggers and media outlets, during a time when traditional media outlets (and even organizations like PolitiFact) don’t have the necessary resources.

We are very curious to see what types of projects PunditFact takes on, and we must admit that the name certainly caught our attention as we once considered the name Blogifact for our site — we still own that domain.

The big news here is that mainstream media is not taking notice of how bloggers and pundits are running “fast and loose” with the truth at times. They are publishing information without a journalistic filter and it has the potential to do damage to individuals, companies and brands.

We welcome PunditFact to the party and believe that our little slice of the business is still only occupied by WebFactCheck.com. We will assist the private sector with online reputation management and help fight negative internet content and web postigns in our own unique way.

More info on PunditFact is available here. Check it out.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2013/oct/10/politifact-launch-punditfact-checking-pundits-and-/

Why We Sort of Agree with the Air Force

Posted in: Blog September 29, 2013

Recently, we took a hard look at the U.S. Air Force’s policy toward responding to web postings.  The document has been floating around for a few years and has been widely covered by online reputation management consultants.  We mainly agree with the assessment with a few exceptions.

The “Air Force Web Posting Response Assessment” is a public domain document/infographic from the Air Force Public Affairs Agency that offers general guidance on how Air Force personnel should respond to web content posted about USAF.  It can be most easily found here: http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force_Web_Posting_Response

In general, we think it is a useful tool that could provide excellent guidelines for many companies.US_Air_Force_Web_Posting_Response_Assessment

When you come across a positive web posting, the guidelines are quite simple.  If it is factual and well-cited (even if the USAF doesn’t agree with it), then the guidance is to either let it stand (no response), concur with the post or provide a positive review.

When a posting is not positive or balanced, things get a little stickier.  According to USAF, there are four types of folks who post negatively.

• Trolls – a site dedicated to bashing or degrading others.  USAF says to only monitor such sites and notify headquarters (we will come back to this nuance.)Read more

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