Managing Online Brand Hate

Posted in: News March 9, 2015

ManageOnlineBrandHate

PR Daily recently published our blog post about Managing Online Brand Hate.

When confronted with negative online content that hinders your business or damages your organization’s reputation, the best advice is to remain calm and make a sound assessment. While the first reaction may be to blast away at the hate blog, defamatory post, negative news article or nasty review, brand managers have found that it makes more sense to slow down and develop a strategy before confronting the source, assuming you can figure out who posted the negative information in the first place.

Read the entire article here.

–John

Call me to discuss your online issue at 888-960-0086, ext. 701

Call me to discuss your online issue at 888-960-0086, ext. 701

Digital Is Not Necessarily Forever

Posted in: Blog November 18, 2014

One of the Internet’s big secrets is that digital is not necessarily forever. Content can actually be removed from search results and sometimes entirely from cyberspace. I’m not saying it is easy or that removal practices are prevalent, but it can be done.

Human beings are fallible, and we all make mistakes. Sometimes our errors in judgment, both large and small, find their way online. In some cases, people break the law and the details end up on news websites. In other situations, a person slights another person (sometimes unintentionally) and a digital version of the story finds its way online.

Blog sites, social media postings and message boards are often the biggest culprits but mainstream news sites also carry unflattering stories that can be damaging to an individual or a brand.

The common belief is that once something is posted online that it will stay there forever. Many people endure a feeling of helplessness at this thought, but options exist. Here are a few tactics which do not include suppression (so-called driving down) of negative content. Here, we are discussing outright removal.Read more

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.

blog logos

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