How to Remove Scam.com Posts

Posted in: Blog June 10, 2015

webfactcheck can remove scam.com postsScam.com is another of the complaint websites that has built authority by enabling anyone to say whatever they want online. Just the idea of being on this site should scare the heck out of any company. What’s worse than being called a scam? Sure, a company might have a problem with a customer who then lodges a “complaint.” But complaints can usually be remedied in some manner. In business, being called a scam is like a mortal wound.

We can remove scam.com posts, but as I have said before it doesn’t mean that we have to agree with how the site operates and the damage that it can cause.

I guess the main beef with sites like Scam.com is that they let anyone say anything they want but then don’t really do anything else. Back in the golden age of television news, shows like 60 Minutes and 20/20 (and to a lesser extent local consumer reporters) would uncover actual scams and then actually do something about it. The great Mike Wallace would chase down executives who scammed people and make them answer for their ill-gotten gains. Even consumer groups provided some relief for folks who were legitimately scammed. Sadly, sites like Scam.com seem to mainly promote an open forum that does as much harm as good to companies, institutions and brands.Read more

3 Pieces of Advice From an Online Reputation Fixer

Posted in: Blog June 8, 2015

WebFactCheck.com Online FixerOriginally published on PRDaily.com

By John P. David, Partner, WebFactCheck.com and President, David PR Group

For the past two years, I have been building a segment of my business around helping people with online problems.

Striving to get negative content removed from search on behalf of my clients has been, without question, one of the most interesting things I have done in my 25-year career in public relations.

I gained interest in the practice due to a number of factors. Part of it was directly related to hearing an increasing number of online horror stories, and the other part of it has to do with my sometimes overly righteous personality. I have strong opinions about what is fair and what is unfair in life, and the Internet can be incredibly unfair. It enables people to say almost anything they want. The door to the online world is wide open for crazy people, mean people and folks with an axe to grind.

As I develop my own reputation as something on an online reputation fixer, I have learned that a huge number of folks have issues with our digital world. The Internet plays a major role in how we are perceived, and many of the challenges facing PR professionals today have to do with online issues. Quickly and steadily, the two worlds are starting to collide.

By the way, it’s not always people who have done something terribly wrong who have online troubles. In many cases, folks find themselves in a bad spot because of an honest mistake or an act of immaturity that gets catalogued digitally. Though I hold client engagements in the strictest of confidence, there are some lessons to be learned from them, particularly if we change the names to protect the digitally disenfranchised.Read more

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

Being “Off the Grid” May Damage Your Online Reputation

Posted in: News February 12, 2015

WebFactCheck.com in Huffington Post

 

The Huffington Post regularly runs our articles on online reputation management and how to handle online issues.  This piece explains why being off of social media sites and keeping a low profile might be a mistake, particularly if you have to deal with an online reputation crisis.

Read the full story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-p-david/being-off-the-grid-may-da_b_6647350.html?utm_hp_ref=technology&ir=Technology

–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

How to Remove Negative Google Search Results

Posted in: Blog February 9, 2015

When confronted with negative search results on Google that are hindering your business or damaging your reputation, our best advice is to try to remain calm and make a sound assessment.  While the first reaction may be to try to blast away at the hate blog, defamatory post, negative news article or nasty review, we have found that it makes more sense to slow down and figure out a strategy before confronting the source — assuming you can figure out who posted the negative information in the first place.Read more

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

All Reputation Management Tools Are Not Created Equal

Posted in: News May 6, 2014

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Huffington Post recently published our post about how all online reputation management tools are not created equal.

Click here to read it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-p-david/all-reputation-management_b_5197922.html

 

Huffington Post Ran Our Blog on Online Image Repair

Posted in: News April 7, 2014

huffposnapHuffington Post recently ran our blog post about options for removing damaging online content.  See more info on online image repair.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-p-david/online-image-negative-search-results_b_4738440.html

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

Huffington Post Ran Our Blog on Online Reputation Management

Posted in: News October 3, 2013

Today, the Huffington Post published our blog on online reputation management and the Air Force Web Posting Response Assessment.  We largely agree with USAF but with a couple exceptions, particularly when to respond to negative posts.huffpo cover

View the article here. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-p-david/sort-of-agreeing-with-the_b_4023266.html?utm_hp_ref=business