What Are People Saying About Your Business Online?

January 31, 2008

Do you know what people are saying about your business online? And do you know how to protect the reputation of your business on the Internet?

Whilst freedom of speech is important, that doesn’t mean people can get away with telling harmful lies about your business. So don’t just stick your head in the sand. Make sure you check these resources regularly and ensure your business hasn’t been smeared online.

If Your Business Does Something Dumb You Could Wind Up On You Tube

Did you know that 100 million videos are watched on YouTube each day? And remember the camera never lies, so if your business has done something stupid, you may not be able to do a thing about an embarrassing YouTube video.

A little while ago, I blogged about a staff member of Rainbow International who tarnished the image of the company by posting derogatory video’s on YouTube. And whilst I was able to get those videos removed, it isn’t always possible.

For example, if you click here, you will find several videos of rats in KFC/Taco Bell in New York. And after watching them, I think they’d have a difficult time proving that they don’t have rats in their premises.

And McDonalds can’t do a thing about this damning video, which is in the public domain. It shows how one of their Assistant Managers abused a teenager, upon the instruction of a prank caller.

Running your business as though it is always under the scrutiny of a video camera, would be a great way to avoid a YouTube embarrassment. And I’m guessing that you’re already smart enough to know what to do if your staff make damaging videos about your business and put them on YouTube.

It’s Not Just Your Business Name That Customers Will Google

You’ll want to Google your business name often to check what turns up on the front page. But, also make sure you Google your own name and the names of key members of staff.

Potential customers will often Google key staff, so if your business name isn’t mentioned at all, you could still be at risk.

In this post, Tim Ferris describes how he Googled the name of the Vice President of a PR company he’d considered using. But, some of the things he’d read on her MySpace page put him right off.

Don’t let it happen to you. Make sure that your key staff are aware that anything they put online can be searched by customers and competitors.

business review
Photo by ljcybergal.

Have Your Employees Reviewed Your Business?

Do check to see what your employees have said about your business online. If you’ve upset them, you could wind up on AboutMyJob.com right beside McDonalds. And they seem to have many employees who are not, “loving it”.

If the reviewer is still working for you, an appraisal is long overdue. And if they’ve left, your best course of action will depend on whether they’ve been honest in their review.

You could casually mention the site to loyal staff and hope they’ll review your business in a better light. And if the original review is libellous, check out the section further down, on how to get a cease and desist order.

What If Someone Has Printed Libellous Information About You?

Don’t feel that there’s nothing you can do if someone has printed libellous information about you. Often they’ll remove it as soon as you contact them. And if they don’t, there are other things you can do.

For example, I was searching for a biography on Patricia Cornwell, and on the first page of Google, I discovered that some nut had set up a site accusing Patricia of terrible things.

Fortunately, Patricia was able to put a stop to this libellous site. And if you search Patricia Cornwell biography now, Google state at the bottom of the page that they have removed 3 results from the search page. They also provide a link to Chilling Requests, and there you can find instructions on how to send a cease and desist form to a libellous site.

Rip Off Report

The Rip Off Report is a place where unhappy customers go if they have a serious complaint about a bad company. Unfortunately, it is also a place where your bad customers can go, when they want to avoid paying you.

The trouble is, whilst Rip Off report will allow businesses to refute the claims on their site, they also refuse to remove complaints that have been posted.

And I wonder how long the Rip Off Report will continue to get away with this – particularly if the company involved can prove they have been libelled.

The credibility of the Rip Off Report has come under fire recently. In this SEOmoz article, Sarah Bird accuses the Rip Off Report of keyword stuffing and violating Google’s guidelines. And in this one SEOmoz have links to a video showing how the Rip Off Report, rips off businesses, by offering to turn a bad report into a good one in exchange for money.

So, if your business is libelled on the Rip Off Report, you should still fill out a cease and desist form.

Don’t just limit your searches to Google

There are many sites you might want to search including:

Wikipedia
My Space
Squidoo
Facebook

And don’t forget to search your company name on discussion forums too.

Has your business been slated on line? What did you do? Have you been successful in having an offending webpage removed? And do you know of any more online resources that businesses can use to protect their reputations online?

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Comments

14 Responses to “What Are People Saying About Your Business Online?”

Barbara on January 31st, 2008 9:03 am

Catherine,

You sure have covered this issue well. I wasn’t aware of all of the sites you mentioned. I’ll bookmark this for future reference.

It’s one thing if the rats in your establishment are being video taped, but to have lies about you published online is horrific.

It reminds me of identity theft, which is extremely difficult to have corrected.

Barbara’s last blog post..Test Proves Fatal In Internet Explorer (IE)
What Are People Saying About Your Business Online? on January 31st, 2008 9:07 am

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cathlawson on January 31st, 2008 9:09 am

Hi Barbara. I know - it’s terrifying. I dug other stuff up too, but I had to cut it because the post was getting way too long!

The Patricia Cornwell stuff was v bad and definitely libellous. I really think it’s appalling that they didn’t take it down straight away.

Did you notice that I managed to insert a picture? It worked when I finally upgraded wordpress.
Ian Denny on January 31st, 2008 9:29 am

Cath,

These are thought provoking points. And definitely worth doing.

While I wouldn’t recommend revealing any unsavoury hobbies or interests if you have them online, there is something to be said for being yourself.

If you’re looking for a job, employers who see the real you and take you on, will I suspect be a better match for both parties.

Personally, I think the Internet can be a great filter. If you choose to lead an open and informally relaxed llife personally and professionally, then those who take offence or think your attitude inappropriate will naturally repel each other.

And that can be a good thing. If you’re really laid back and open, would you really enjoy spending the next 10 years working for someone who insists upon smart dress, overly-moderates what you say and do, and is a strict disciplinarian?

It doesn’t mean that you’re a slacker, you can work hard and be yourself at the same time.

Personally, I prefer to be myself. And I prefer staff to be informal with clients.

And most customers prefer that to a scripted, formal and de-humanised approach.

Ian Denny’s last blog post..Hate Selling? I Do Too. Instead Of Desperation, Here’s How To Have Fun And Get Sales
cathlawson on January 31st, 2008 9:50 am

Hi Ian - I don’t have any unsavoury hobbies or interests!

And I totally agree re: being yourself. But some people’s selves aren’t a great ad to anyone. The woman Tim Ferris referred to was making racist remarks and stuff on her MySpace page! He should have named and shamed her Company.
Scott Sweeney on January 31st, 2008 11:31 am

I used to have weird college projects come up when you googled my name!

Hope that doesn’t hurt anything in the future hehe

scott

Scott Sweeney’s last blog post..Blogging From Anywhere? Good Luck!
cathlawson on January 31st, 2008 5:14 pm

Hi Scott - hopefully they’re not too weird for your customers.
Barbara on January 31st, 2008 7:17 pm

Hi Catherine,

Love the picture, and glad you updated WP. You have changed your theme too…is this the new one again?

Soon, I’ll be sporting pictures too ( I hope), as I’m almost done with the “crunch”.
Barbara’s last blog post..Test Proves Fatal In Internet Explorer (IE)
cathlawson on January 31st, 2008 7:23 pm

Hi Barbara - Thank you. Good luck with the pics on your blog too.

Yes - the theme is the one I had before. I prefer the layout.
RacerX on January 31st, 2008 10:06 pm

Make sure that if your company is a retailer, to check out BizRate.com as well. In fact you are are “one of the good ones” have people clickthrough to this. It is a great monitoring tool.

RacerX’s last blog post..Personal Finance QuickTake: Tax Rebate - Senate Version
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