Cruising for an Online Bruising
Online Reputation
09.11.2008
In:
Social Media
This “online reputation” confrontation went down one night at a party. A fella showed up with an axe to grind. He accosted and insulted several revelers until I did the same to him. He didn’t take that well, and we appeared destined for a throwdown (which would’ve looked like Jim Carey duking it out with Mr. Whipple). But then, inspiration hit. I jumped on a chair and announced: “I’d like you all to meet Mr. So-and-So. All of you really need to Google Mr. So-and-So. You’ll find fascinating stuff.”
The announcement hit Mr. So-and-So the way sunlight strikes a vampire. He beat a hasty retreat, cursing as party-goers began clicking his name into their Blackberrys. The last thing he wanted was to be in the room when people discovered how convincingly a spate of lawsuits had sullied his personal online reputation. All the dirt was right there at the top of the search engine results.
It used to be that powerful people — and institutions — could get away with things. Not the blockbuster blunders, but often the medium to small-sized transgressions. They could actively stifle information or count on it never entering the public realm. The Internet changed that. Now, every deed — good or bad, clothed or undressed — is possible infotainment for billions of Web surfers. This isn’t a terrible thing. Far from it. The more information we have, the better we can assess the world, make sound decisions and sometimes hold ourselves and others accountable.
But, what if the information a search engine tosses up isn’t accurate? What if a Wild West band of half-truths, distortions and/or outdated data hijacks your personal online reputation? There are ways to fight back without hiring a lawyer — though you may have to shell out for a Web programmer.
The simplest solution is to develop what TV execs might call counter-programming. Build a website using your name as the URL that sets the record straight. Or don’t even address whatever issues may be causing you trouble. Instead, focus exclusively on the things you want people to know. Your success. Your community activism. Your haiku hobby (well, maybe not). Then, and this is essential, ask others with websites of their own to link to your site. This creates the kind of credibility-reinforcing connections search engines value when reporting back results.
These kinds of search engine shootouts are now part of the Web landscape. They break out over relatively small matters, like Mr. So-and-So’s reputation, as well as turning points in history, such as attempts to “swift boat” a presidential candidate.
Last time I checked (two minutes ago), Mr. So-and-So’s legal woes still sat atop his search results. There was no positive personal website to be found. I’m glad — because the Internet ought to be, at least in part, a tool for identifying bad apples. But, when the Wild West that is the Web takes a shot at you, it’s good to know there are ways to fight back.
