Social Media | Words For Hire

How Bulletproof is Your Reputation?

August 25, 2009 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

This morning my friend, Dwann Holmes Olsen had her Facebook page hacked. The hacker posted vile and ugly rantings on her wall alarming many of her followers. The hacking was disturbing, but even more disturbing were those that believed that Dwann had written the uncharacteristic words.

Misrepresentation and slander are nothing new. Corporations and high profile figures have long dealt with these issues. However in this new era of user generated content, where anyone can have a platform, the dark side has gone mainstream.

“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” –Wayne Gretzky

Gretzky’s quote paints the need to have both a good offense and defense. When it comes to your reputation you should fiercely guard it against attack but also be prepared to respond against negative attacks.

Whether you are a solo professional or a large corporation, there are steps that you can take to protect your good name.

Monitor your name/brand. In addition to Google Alerts there are a number of monitoring tools that will help you track how your name and/or company name is being used. The following tools will help you track name/brand mentions, comments, even social chatter.

Tweetlater – Set up keyword alerts for your name, @name, company name and receive an email digest whenever your alert terms are tweeted. There is also a paid option offering additional features. Similar to tweetlater, is Tweetbeep (free and premium options).
Backtype – track blog comments. You can track comments with your name and keep track of your own comments.
Yacktrack – allows you to track social comments. You can serach for URL or use the chatter tab to search by term.
Boardtracker – monitor forum threads with your name/company name.
Addictomatic – monitor mentions on user generated content sites such as Digg, Flickr, Blogs. I always find mentions not delivered by Google alerts.
Filtrbox – real time social media monitoring. Filtrbox offers the basic product and Twitter Influence for free. There is also a paid product. Fairly robust monitoring service with lots of intelligent features.

If you have a higher visibility or want to take your brand monitoring to the next level, consider using paid tools.

Radian6 – offers near real time metrics, in depth analysis and reporting and a customizable dashboard.
Trackur – online reputation and social media monitoring tools. Plans start at $18 per month.
ReputationDefender – Four monitoring tools, MyChild (safety tool for parents), MyPrivacy (remove your personal information from the web), MyReputation (monitor and manage your online reputation), MyEdge (control how you look in search engines).
Cision – Social media monitoring tools
BrandsEye – monitor your online reputation, quantify brand perception. Blooger rates are $1 per month for 5 phrases.

These are only a few of the tools available to help you build a good offense. The next step is to ensure that you are prepared with a good defense.

Prepare a crisis communication plan. Are you ready with an answer when negative press hits the digital airwaves? Do you have a documented plan accessible to your staff? This is where working with PR professionals can really be beneficial. Professionals are not only masterful at obtaining you good press but defending against negative attacks.

Do you have a master non-digital list of profiles, sites and passwords? If you are hacked, it is essential to be able to change your passwords and access. Do you have employees or volunteers with access? Do you know who has access to what sites?

Protect your digital footprint. Use Virus protection software to alert you to potentially harmful sites. If you are a solo professional or small company without an in house IT department, contract with a company to protect your system. For small companies, local computer companies are a great, affordable option for quarterly check-up and cleaning. Be cautious about allowing applications access to your profile. Do not trust every application just because someone in your network tweets about it.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Please feel free to add tools and tips to in the comments. Have you ever had your reputation hijacked? How did you respond?

Why You May Not Be Smarter than a 5th Grader

June 24, 2009 by Karen Swim

I stood up from the pile of work on my desk to stretch. I was hot, my hair was sticking up and I was tired and cranky. I looked out the window and sighed. It was a beautiful summer day. The branches lifted ever so gently, the cloudless sky was clear and blue and the sun seemed to beckon me with its rays.

As I took in the moment and simply breathed in, two little girls came into view. Both wearing brightly colored shorts and tops chatting happily. They part ambled, part skipped as they made their way closer to my window. I watched them with a smile remembering the summers of my youth.

The little girls sat down across from my window where there’s just a bit of curb at the end of a grassy hill that leads to a pond. They sat facing each other in intense conversation (which at age 10 could be about anything from Hannah Montana to world peace). I cocked my head as I watched the ease they exhibited. One of the little girls held up her cell phone and snapped a photo as they continued to chat away (now that’s one thing I didn’t own as a kid!).

Children buy, sell and negotiate every day of their life. They do it naturally, without sophisticated strategies and tools. They sell their ideas to other kids (which is how you find yourself playing boogey man instead of dress up); they negotiate with teachers and parents. Children do it without questioning the ROI or metrics, it is as natural to them as having a conversation.

Those two little girls reminded me of our “new era” in marketing. We talk about engagement, transparency and conversational marketing but are we really doing it? Have we simply took our fancy corporate branding and toned it down with everyday language or are we really talking to people?

While I am very much in business to make money, I want to do business with other human beings. I want my marketing to talk to and not at people.

If you really want to reach people, then talk to them. Lose the industry jargon and corporate speak and talk to them as though it were just you and them sitting on a stoop on a hot summer day. If you want your messaging to convey authenticity then be real. What would you say one on one in a non-sales situation when asked about your business? Compare that message to what’s on your website and in your printed collateral – how does it match up?

We have fallen into this trap that people will only take you seriously if you use the “right” language. So, we start there and we strip our messages of all humanity and warmth. People are smarter than that, give them a little credit. Talk to them, really talk to them and you may be surprised at how they respond.

Do you find that you describe your business or even job differently in social settings? Are you more natural in social settings? What makes you not use that approach all the time?

March of the Illiterati in E Flat

May 27, 2009 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

Two weeks ago, my Grandmother retired her old school TV Antenna for a digital converter box. If the FCC had not mandated that the US switch to digital on June 12th, my Gran would have kept using the rabbit ears.

In the world of early adopters one might say my Gran is a no bloomer. Yet, her diehard dedication to “rabbit ears” is not unlike those who hopelessly cling to the notion that social media is worthless and digital media is solely for the illiterati.

In a recent conversation with an erudite writer, I listened to what has become a familiar litany:

People who publish on the internet are not real writers. I am a noted journalist/writer/editor and accustomed to spending 6 weeks, writing 15 drafts before publishing.

My crowd is very literate and will not possibly be on Twitter. ( I pull up Twitter screen) Oh, look there’s Bill /Jane/ Buffy, they’re on Twiter?

I do not have time to waste engaging in urbane conversations with plebian strangers.

Internet publishing is for hacks.

Overlooking the fact that I had just been called a moronic hack who spends time on inane platforms talking to a motely bunch of idiots, I patiently explained this new world that has “killed newspapers” and made superstars out of the unknown. I politely declined to point out that a truly impressive insult would have described “my people” as having brains as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage.

Alas, we no longer use insults such as: “Away!, Thou art poison to my blood.” Yet, in spite of the evolution of the English language we have managed to make amazing discoveries, and advances. Who’da thunk it? (See what fun online writing can be?)

Those who view online writing as a dumbing down of provocative thoughts and ideas are missing the point entirely. It is an expansion of creative thought, discussion and collective collaboration. While other forms of publishing aim to “talk at” digital publishers “talk to.” It’s the sharing and exchange of ideas and information in real time.

Literature, and great writing are not dying, we are simply evolving in the way we communicate. Many will hold on until the bitter end, until change has steamrolled over them leaving no other choice but the truly erudite will not only embrace the change but lead the way.

What do you think? Are we diminishig the art of writing with online publishing?

Let’s Connect – Maybe

May 11, 2009 by Karen Swim

: Image by simonech via Flickr

Written by Karen D. Swim

The invitation arrived in a velvet box tied with silk ribbon. Inside the box atop dupont silk was the quirky greeting inviting me to join the party.

Excited to meet new friends, I dressed in my best party clothes and showed up on time. I tapped on the door holding my invitation in one hand. No one answered so I gently pushed the door and it swung open. “Hello” I called out softly. I stepped in and as my eyes adjusted to the light I saw that I was in a narrow waiting room of sorts. There was a gated door and a small table to the right.

I walked toward the table and picked up a plain white sheet of paper that read, “Please fill out this form to be invited to the party.” I dropped the paper on the table. Was this a joke? I was invited to apply for entrance to the party.

Inviting someone to connect with you on a social media platform and then blocking entrance is no different from this party scenario. Choosing to have your Twitter or FriendFeed stream protected from the public is a legitimate choice. Social media platforms are an excellent way to connect with work teams, friends and family. You can share real time updates, photos, links and files on an easy to use platform that allows group and one-on-one discussion without the hassle of email.

: Image by BGLincoln via Flickr

A private stream for private purposes is a smart use of technology. However, many are inviting strangers to participate in their private stream. Well, sort of. The internet is wonderful but privacy concerns are real and everyone should exercise caution in the amount of information that is revealed. However, if you are going to network, it is difficult to open the door and then slam it shut when someone attempts to reciprocate.

I have worked with many clients who have had to overcome their concerns about privacy and transparency in order to participate in social media. Some joined and lurked a bit before fully participating; others jumped right in and over time grew comfortable with the “personal” conversations. Still others network as they do in real life, all business with nothing more personal than an occasional comment about traffic or a lukewarm latte.

I am not a fan of issuing rules around social networking. It is not one size fits all. You will use the tools to fit your purpose and personality. However, if you are considering the “kind-of, sort-of” model I have described here then be prepared for others to refuse to play. If you really want to connect and you’re a little shy, just stand next to me, I’ll hold your hand and introduce you to my friends.

How do you balance networking with privacy? Any tips to share with new networkers?