Repairing your Online Reputation 101 | Part 6

Repairing your Online Reputation 101 – Part 6

So, what about the little guy?  We can understand Tiger Woods and his attempts to repair his online image.  We can understand BP Oil, and their need to overcome a bad image.  But small business owner, does he/she have the right to defend them selves?  For example, what about the small therapeutic boarding school owner, or educational consultant? Let’s say there is an organization that does not like what you do for a living and believes that it is their duty to shut you down.  Let’s say this organization manages a website and their cause is to destroy an industry, your industry (troubled teen programs/services).  Let’s say that you are one of many businesses lumped into one big attack.  Let’s say this organization has taken liberty to label ALL programs for troubled teens to be corrupt, and they make it their business to defame you, fabricate stories about you, with the intent to harm your operation.  Should you have the right to defend your self?  Should you be chastised for defending your name and your cause?  I would say that you are the perfect candidate for reputation repair and you have every right to defend your name and business.  Moreover, I want to help!

Now, let’s explore a hypothetical scenario and put some meat to our topic, something that has significant meaning.  Let’s say that you have hired a couple of people to fill vital roles for your therapeutic program.  Let’s say that during the hiring process they didn’t reveal past issues that would make them look bad, and perhaps if you knew about these past issues you wouldn’t have hired them.  In essence, they hide some things from their past that they should have revealed to you during the interview process.  Now, let’s say there is a group that is targeting your industry and this group digs up these past issues.  Let’s say this organization broadcasts to the entire world that your Executive Director has a criminal history.  Let’s say that your Executive Director has been arrested and convicted of Spousal Abuse and Domestic Violence.  Ouch!  And, you find out through this group that your Director of Community Outreach has been investigated for “Adult Abuse” and the case was substantiated.  Meaning, one of your key employees was guilty of abusing his elderly parent’s.  Let’s say these claims are true, but there are circumstances that could/should be heard so that additional information would shine a different light upon their criminal records?

If this type of private information was broadcasted by the organization that has the agenda to harm your business they could do a great deal of damage to your employees, your business, and to everyone involved.  What if the Spousal Abuse was 25 years ago and there was not injury involved?  And since that time your key employee has served as an advocate for abused women, dedicating his entire life to end domestic violence?  Would it be important to “fill in the blanks” and give the whole story?  What if the Elderly Abuse was really only a record keeping snafu (no harm whatsoever happened to the elderly people in question)?  Should you have the right to defend your key people?  Or, should their careers be ruined and lose their jobs? Don’t you think we all have the duty to protect our reputation as well as those we care about?  Or, is it wrong to defend yourself, and defend your life’s work, keeping your dignity intact despite those who would use your past in a way to distort the real story?  Well, the good news is that I have never been arrested for anything, and I do not have any substantiated claims of abuse (thank God).  But what if there was a person who made these claims about people you employee, and these are good people.  Don’t they deserve your support?  Defending the reputation of your therapeutic business, the careers of your employees, and your own name is our right, duty, and responsibility.

In order to stay in business you must protect your name, your copyright, and your image.  If you don’t you may suffer catastrophic consequences.  At the same time you are naive if you listen to people who tell you not to counter the cyber attacks.  If you don’t respond with a strong rebuttal you are conceding that the fabrication is true. The truth is that one hundred negative reviews from a biased group that has targeted an entire industry cannot possibly tell the true story.  The truth is that we owe it to ourselves, and each other to defend our reputations, and defend our industry, and in doing so we give all people an opportunity to make their choice without fear or coercion.

Even if there might be some truth to a negative comment about you or your key people it has no bearing on your right to present a different view.  Since the Internet is a business/marketing venue you have every right to rebut the negative review, thus providing a positive balance to the negative views. I have, in fact, hired two individuals that had criminal pasts.  One had been convicted of Spousal Abuse, and the other carried with them a substantiated Elderly Adult Neglect charge.  But in each circumstance there were mitigating factors, and had there not been a valid defense these incredible people would have been viewed in a way that does not reflect the whole story.  If you are a smart businessperson you will take the negative comments to heart, but make a statement of defense.  If you don’t ever one looses.

Remember, no person or business is liked or appreciated by everyone, and everyone who has ever stepped out to do something special will always be a target.  Microsoft, Apple, AT&T, Verizon, Fox News, CNN, and Rush Limbaugh are all organizations that have their defenders and distracters.  And each one of them Market themselves in the best light, attempting to keep their customers base while recruiting new clients.  I never hear anything about BP Oil, or GM, or Fannie Mae… They have all worked hard to restore their reputations and they should be applauded for doing so.

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