| Online reputation management or ORM, is the process | | | | buyers were given reputations which helped the other |
| of consistently researching and analyzing a person's | | | | users in making decisions regarding the buying and |
| personal, professional, industry or business reputation, | | | | selling of products .Reputation defender was among |
| which is represented by user generated content and | | | | the first website companies to offer management of |
| all kinds of online media. Online reputation management | | | | online reputations. Another company which made early |
| is also known as online reputation monitoring. | | | | efforts to promote online reputation management on |
| Online reputation management is a new industry. But it | | | | personal level was ClaimID. A few other online |
| has successfully attracted the consciousness of | | | | reputation management tools are trackur, Google |
| professionals due to the unpredictable and sometimes | | | | alerts and Brandseye. |
| overwhelming nature of amateur user generated | | | | Examples of online media monitored by ORM are: |
| content or journalistic contents by professionals. This | | | | 1) Social networks like Facebook, Orkut , Myspace etc. |
| industry is growing due to the large number of user | | | | 2) Review sites like epinions and Mouthshut. |
| friendly social media websites which can easily | | | | 3) Sites which allow to review an individuals like |
| accessed by filling up a simple registration form. | | | | personratings dot com |
| The type of online content to be monitored by ORM | | | | 4) Social Bookmarking websites like Digg and |
| includes professional content sponsored by big media | | | | Stumbleupon. |
| giants as well as user generated contents like blogs, | | | | 5) Blogs |
| reviews, comments, ratings and all types of specialized | | | | 6) Discussion forums etc. |
| websites regardless of any subject like group, | | | | 7) Blogging communities like opendiary, livejournal etc |
| company, person, trend, concept, event etc. | | | | 8) Micro blogs like twitter, plurk etc |
| Basically, the need for management of user generated | | | | Reputation management can be beneficial in many |
| media gave birth to online reputation management. | | | | ways. It can help a lot in improving the customer |
| As user generated media increased with rise in social | | | | satisfaction by analyzing the customer`s point of view |
| media and social networking sites, the search results | | | | about a product or a service. ORM can also help in |
| of major search engines were also affected. | | | | accessing the position of your competitor`s product or |
| EBay was one of the earliest and first website | | | | service in the market. You can easily create a list of |
| companies which used the power of user generated | | | | keyword phrases which are used to find your product |
| media feedback. By using CGM (consumer/user | | | | or services on the internet. |
| generated media) feedback rating the sellers and | | | | |