| In your quest to determine the necessity or superfluity | | | | think that since it came out in the last year that he |
| of hiring a reputation management company, take the | | | | beat his famous girlfriend, Rihanna, that his search |
| time first to recognize its prevalence and also to | | | | results would be overwhelmingly negative. |
| recognize where it has been successful and where it | | | | Type "Chris Brown" into the Google search box, |
| has not. | | | | however, and almost, if not all, of his search results are |
| Think of popular companies or people, type them in to | | | | positive: his website, his music videos, his latest CD, his |
| a search engine, and see what appears. The results | | | | biography. Even an image search yields nothing of the |
| for some would surprise you. | | | | infamous police photos of a beaten Rihanna on the |
| First, type "Starbucks" into the Google search engine. | | | | first page. |
| The first few websites that appear are either the | | | | The negative websites still exist, and one can find |
| company's official sites or relatively positive ones. | | | | them as they look at the fifth, sixth, and seventh |
| However, even on the first page and especially on the | | | | search page results, but studies show that there is only |
| next couple of pages, you will find anti-Starbucks | | | | a 10% chance that anyone will look beyond the third |
| websites, forums, and blog posts. Such a high-profile | | | | page of search results. |
| company is bound to be a target for disgruntled | | | | Online reputation management has undoubtedly |
| employees or customers unsatisfied with their | | | | flooded the internet with positive websites about the |
| product--or its price. | | | | controversial singer. |
| Starbucks does not seem to have any reputation | | | | As you research reputation management companies, |
| management strategy--at least, if they do, not a | | | | take the time to see for yourself its effects on various |
| successful one. | | | | companies and individuals. It doesn't hurt to be a little |
| Wal Mart is another example of a company | | | | more educated on it. The key, it would seem from this |
| apparently not too concerned with reputation | | | | brief exploration, is to generate enough positive search |
| management. A Google search on the company yields | | | | results to push the negative ones further back than |
| a mixture of results, from its official website to | | | | searchers are willing to look. |
| websites dedicated to stopping the Wal Mart | | | | Talk to your reputation management company about |
| movement, all on the first couple of pages. | | | | their strategies for creating your company's positive |
| In contrast, take popular singer Chris Brown. One might | | | | online image. |