Just noticed a special investigation on CNN as I was walking through our building?s lobby and it appears the presidential candidates are finally entering the realm of Reputation Management. Well more like disaster control since I assume they never considered they could actually get negative publicity on their websites. But now it appears someone has gotten in and posted their opinions. Of course each side is claiming the other side conducted a malicious attack and they certainly might be right. Or they?re thinking someone could have hacked the site. It really doesn?t matter because either way this is another perfect example of why reputation management is such a critical component of anyone?s SEO strategy. I have long been a proponent of representing politicians but convincing them of the importance has been a quite a struggle. Fortunately, Max Cleland has long been a family friend (Max was the former Secretary of State for Georgia and a former U.S. Senator) so I have been able to spend a little time with him discussing one?s online reputation. From our discussions it really boils down to that same old adage that politicians are typically older and don?t realize or accept the full power of the internet and the role it can play in building someone up or tearing them down. But after a few conversations and some time taking him through a few of the reputation sites and discussing some case studies I think he is slowly becoming a believer. I?ll keep an eye on the CNN?s special investigation to see how this all plays out?
Christian R.