4th
Reputation and where it's going
So I’ve been putting a lot of spare cycles into a space that I feel is coming up to a place that means something; Reputation Management. To date, startups and big companies alike have PR folks, community managers and customer service. These all serve a specific purpose. PR people push the message the company wants out. Community managers deal with the properties and tools that the company has. Customer service deals with people that are pissed off and telling them about it. What about all of the conversation and data that’s just… out there… about a company? What about all those folks? Why can’t I find out what people are saying ABOUT my company, not TO my company (or that I’M saying ABOUT my company). Ah, great question. Maybe there’s an answer. :)
It extends to personal brand, too, which is becoming increasingly important as we go to a more micro world. Individuals name and reputation means something when you go from venture to venture, partner to partner, on a yearly or quarterly basis. What do people think and say about you? Don’t know? Is that a good thing? :)