What is Your Online Reputation Worth?

If you could put a price on your online reputation what would it be? Would people think it’s too high or too low? Well to answer those questions you don't have to put numbers on them yourself the reviews and comments that people post about your company can tell you the answer.

Too many negative comments and you should know your price is going to be low and there is a lot of improvement needed. A mixture of bad and good means you are on the right track but there is still a lot of work to do to get rid of the negative comments or at least cut them down. If you get a majority of positive comments it is safe to say that you should continue doing what you are doing. Your company is working hard to please customers and they are satisfied with what you are giving them.

Don't rest on your laurels just yet. As long as other companies and businesses have room for improvement they will always be working their way up the ladder in hopes of one day taking your spot. It is the beauty of competition. If we say this company is better than yours and you disagree prove it. Show us why we are wrong and you are right. It will push both companies to bring out the best in each other, with the ultimate winner being the customer.

In today's business world your image and reputation is just as important as the profit you are bringing in, in fact it might be even more important because a bad image or reputation can lead to a profit loss which is never a good thing. Businesses are now putting more emphasis on their reputation not just for profits but for longevity and future earnings.

After 2008 the financial direction has taken a different turn, no longer are you aiming for short returns you now need to make sure what you do today prepares you for tomorrow. In other words each day you are preparing for your future so it is important that you don't do anything to jeopardize it. It is for this very reason I believe we are going to see businesses become more customer centered they now have a clear understanding that the longevity and survival of their company depends on customer satisfaction.

When the customer speaks listen, they are going to be honest and upfront with you. But beyond listening you must take action it will speak louder than anything you do.

Help with Yelp! (and other reviews)

There are dozens of online resources and social networking sites based on user-generated reviews. Yelp is one such site. It is an online urban city guide, assisting users in finding places to eat, drink, shop, play, and much more. Services such as Yelp grant users the ability to search by location or cuisine, providing detailed knowledge of a business before they venture into a store to shop the aisle, or before they reserve a seat at a local bistro. 

There are intricate systems of rating to determine the quality of service, the noise level, decor, prices, coupons, accessibility, menu, taste, and many other categories. Many of these elements can be controlled within the walls of your restaurant, if the menu is lacking, you have the power to change the recipes, if the decor is poor, you could hang new wallpaper.  But, you cannot as easily control or change the virtual appearance and reputation of your restaurant. You can review and approve each bottle of wine that enters the restaurants inventory room, but, how can you review and approve the hundreds of public reviews before they are posted online, spoken on the radio, or published in print?

It only takes one negative review to taint your online reputation. One over-cooked steak, a weak drink, a rainy day that closes your patio seating section. One unsatisfied customer or disgruntled employee. Even a well-meaning patron, attempting to give constructive criticism, could ruin your restaurants onlinereputation. 

A hiccup in your online reputation, such as a negative review on social networking sites like Yelp, can decrease the number of patrons coming through your doors, determine the type and amount of food they order, these sales can affect the type of staff you have the ability to employ, and eventually corrupt your business so deeply that you may be forced to close your doors and lose your dream.

That may sound extreme; it may sound like a mountain being made from a mole hill, the enormous loss of a business from online reviews and ratings. Unfortunately, this scenario is not uncommon and does not unfold slowly. 

You cannot ignore negative reviews; you cannot expect your customers to ignore negative reviews. You must confront them, and confronting negative reviews takes time and patience. It is important to respond to all reviews, negative and positive. Build an open and respectful online dialog between your business and the public.

Coming Up with the Right Domain Name

When first creating your website, there's a lot riding on what you register as the domain name. If a domain name is made too obscure or inappropriate for your site, you've already taken a huge misstep that damages your chances at a successful website. Domain names that are relevant to you site's interest will market your website for you, gathering viewers who are looking for what you offer through search engines. When thinking up your domain name, you should match it with your site's name or purpose and make it easy to remember.

There are many websites who've taken domain names lightly and registered them contradictory to the website's own name. Your domain name should always reflect what your website is based on. If you have a company called Acme Electronics and you're creating a site for the first time, then your domain name should be "www.acmeelectronics.com" or "www.acme.com," something that uses your company or brand name. An obscure domain name that has nothing to do with the name of your site, business or brand, is going to confuse potential viewers and mislead them to another competitor's site.

If you don't exactly have a brand name, then you should concentrate on creating a domain name that is close to whatever interest your website is based on. Although it may be difficult to get a domain name that is incredibly generic like "weather" or "phones," you can still try for a domain name that's as close to the topic as possible. Take whatever unique aspect that separates your site from others that are similar and try to put it in the domain name. This is a good way to distinguish yourself and use your domain name to attract people who are looking for the specific interest you're selling.

Another tip is to make your domain name memorable. A short and simple domain name is always a good route to go, but you shouldn't diverge from your site's focus just to make it short. Not all short domain names are memorable, especially if it is a series of obscure letters or numbers that don't add up to words or phrases. If you must make a longer domain name to ensure its close relation to your site's name and topic, then don't hesitate to do so.

If you need assistance in domain name registration, try out Centel Media™. You can find more information on Centel Media™ homepage.

What Makes Popular Blogs Popular?

The blogging world is crowded and competitive, so finding a way to break away from the pack can be a tremendous hurdle. You can help your own blog by taking a look at some of the more successful blogs on the Internet to see what aspects make them work and how those aspects can improve yours. I'm not telling you to steal all their ideas, but to compare how their appearance relates to your own. If you take hints from others and spin them with your own unique ideas, your blog may find the following you've always wanted.

Many popular blogs have organized their content with the general public's attention span in mind. A common set-up follows close to the way Digg organizes its articles, using boxes with a headline, picture and short description of the article's topic. These boxes are aligned so that a reader doesn't have to strain looking for material to read. Economically sound organization creates a professional feel and provides a reader with all the information necessary for them to decide if the content is worth reading further. If the reader is interested, then they click or tap on the box and are brought to the full article.

Pictures and videos help draw the eye of a reader towards content, which then makes it more likely for them to invest time into reading the material. Many of the more popular blogs accompany pictures and videos with the subject at hand, providing an anchor to capture the interest of a reader. Colorful, bold and creative pictures posted next to an article or post is often the most important selling point to a reader, so make sure to choose your images wisely. Keep pictures and videos clear and on topic in order to utilize them effectively.

The most popular blogs have a professional layout that places links to other sections or topics within the first screen that a page viewer will come into contact with. You mustn't force your readers to search hard for whatever they're looking for, because that will be cause for the viewer to leave and lose interest in returning. Links to other blogs and social media sites are present on all the popular blogs and can help yours spread out to a wider audience.

If blog creation has been a hassle, Centel Media™ has services to help you.

From Fame to Infamy

Being thrust into the public eye can be so overwhelming that keeping up a good image becomes a monumental task. Many famous celebrities have fallen victim to the hyperactive world of fame, finding themselves looked down at as something less than human and in severe cases, end up dead. All the examples of public figures who have fallen from grace share the same downward spiral that dragged them into misery and shame. For those trying to grow a newly found fame, learning from past celebrity mistakes can help you steer clear of trouble and maintain a positive image.

Once a public figure starts down a road of trouble, they often have a difficult time recovering and retaining a stable life. Bad publicity can weigh heavy on those who don't have the right defense, causing depressive symptoms that may lead to irrational acts or drug abuse. Maintaining a strong armor to fend off bad publicity is essential, but if a celebrity's pride becomes too sensitive, they may not handle any negative situation correctly. Helpful friends and family members also add to a strong resistance, but too many celebrities surround themselves with bad influences who just add to their problems.

Further down the road of decline, celebrities begin to cope with excess stress by delving into poor behavior. Drugs are an epidemic in the world of fame, taking hold of many gifted souls with great potential who desperately wish to escape the immense pressure, only to sink deeper. Under the influence, celebrities begin to make bad decisions that lead to a life of crime or public humiliation that further cements their fate. Staying above the hardships and maintaining one's health are the answers to rebound from traumatic events and start the healing process.

Although the tragic cases are numerous, there are also the figures who recovered from drugs or other poor lifestyles to become prominent role models in society. Rehabilitating one's life from severe crisis is an enormous obstacle, but taking one step at a time and holding on to the most important things in life are the keys to reform. With the severe scrutiny that has developed during the Internet Age, it has become more and more difficult to fend off the destructive aspects of fame, but if you have a tough resistance and strong resolve, nobody can bring you down.

Online Reputation, A World Wide Importance

If you're a business owner in the United States, you may think that your online reputation is not going to be relevant in any other country. However, this is not the type of mindset that you should have. Onlinereputation management is an approach that people across the globe are starting to take part of--they are taking the right steps before negative content harms their brand name.

Choosing a firm that will help maintain your online reputation is more of a necessity nowadays, rather than a luxury. Negative content can harm your name at any given point and it does not have any remorse in doing so. A negative online reputation will cost you customers, and you cannot run a successful business if you do not have customers. The United States are the first ones to have an impact and show how important onlinereputation management is. Other nations, such as the UK, are going towards this direction as well.

Centel Media™ is one of the most reputable companies out there for dealing with online reputation management. The experts and professionals working at this company understand the importance of your online reputation and they take the proper measures to build clients a strong and positive online reputation. These are the type of people you want building and working with you in order to achieve a positive online reputation.

Choosing an online reputation management company is not something that you should ignore. It is very easy for your competitors to harm your name by adding negative comments or any type of negative content. Many business owners have taken the steps in hiring an online reputation management company before their name is harmed by negative content. Do not wait and do not give your competitors the upper hand when it comes to your image on the internet.

The reason why online reputationmanagement is important is due to the fact that anyone can Google your name and come up with information regarding your brand. Your business should expand nationwide, or at least have the idea in doing so. That is why it is important to management your brand, or better yet, hire an online reputation management company that can help you build the reputation you want.

Trust in Corporate America

Corporations in America have developed a bad reputation in recent years. Notorious corporate failures that coincided with the country's economic collapse created more distrust between Americans and large corporations. They continue to advertise about their desire to help America grow, take care of their employees and provide Americans with unique and helpful services, but people continue to see corporate Goliaths as poorly-run, uncaring and elitist, taking away much clout from their proclaimed intentions. To regain the trust corporations have lost, they need to understand the faults of past failures and prove, through transparency, that they have learned and want to change old corporate culture.

The distrust starts at the top, with corporate leadership. CEOs and board members are seen as selfish and uncaring for their shareholders and employees. Large paychecks and cushy benefits spoil the image of top-level suits and hinder any progress in regaining the people's trust. Perceived or exposed corruption at the top of big name giants have ruined the image of all corporations and fueled America's anger. A lack of information is the main culprit in this regard, forcing the people to create their own perception of a conglomerate without being given a glimpse of how that company operates.

Further down the chain, a corporation is judged by what product or service it provides. A company without a reasonably priced, quality product will never gain favor from prospective buyers or investors. A bad product shows a lack of respect for the customer and gives the impression that the corporate giant behind the product only cares about cutting corners to save money and protecting their own interests. So, it is critical for companies to back up what they claim and sell something that represents their care for the consumer. Taking the customer's point of view into consideration is vital in recapturing American trust, but without proof that the ways of the corporate world have changed, the wound will never heal.

The people need a sign that corporations truly want to be on their side, not against them. Being truthful and admitting to the things done wrong will show a sense of responsibility and begin to bridge the divide. But, ultimately, Americans want proof. They want to know that companies truly mean what they say. If corporations really want to earn back the trust they lost, then they must give some in return.