Shaping Your Reputation

This pdf file points out that Americans are taking their love of ranking and reviewing to the internet in huge ways. From the report:

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has found that 26% of adult internet users in the U.S., more than 33 million people, have rated a product, service, or person using an online rating system. These systems, also referred to as "reputation systems," are online applications that allow users to express their opinions and read opinions posted by other participants.

The data, collected as part of a tracking survey conducted in May and June, provide new evidence that a substantial number of internet users exploit the two-way communication feature of the internet. The findings also add to the picture we have about the substantial number of Americans who contribute content to the online commons.

Points out the importance of shaping the reputation of your brand, product or company doesn't it? One of the best ways to shape the reputation of your offerings is to establish a corporate blog. A blog will help put a personality to your company. While voice and personality are important knowing what to do with your blog and how to do it is important also. Consider outsourcing your blog. That enables you to shorten the learning curve and bring experience to your blog from day one. You don't film your own TV commercials do you? You outsource them. You should do the same with your corporate blog.

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