should A company fear online reputation? The point of view of Camille Alloing, master of conference in Information Sciences.

“Your brand is not what you say you are, but what Google says about you.” Should we rely on this award to Chris Anderson, a journalist specialised in economy on the internet ? Not necessarily so. “It is necessary to detach from this obsession. The web is primarily a way to understand what our audiences expect of us,” says Camille Alloing, master of conference in information Sciences and communication at the University of Poitiers.

“all of The indicators found on the sites based on factors over which one has no control, continues the researcher. You can just attempt to build its reputation by understanding the mechanisms of the web” .

The habit makes not the monk, but…

To guarantee themselves a good reputation, it is better to a priori pamper its audience and highlight the values of the company. Provided that they are in agreement with the behavior of the company. “For example, is expected of a company that is said to be human, a good after-sales service with a custom response for users”, shows Camille Alloing.

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The face-to-face with the public is indeed in the eyes of all. And it is necessary for the company to get to know him. “The habit does not make the monk, but it helps to go back into the abbey,” image of the researcher. Companies need to understand the “dress code” of the internet users. Some do not hesitate and make use of bloggers to promote their brand in posts on blogs for a fee.

Accept criticism

But what to do when it goes wrong ? In the eyes of the specialist, the cleaners of the web and the companies approach all too often the reputation on the web as a risk. “This is not the only approach possible,” he says. Companies have a hard time to accept criticism, even when it is legitimate. “They qualify quickly the negative messages of users of a troll”, remembers the young man. Therefore, the users who express their opinions are not necessarily polémiqueurs who want to cause conflicts. “People who aren’t happy have every right to express themselves and do not interfere necessarily with the company.”

In the case of Findus, for example, the work of the cleaners didn’t according to the researcher. “They contacted journalists a few months after the case of the horse meat to request the amendment of the title of an article, which has been refused by the editorial staff. The information does not become outdated or erasable with the time, we don’t rewrite the collective memory.”

If the damage is already done, we must therefore be first starting by responding to complaints. “When a person expresses himself, he should be given a response. All the more if it is a negative”, encourages Camille Alloing. The company should put its pride aside, accept the bad judgments and as well improve. “It is necessary to consider its reputation as a starting point and not as a result.”

Attention to the effect Streisand

For the researcher, it is useless to mount on his big horses and move on to the threats, he advises, based on the history of Cyroul. Man, was denounced on his blog with evidence to support, a communication agency that was buying fans on social networks to make up the numbers for his client. “He was threatened by a lawyer’s letter, to which he responded publicly. Many other bloggers have supported and published the text complained on their own blogs for their community. This has given even more visibility to the section,” details Camille Alloing.

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The attempt to appeal to the justice frequently led to the better and no change. At worst, the effect Streisand. A media phenomenon in which the desire to prevent the disclosure of information that we would like to keep hidden triggers the opposite result. It owes its name to the singer and american actress Barbra Streisand. Invoking respect for his private life, the artist had sued in 2003, the author and the webmaster of an aerial photograph of his private estate, calling for $ 50 million. The publication of the proceeding was the result of significantly awareness of the image among Americans, the legal action having made that attract even more attention on this film.