Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets are abuzz with comments about last nights GOP presidential primary debate. CNN Chief National Correspondent and debate moderator John King 
opened the debate with a very personal, targeted question, aimed at recent news stories concerning Gingrich’s personal life and his ex-wife. Gingrich fired back and called into question John King, CNN, and other media outlets, calling the question “despicable”. Audience members gave Gingrich a standing ovation when he stated “And I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that.” Gingrich went on to excoriate John King and denied the allegations. He finished by drawing comparisons between “elite” media treatment of current president Barak Obama and republicans such as himself and the other GOP contenders. Within seconds, King, Gingrich and CNN were hot topics on social networks. Terms like Clashed, Spanked, Owned, Hammered were used to describe Newt’s response to the questioning as well as many phrases we would dare not repeat on our G-rated blog. What I wanted to call into focus is that CNN and John King are dealing with a bit of a reputation management issue. There has been enormous back-lash from the way he opened the debate last night and it will be interesting to see how they handle it.
What if John King Worked for You?
The threat of defending your company’s brand or reputation from some form of negative press on the Internet is a very real danger. Maybe someone posted an unfavorable review on Google Places, wrote a negative blog post about your services, or even caught the brunt of a pointed retort from a Presidential hopeful. In any scenario, what are some ways that you could handle the situation and avoid negative brand attention via social media? First, it’s important that you are actually engaging your online community. Being active through various social media channels and on a blog helps paint a positive picture of your brand. It also helps build your social community which impacts your reach if and when you do respond to negative attacks on your reputation. Second, it’s important to quantitate the reach of the attack? Dealing with negative reviews on Yelp for instance is easier than dealing with the negative 
implications of posting pictures of yourself on Twitter (i.e. Anthony Weiner) and then lying about it. Third, it’s important to respond with objective truth. You are trying to build brand reputation and tweeting or sharing customer testimonials, industry praise or even positive videos. While this list is not comprehensive, it’s a great start. Have you had to deal with an attack on your brand or your personal reputation? How did you manage your engagement? Were you successful? We would love to hear your opinions both on the debate last night or on your personal experiences in this area.
The post John King, Newt Gingrich and Social Media’s Impact on Reputation appeared first on Online Potential | Gainesville Fl Internet Marketing.
