Teenagers are not the only ones who have to worry about getting their reputations smeared via an Internet blog, forum or social-networking Web site, although for them, it’s usually a lot more personal. Government agencies also are the frequent targets of scurrilous online attacks. However, the figurative bull’s-eye on the government’s collective back is a lot bigger than any teenager’s.
With its countless offices, employees and policies that touch most aspects of everyday life, there are millions of potential lightning rods for online criticism from people with axes to grind. No matter what the original cause for complaint, these diatribes all eventually come down to that convenient shorthand — “the government” is to blame.
Government officials aren’t able to respond to every online smear, but doing nothing is not a good plan, said Andy Beal, an Internet marketing consultant at Marketing Pilgrim and co-author of the book “Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online.”
Beal, who has advised numerous large companies on how to protect their online images, spoke to Federal Computer Week about the special risks and challenges the government faces in the no holds-barred world of social media and what public officials can do to use these tools to their advantage.
FCW: You have consulted with companies that have thousands and even millions of customers. It could be said that the U.S. government has 300 million citizen customers, plus billions of others around the world whose lives can be affected by U.S. policies. How should government officials decide what online comments and discussions to respond to? Beal: In the book, we talk about the keys to identify how to determine when to respond. The first issue is: Who is the detractor? If it’s someone important or influential, then that’s a sign that you need to respond. If it’s just a regular Joe who started a blog and really doesn’t have influence with other people as to how you’re perceived, then maybe you don’t need to jump in. If it starts out as a small conversation, but it spreads quickly and other people are talking, then it’s like a virus. It can spread widely from one platform to another. Then you have to jump in before it starts getting too big.
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