HopLite Online Reputation Management

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Find the Answers to Common Questions...

When it comes to dealing with ORM, everyone always has questions; usually very good ones -- we have answers. That's why we've created a list of the most common things people ask about and made it available here. So you may be surprised you might find out what you're looking for without having to go very far. Feel free to browse below. These are just a small number of the ways we can help at HopLite when ORM problems strike.





Is it True That Damaging Content Stays on the Internet Forever?

Let’s say you yourself posted it on one of your own social media pages, perhaps in a moment of haste, of bad judgment, or by accident. Then, to get rid of it, all you have to do is delete the content. The internet is simply a collection of computers, and, like all computers, if a file containing a picture no longer exists because you deleted it, it cannot be accessed by other people. So, as long as the content exists in only one spot (that is, there are not multiple copies of the picture in multiple places), and you have full access to it, you can delete it, and over time, it should also disappear from Google search results (although it takes about a month or so for that to happen). This is true for all types of content, web pages, specific sections of webpages, videos, music (etc.).

However, the content can also be controlled by others, and this is where it can become a problem. Let’s say that same picture was taken and posted on the social media account of some person who has an unwarranted grudge against you. The content is now controlled by them -- to remove it from the internet, the required action would be the same, to physically delete the content (again, this is true for all types of content), but since this person has a grudge against you, they refuse to delete it out of spite, and since you have no control over their internet accounts, you cannot get access to it, which is necessary to remove it. This is generally what people mean when they say the internet is “forever”; however, that statement is not entirely true, if you control the content, then you can absolutely remove it.

Another practical example of this is if your name comes up in an unflattering newspaper article, such as if you were involved in a minor disturbance of the peace many years ago and the local paper wrote an article about the event, and now, many years later after the event, when people search for your name that article comes up. This is definitely unflattering, but the problem is not the content itself, it’s that you do not control the content. Newspapers are notorious for keeping meticulous online records of every article they ever write (it is their nature), and it is very difficult if not impossible to get a single article removed or to get them to print a correction or retraction, even if it was proven after the fact you were not directly involved.

Lack of control over content is also a major problem for damaging comments or articles written about businesses, as such content is almost always posted by others with some kind of grudge against them or out of spite for past service they perceived to be negative. Or sometimes by others just for the purpose of being mean. Such online content can be extremely harmful.

So things on the internet are not “forever,” it simply depends on who controls them. However, even if you do not control the content of an unflattering posting or article about you or your business, it is still possible to deal with it and reclaim your Online Reputation. A targeted ORM Campaign can generate new and positive content, suppressing the negative material, and making sure no one sees the offending information again. If you need help with unflattering or unwanted online content, as a business or individual, give HopLite a call. We can help, and get you back on the road to reputation success. Find out how we can make a difference for you!


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