Online reputation management for politicians is hard to accomplish for a variety of reasons. It has taken a long time for the web to feature in mainstream political campaigns.
It is evident from the tactics in the US primaries and in the recently ended London mayoral elections where twitter, Facebook, paid search and SEO all played their part.
While many politicians still have a long way to go before they master the medium, it is importance cannot be overlooked. It is a fact that the electorate is increasingly turning to the web to research candidates, their parties and their policies.
Given the increasing reliance on searching for candidates, their online reputations are becoming ever more valuable. Search for your most favorite or least favorite politician and you will most likely find a motley collection of results including old dirt dug up by opponents years ago that has ceased to be relevant.
There are a number of reasons why online reputation management is particularly difficult for politicians. Politicians are naturally controversial and need to be in the limelight all the time. It is pointless asking them to keep away from the glare.
There are specific opponents to politicians and they are often prepared to play dirty to score some brownie points. The attacks are perpetual and the partisan press ensures that there are steady streams of negative write-ups.
Politics often spills over in the public arena. Public scrutiny means that any minor indiscretion on the part of a politician is easily blown out of all proportion. Journalists, opponents and political foes have incentives to dig for dirt.
Handling the politician reputation issues can be tough and sensitive. Newspapers and media are powerful mouthpieces and they are not only typically partisan, but also have powerful websites that are well-liked by Google. So any negative stories tend to naturally rank well for the individual’s name in search results.
Of course, this is not to say that politicians should stick their heads in the sand and wish the problem, will disappear on its own. In fact it makes it more crucial to constantly monitor their online reputation and develop strategies for dealing with issues already in the public eye and any future crises.
Remember that a bad online reputation could cost you the election. Newspaper and television journalists will be over enthusiastic to publish or broadcast negative stories. Today anyone with a grudge and computer access can defame and destroy a candidate’s reputation from the anonymity of a remote keyboard.