Responding to online criticism – Reputation Management Part 2
The Air Force Response Assessment provides “best practices” for dealing with online criticism to manage your brand reputation. The first step is identifying the type of person the website owner, blogger, reviewer, or forum poster is from among four choices defined by AFRA.
The first category is the Internet Troll, or “troll.”
An Internet Troll is an individual who operates a website or blog that is predominately dedicated toward bashing and degrading other people and/or businesses. A “troll” also frequents forums, writes reviews, and “trolls” other channels to spread his wrath.
Trolls are easy to identify. They hate nearly everything, carry themselves with an air of self-importance, and appear to have an inordinate, perplexing even, amount of time to devote toward spreading their stink.
If a Troll is criticizing you, your business, or your book, the AFRA recommends ignoring the Troll completely. Trolls thrive on whatever attention they receive, and the amount of attention they are probably receiving is very minor, in the overall scheme of things.
Next we’ll discuss the Internet “Rager.”
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