Online Reputation Management: A Simple Guide

The reputation of your business is everything. A great reputation means great scope and opportunities to having a very successful business. A bad reputation will mean less new business and can jeopardise your clients returning to your company. Bad reputation can also suggest a lack of trust and confidence in your company- two things that are vital to a successful business.

It is of paramount importance to manage your reputation across the internet, because if you don’t others will by posting negative feedback tarnishing your name. You can improve your company’s online presence by using the following simple techniques:

Claim Your Territory

First things first, taking ownership of your name is the first priority. Register and purchase all relevant domains and Top Level Domains as well as social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Google+ and so on. Holding the domain and TLDs without social networks leaves a gaping hole in your branding strategy which can have a big impact on your business as a whole.

Use a website like Knowem.com to check the availability of your brand name across hundreds of social media networks.

The Importance Of The Search Engine

One of the most important things to remember is that search engines affectively display your reputation before users even view your website. So if the generated search results are producing negative portrayals of your company, users (potential customers) will most likely be put-off because of these reviews and choose to give their business to your competitors.

Monitor your company by conducting regular search engine tasks to find out how you’re being presented. Remember that most users will only scroll through the first couple of pages so concentrate on those.

Constructive Use to Negative Customer Feedback

It may be difficult to do in some cases but try to benefit from negative reviews and comments. Instead of leaving or eradicating negative feedback, attempt to resolve the issues by contacting the disgruntled or genuinely upset customer and find out how you can turn their negative review into a positive one.

Firstly apologise and then assure them that you are in the process of resolving the issue and would like them to help you do so. Also offer a refund or freebie to help win back the customers confidence and trust.

Google Alerts or Reader

These two are great free tools for keeping an eye on what people are saying about your company on the web. Spend some time setting up specific keywords relevant to your company to ensure you received optimised results.

Revisit Keywords

If you believe you are really suffering from negative reputation management, you may need to re-evaluate your keywords. Changing your keywords may help hide negative feedback and reviews but this is only a temporary measure, not a cure.

Proactive Reputation Management

The main way to positively help your reputation is to establish your company as an authoritative figure as this will provide a variety of benefits (more backlinks, more business opportunities etc). Leaving your credibility aside, you should try to strengthen your search engine rankings by:

• Starting groups/organisations
• Giving free advice by participating in forums/Q&A pages and making guides etc
• Write blogs and guest blogs on popular industry-leading websites
• Try to get as much (positive) media attention as you can- especially local as this will establish you in your community

If these suggestions do not appear to help your company’s online reputation, there may be a more serious underlying issue that needs to be addressed. You may not be wholly comfortable tackling such a serious problem so if you think you are over your head you need to contact a Search Engine Optimisation or reputation management company to effectively manage your company’s reputation.

Harrison Sharp works with SEO Positive, industry leaders in Search Engine Optimisation and online promotions.  The company is UK based.  You can follow Harrison on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Embrace Your Curve: How To Be Comfortable In Your Bikini

Summer is right around the corner, and you might not have the chance to lose weight or tone your abs in time for the season. So what do you do when you have to don that two-piece bikini when you hit the beach and you feel like you don’t have the body to show off?

Well, here are some tips to help you let go of that towel and get those bikini tan lines:

Choose the right bikini for your body type. If you’re really fussy about how your bathing suit looks on you, look up the internet or get the aid of lifestyle magazines for a swimwear that will emphasize your assets and hide your extra flesh. You’ll be amazed how a strategically-placed accessory, design or cut can do wonders to make you look slimmer.

Try your bikini on at home. Look at yourself in the mirror while you’re in your swimsuit: the more you get used to the image of you wearing it, the more comfortable you get wearing your bikini in public.

Check your posture. Some women tend to suck their tummy in to look thinner, but that’s not really necessary.  Practice the correct posture: keep your chin up and don’t slouch. It won’t be long until your posture rubs off on your confidence.

Switch off your negative thoughts. Scan the beach, and you will see that you’re not the only one who doesn’t have the body of a supermodel. Look at some gossip magazines, and you’ll see that even celebrities and socialites have flaws, too. Keep in mind that the term “sexy” does not always equate to great abs, long legs and slim arms; you can have a pot belly and meaty limbs and still look sexy. It’s all about having confidence and esteem in yourself.

Accept compliments. When your husband tells you that you look good in your bathing suit, believe it. It will help you embrace your figure and feel good about yourself. After all, how good you feel also reflects on how well you look.

Think fun. It’s the reason why you’re there, in the first place. Don’t ruin your vacation or deprive yourself of the enjoyment you should be having with your loved ones, just because of what other people think about the way you look. Focus on having fun, and it won’t be long until you’re just shrugging off all those negativities.

Amy C. Fountain is a passionate lifestyle writer who believes that every woman should feel proud of herself. She is also the woman behind the Tabletop Fountains and Home Décor Art websites.

You can follow her on Twitter, and check out her FaceBook Page and Blog to get the latest on home decor.

The Importance of Forgiveness

It is impossible to have a successful long-term relationship without having the ability to forgive. Even the best relationships suffer from hurts on occasion, and it is necessary to learn to deal with these hurts and to truly forgive your partner before your relationship can continue to grow and thrive. The problem is that many people refuse to forgive because they feel that doing so justifies the wrongdoing. Others will use forgiveness as merely words without truly processing their feelings and letting them go.

In reality, forgiveness is more for you than for anyone else. It doesn’t mean you are justifying a wrong that was done to you. Instead, you are making the decision to understand your feelings and to stop holding it against the person you are with. Forgiveness isn’t a once and done thing. Instead, every time the feelings from the past hurt arise, you must forgive again and refuse to let it interfere with your relationship. After a while, you will achieve true forgiveness.

Forgiveness is more important the larger the hurt you experience. The more you care about someone, the more they can hurt you. It is also more important to forgive these same people because they are the ones you care for most. The reason forgiveness is so vital is that your partner cannot do anything to make up for what they have done to wrong you. Instead, you have to make the decision to let the hurt go and move forward.

How to Truly Forgive

The last thing you want is for all the old hurts to come up every time you look at your partner. My sister, who is a pediatric nurse, gave all of these tips to me, because they have helped their relationships. The only way to prevent this from happening, and from ruining your relationship is to get rid of all of your hurt and related negative feelings. That may seem like an impossible task, but it is possible. Here’s what you need to do:

• Journal your feelings. Take the time to journal everything you feel about the hurt and how it has affected you. This is a necessary step because it forces you to truly think about the process of forgiveness instead of simply forgiving because you think you must. Do not dwell on why the other person acted as they did. You are not a mind reader and dwelling on the reasoning can only cause you more hurt.
• Make a choice to forgive. Once you fully understand your feelings and what exactly you are forgiving the other person for, you have to decide in your mind that you want to forgive. Allow yourself time to make the choice. Your choice is in intellectual one, in that you must realize that you have needed forgiveness from others during your life and that you are willing to do away with the hurt in order to grow closer with your partner.
• Remind yourself that you forgave. Every time you remember the old hurt, remind yourself that you decided to not allow it to cause distance in your relationship. Deal with the decision and dismiss the old feelings of hurt until you have truly achieved lasting forgiveness or your partner.

Kara G. loves to write on all things relationships.

It's Friday the 13th .. Again !

Did you know that today Fri 13th July is the 3rd Friday the 13th we’ve had in 2012 ?

For the first time since 1984 these 3 Friday the 13ths (Jan 13th, April 13th & July 13th) are exactly 13 weeks apart !!  Accordingly to an article ‘5 Facts About Friday the 13th’, such a rare triple-threat occurs only once every 11 years.  Although mind you, 2009 had 3 x Friday 13th and now so does 2012.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I’ve never really given Fri the 13th much thought – it’s just another day for me and it helps that I’m not particularly superstitious.

I’ve had a super relaxing day catching up with a university mate over divine white wine sangrias on a gorgeous terrace in the Old Port of Montreal.

Then I went over to my old stomping ground at university and had the best (dessert) meal ever !! A plate of ‘achta’ (pronounced ‘ah-sh-tah’; Lebanese clotted cream, similar to Ricotta cream cheese) with bananas, strawberries, almonds, and honey with a fresh fruit juice.

So – how has your Friday the 13th been ? Do you believe that one gets bad luck on this day ?  What has your luck been like today ?

Does Your Shirt Say Something About You?

Image by: Taz

The Psychology of Clothes

In a hoard of people, you’ll hear one or two voices arguing for the irrelevance of clothes and appearance: “Don’t judge a book by its cover!” “Looks don’t matter!”

I’m averse to being shallow here, but I’ve got to say it: Looks do make a difference. I’m not too scared of saying that though because secretly everyone knows it’s true.

I’m not saying that I have categories of ‘looks’ that I will and won’t accept. It’s more just recognition that it happens: If I don’t know a person, and I haven’t spoken to them before, of course how they look is going to affect me -  it’s the only thing I have to go on!

But what exactly makes us choose the clothes we do?

Is there a reason why I like blue?

Why do some people go for certain patterns over others?

I’ve found the following explanations for different shirts a man might wear: Do any of these things ring true for you or your partner?

Blue Striped Shirt

This shirt would probably be the easy choice for the majority of my male friends.

Research has found certain colours of blue trigger feelings of calm and some studies have shown people to be calmer and more focused on specific tasks when they’re sat in a blue room.

There’s also something about darker navy shades of blue that beckon notions of dependability and steadfastness: Just think about the number of uniforms you’ve seen of this colour!

And the stripes?

Well, analysts of drawing and those interested in the meaning of shapes have concluded vertical lines associate in people’s minds with ‘masculinity’ itself.

Hard vertical, straight lines are also supposed to represent traits like willpower and self-control.

Could these things explain why the blue striped shirt is such a popular business clothing choice for men?

Pink and Purple Shirts

If you find yourself in a stressful, pretty competitive aggressive working environment, do you think a pink shirt would help?

Well, actually, maybe it would – studies have shown that pink is one of the most pacifying colours there is and may neurologically encourage the calming of aggression.

Some prisons have put this to the test to see if makes a difference to inmates’ behaviour: The prison colour scheme is pink, they sleep on pink, and they dress in pink. You can read more about this here.

Purple: The average person considers purple to be the closest thing to pink there is but actually purple is unique in that it’s supposed to stimulate problem solving areas of the brain.

In the old days, purple was often used in the garb of kings and queens, so many people also read royalty and prosperity into this colour.

The question is, how does purple make you feel?

Grey Checked Shirts

The grey checked shirt is another popular choice amongst mens clothing.

The colour grey in itself, as you can guess, is more than anything a safe, neutral option. It’s associated with the practical, timeless things in life.

Much about grey suggests conservatism, composure and sturdiness – and a desire not to attract too much attention oneself.

Interestingly, the squares of a checked shirt go hand in hand with all this, representing stability and trusted forms.

Like ‘grey’ itself, there’s something about a checked shirt that suggests order, rationalism and a degree of formalism.

Clearly every person is different, and different combinations probably produce different results. I’ve looked at just a few here.

Do you believe in clothes psychology?

Susannah Perez writes blogs for Gagliardi shirts and appreciates seeing high quality, fine-looking clothing for men. She’s also interested in the surreal world of clothes psychology.  Catch her on Twitter now !

Preparing For A Road Trip

It is an excellent time of year to go on a road trip. The temperature at this time of year is decent enough so you can have a pleasurable trip. It is worthwhile planning a road trip well in advance to ensure that your trip is as great as it can be.

I have compiled a list of things to prepare for your road trip.

Planning

Planning is the greatest factor to consider. Your route should be planned well in advance. You will probably have a set period over which you will be going for so to ensure you get as much in as possible plan your route in an itinerary style form so you will have your route and places to visit mapped out in front of you. Never rely solely on a GPS system, they may not be up to date or they could even break so take a road map just in case.

Your vehicle

When heading on a road trip you will be relying heavily on your vehicle. It will need to be great on fuel and be large enough to fit all of your belongings in comfortably. Carry out regular checks of your vehicle and top everything up before you head out including water, windscreen wash, oil and power steering fluid. Also ensure that your tires are inflated sufficiently. It may be worthwhile taking your vehicle for a car service beforehand to ensure it is safe and can be relied upon.

Packing

You will need to consider carefully what you are taking with you. Combine summer clothes with winter clothes, willies and sandals to ascertain that no matter what the weather is like you will be comfortable. Don’t weigh the vehicle down with unnecessary weight because this will bump up the cost of fuel.

Stopping

Ensure to stop regularly and don’t drive when tired. Regular rest breaks to have food, fresh air and time to relax will ensure that you stay well throughout your journey. When you stop never leave belongings on show and always take your most valuable item with you wherever you go. Try not to make your car look like you’re on a road trip – with pillows on show because this shows that you are likely to have other belongings hidden away.

The children

If you are taking the children ensure that they stay entertained by planning some in car games in advance. This will ensure they remain quiet and don’t distract the driver.

With careful consideration to planning and preparation you can be rest assured that your road trip will run smoothly.

Jade is our guest blogger for today. Jade enjoys to travel the UK in her camper van.  You can follow her on Twitter.  For more information about MOT Testing and Car servicing take a look at http://www.uccc.co.uk/home.aspx

MM #85 The Wanted - Glad You Came

This is such a peppy tune ! Very summery, very fun =) I’m not quite sure where I heard it but it’s on my Shazam tag list on my phone

I’m here in Montreal right now – and it’s just how I feel.  I’m glad I came here – my friends are glad that I’m here … It’s all that counts, the here, the now …

Glad you came by here today !

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