Online Libel
Participation online is available to everyone who has connectivity and being able to ‘have your say’ is an empowering opportunity. But what if what someone wants to say puts your reputation on the line?
Reputation management is important. Tracking your company name and that of your key employees is part of any online marketing campaign. You can control all your online output but you cannot control the public’s response. Ignoring it could cost you your reputation and as we know, in business reputation is everything.
A recent libel case has highlighted the potential damage that an individual can do. In an unprecedented case, Michael Keith Smith, a member of the UK Independence Party, was awarded £10,000 in damages against Tracy Williams a contributor of a Yahoo! discussion group that called Mr Smith a sexual offender, a nonce, a racist bigot and a Nazi.
In Mr Smith’s case, the judge was probably right when he said that few people would have read the comments made by Ms Williams. In fact more people will be curious about her allegations now that the case has gone to court.
Unlike newspapers where there are only a few publications with a large readership the online environment is vast. Anyone can post anonymously online whether it is in a blog, a chartroom, message board or any of the social networking sites and whilst most comments are usually quickly forgotten others can go viral and spread across the internet within minutes.
Some sites are set up specifically to attract comments about others. Ratemyteachers.com, for example, encourages visitors to give their teachers scores for easiness, helpfulness and clarity. It also leaves space for comments.
Getunvanished.com is a new site still in its beta stage which allows people to leave comments about their bosses. This has important implications for businesses not just for individuals.
During regular checks in search engines for your company name, brand or members of your team can help to nip things in the bud. Setting up Google Alerts is useful too and takes the donkey work out of doing regular searches yourself. Reputation management is also a service that can be provided. Propero Digital can help to keep your company name healthy online.
The Smith case may have set a precedent for libellous online comments. Up till now there has been a great freedom of speech afforded to us all but as with any freedom it can be abused. Of course libel laws have always been there but perhaps people will think twice about making online claims that they cannot substantiate.
Tags: online comments, online libel, Propero Digital, reputation management