Following my last submission on United Airlines as an example of the damage caused to an organisation's reputation by negative online submissions, YouTube again provides the basis for a credibility attack on a large corporate by an individual.

Comcast are the largest provider of cable services in the USA with 46 million clients spread over video, internet and voice.



This posted video of one of their installers asleep in a client’s home on the homeowners couch drew over 1.5 million views, and another YouTube video that plays damming evidence of an ‘actual’ help desk call to Comcast drew over 250,000 views and is rising daily.

True or not (and they are easily faked – videoing someone’s legs that purports to be a Comcast Technician is believed without question), they produce a growing snowball of damage to the businesses customer service reputation in a wholly client centric business.

In natural search on Google for ‘Comcast customer service’, 6th through 16th search responses, bar 2, were negative. This is a very poor look for a major US Corporate as half the first page of Google is negative.

As these submissions were not subject to any vetting procedure or authentication, a direct response to these posts could inflame the situation or encourage the individual to become a giant killer and earn martyr status.

On the face of it, a technician asleep on a clients couch is stunningly poor client service – BUT THERE ARE NO CHECKS TO SEE IF IT'S TRUE PRIOR TO PUBLICATION.

There are no verification processes for online submissions, there are no broadcast standards authorities - as in television, and therefore the corporate standpoint should be to employ a specialist Online Reputation Management business to monitor and suppress this type of attack.

This will force a lower ranking on the negative material taking them out of view of at least the first page of a search engine.

So, if you are, or could be, subject to Online Reputation damage you have to invest in finding the submissions as they are posted and then act swiftly to negate their presence.

Andrew Scott
Director
FourthMedia

www.onlinereputationmanager.co.nz