Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online (Paperback)

by Andy Beal (Author), Judy Strauss (Author)
Key Phrases: action plan worksheet, purple cow, multimedia palette, Second Life, Super Bowl, Jeff Jarvis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The explosion of social media blogs, social networking sites, and video sharing sites has ushered in a new era of digital transparency that puts the power to enhance or destroy a reputation in the hands of the consumer. This timely and practical book shows you how to harness the power of social media with crucial, proven tactics and strategies for every phase of online reputation management. Using step-by-step instruction and tested techniques, the expert authors unveil a detailed blueprint for building, managing, monitoring, and repairing your reputation.

From the Back Cover
People Are Talking About You Online

What are they saying? How do you find out? How do you respond? And how can you use the conversation to your benefit?

The explosion of social media—blogs, social networking sites, video sharing sites—has ushered in a new era of digital transparency that puts the power to enhance or destroy a reputation in the hands of the consumer. This timely and practical book shows you how to harness the power of social media with crucial, proven tactics and strategies for every phase of online reputation management.

Using step-by-step instruction and tested techniques, the expert authors unveil a detailed blueprint for building, managing, monitoring, and repairing your reputation. They detail important public relations, search engine optimization, research, and online content creation strategies and provide a seven-step action plan so that you can develop the skills necessary to monitor and manage your reputation. You'll learn how to:

• Navigate the new rules of engagement in a transparent world

• Define who you are and develop your personal or corporate brand

• Create positive PR buzz with your online content

• Gain visibility in web search results and harness SEO tools

• Understand the pros and cons of e-mail before you hit "Send"

• Use the latest Internet tracking methods and understand how information spreads online

• Apply solid strategies for reputation repair when things go wrong

This is sure to become the definitive guide for members of any company or group who want to join and shape the often brutally honest conversation across social media about their brands, products, and people."
—Tom Giles, Editor, Technology & Science, BusinessWeek.com

This is an indispensable guide to managing your reputation online. With compelling case studies and tools to use right now, it's a must-read and a surefire wake-up call!"
—Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, Chief Reputation Strategist, Weber Shandwick

Radically Transparent illuminates a path that leads to an engaging conversation with your customers. Read this book so that you can participate, measure, and influence what others are saying about you."
—Bryan Eisenberg, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?

Branding has evolved from a one-way monologue to a two-way conversation. It's vital you know the strategies needed to join the conversation and build your radically transparent reputation."
—John Battelle, national bestselling author of The Search

One of the best written books I've seen on a vitally important topic: the underbelly of transparency in the age of Google. How do you control your digital identity when everything is findable online? Read this engaging book for practical, persuasive answers."
—Debbie Weil, author of The Corporate Blogging Book

In this new world of instant connection and networked customers, understanding what people are saying about your company, your products, and your competitors is vital for business success. Reputations, like trust, are built over time, but can be destroyed in an instant. Follow carefully what this book says—the career you save might be your own!"
—David L. Sifry, founder and Chairman, Technorati, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Sybex (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470190825
• ISBN-13: 978-0470190821
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,395 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Radically Great Read , March 1, 2008

By	David Saunders "704 947 8048" (Huntersville, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am an internet marketing professional and seem to buy way too many "SEO Books" from Amazon - they all get resold as I lose interest and find nothing inspiring in them.

This book is by far the best read since John Battelle and The Search

For those of you that really want to enhance your online reputation (and don't we all?) this is a must read.

Some great examples of big companies needing "damage repair" after a blog post and some of the ways great companies have repaired their damage.

Let's face it the Internet gives us citizen journalism and all the brutally frank criticisms that can bring from an average Joe.

If you're into online PR and being Radically Transparent you should by this book and unlock the power of your walled garden

David Saunders
Charlotte NC

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Turn By Turn Map To Social Media Effectiveness In Your Business, May 13, 2008

By	Dave Lakhani "BoldApproach.com" (Boise, ID United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What I love about this book is the way it is laid out in a step by step process that leads you from confusion to clarity in the use of social media in business today. Be aware, this is not a book about blogging even though they discuss is a lot, it is a book about all social media and the precise steps you can take to begin and continue influential conversations that can change the face of your business.

The book lays out a clear path for becoming transparent in your business and leverages really good examples to demonstate how it has been done effectively . . . and points out the pitfalls and traps that exist if you don't follow a sound process.

You'll literally go through this book chapter by chapter and implement it one step at a time and to that extent the book will keep you busy for quite a while.

My only criticism is that I wish it had an addendum to cover the very latest technologies and talk about implementing those, so I'm hoping for a quick follow on book. Groundswell did fill some gaps but this book is much more usable for businesses that want to implement the technology and create the conversations themselves.

Excellent book for understanding social media. A must read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Andy Beal--A leading authority on online reputation management, March 3, 2008

By	Patricia Skinner "Patricia Skinner, Wellwritt... (USA) - See all my reviews

I've been online for well over a decade and from the very beginning I've been passionate about online marketing. I congratulate myself that fairly early on I identified Andy Beal as someone who could teach me a lot about online marketing in all its guises. He has validated my opinion consistently over the years.

His latest book, Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online, co-authored with Judy Strauss, is quite simply a masterpiece. This is a reference work that is highly informative and immensely valuable even for an experienced online professional. For the rest of us it's a tome that's simply not-to-be-missed.

Managing your online reputation is a fairly new problem. If you've suddenly realized that being pro-active about it is essential, you are on the fast track to success. But how do you manage your online reputation effectively? Beal and Strauss provide you with absolutely the latest and best knowledge to take your reputation management strategy in hand.

Whether you want to establish your brand or counter a smear campaign that's affecting your bottom line, this is definitely THE book for you to buy.

Learn how to use no-cost social marketing tactics to launch yourself as an expert, and see how you can turn negativity around to reflect positively on your business.

You need this knowledge now if you're to stay ahead of the game.