Reputation Management and Politics
Being an election year, we’re already starting to see the mud slinging and attacks on character that candidates resort to in order to get a leg up on their competition. Instead of focusing on their own merits, political candidates often take to destroying the reputation of their competition in an effort to win over the public. I’ve never been a fan of this winning by being the least awful approach to political races, but it does serve as a good reminder to keep an eye on what we’re doing online.
It is obviously tempting to focus on your competition’s weaknesses – it is much easier to get people’s attention this way. However, is that how you want to gain support or customers? By being the lesser of two evils? Although it may be more difficult and time consuming, it is always best to gain supporters with transparency and credibility. Be prepared to defend yourself, but don’t do it by slinging mud at your competition. All this does is make you both look bad.
Opponents will try everything from fake reviews and news articles to sensationalized blog posts and social media profiles. Also known as character assassinations or smear campaigns, dirty political practice has been happening since the beginning of time. With the increasing popularity of social media, these attacks have gotten less blatant and more effective. Often, politicians will hire consultants who take care of the mud slinging supposedly without the politician’s knowledge. This keeps the politician clean, while casting doubt on their competition, regardless of how outlandish the attack may be.We all know that political elections are some of the most underhanded, dishonest campaigns in history. Candidates often favor smear campaigns and reputation attacks over focusing on their own merits. Sadly, a candidate who does not point out the flaws in the competition is often eliminated early in the game, as bad press garners more attention than good.How can you keep yourself from being the victim of such an attack? Unfortunately, you can’t always keep clear of underhanded competition. You can minimize the damage, however. Keep your nose clean. Don’t do anything that you don’t want anyone finding out about. Do more good than bad. Let your merits speak for themselves, but don’t be afraid to let people know what you’re up to when you’re doing good.
Opponents will try everything from fake reviews and news articles to sensationalized blog posts and social media profiles. Also known as character assassinations or smear campaigns, dirty political practice has been happening since the beginning of time. With the increasing popularity of social media, these attacks have gotten less blatant and more effective. Often, politicians will hire consultants who take care of the mud slinging supposedly without the politician’s knowledge. This keeps the politician clean, while casting doubt on their competition, regardless of how outlandish the attack may be.We all know that political elections are some of the most underhanded, dishonest campaigns in history. Candidates often favor smear campaigns and reputation attacks over focusing on their own merits. Sadly, a candidate who does not point out the flaws in the competition is often eliminated early in the game, as bad press garners more attention than good.How can you keep yourself from being the victim of such an attack? Unfortunately, you can’t always keep clear of underhanded competition. You can minimize the damage, however. Keep your nose clean. Don’t do anything that you don’t want anyone finding out about. Do more good than bad. Let your merits speak for themselves, but don’t be afraid to let people know what you’re up to when you’re doing good.
