Andy’s Answers: Online crackpots, fake reviews and stealth competitors

Sooner or later, you’ll run into someone who hates your guts. They attack, you offer to fix it, and the person keeps tearing into you. Sometimes, you’ll find a competitor using sneaky tactics such as using fake identities to attack you. And some folks are just plain angry, mean, dishonest, and totally nuts. That’s OK, because the important part is that you’re not.

What to do:

  • Post a single, rational response — and move on. This is really, really hard. But it’s the right thing to do. Learn to have a thick skin and a sense of humor.
  • Ask for blatantly inaccurate stuff to be removed. If an obviously inappropriate attack is posted on a third-party Web site, the site owners might help you out. It’s in their interest to have clean, fair reviews and discussions.
  • Remember that blogs are upside down. Blogs are displayed in reverse chronological order. How you end the story is what people see first on the permanent record, and newer posts show up first in search results.

Related posts:

  1. Andy’s Answers: How do we get better online product reviews?
  2. Andy’s Answers: How Wal-Mart is engaging massive audiences online
  3. Andy’s Answers: What Google means to your advertising and word of mouth

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