How to Survive an Online Community Horror Story The Guidespot.com Experience Alexandra Friedman - @alexfriedman Facebook.com/Guidespot - @Guidespot

Agenda Online Reputation Management (ORM) Basics Unique ORM Case Study: Guidespot.com The Bob Muntz Experience & Management Lessons Did You Mean: Guideposts & Management Lessons The Flickr Photo Tsunami & Management Lessons Layout Sucks A**: Social Media Comments & Management Lessons Guidespotter Gone Social Subbing Crazy & Management Lessons

Online Reputation Management (ORM) Basics

Unique ORM Case Study: Guidespot.com

The Bob Muntz Experience & Management Lessons

Did You Mean: Guideposts & Management Lessons

The Flickr Photo Tsunami & Management Lessons

Layout Sucks A**: Social Media Comments & Management Lessons

Guidespotter Gone Social Subbing Crazy & Management Lessons

Online reputation management is needed because of user generated media Monitor what is being said about your brand or product, asses the risk, and then react or ignore Well-known tools for basic ORM: Google Alerts, Twitter, Social Mention, Technorati, Feeds, and Google Search Online Reputation Management

Online reputation management is needed because of user generated media

Monitor what is being said about your brand or product, asses the risk, and then react or ignore

Well-known tools for basic ORM: Google Alerts, Twitter, Social Mention, Technorati, Feeds, and Google Search

A free content platform for a community publishing user generated content, where you can build a guide on anything. Combine local listings, maps, text, links, photos, & videos all in one place, and share with your friends or family. - Built with Ruby on Rails - Maturing and supported social community - Over 12,700 guides - Significant online social presence - Substantial incoming social traffic and sharing - Effective & natural SEO, and no SEM campaigns What is Guidespot.com?

A free content platform for a community publishing user generated content, where you can build a guide on anything. Combine local listings, maps, text, links, photos, & videos all in one place, and share with your friends or family.

- Built with Ruby on Rails

- Maturing and supported social community

- Over 12,700 guides

- Significant online social presence

- Substantial incoming social traffic and sharing

- Effective & natural SEO, and no SEM campaigns

Troll: Disruptive, left uncomfortable comments, and spammed users demanding votes and comments Received most complaints New Muntz-related trolls developed High Google rankings for Muntz and Guidespot IP address of Muntz & similar trolls tracked to internal employee The Bob Muntz Experience

Troll: Disruptive, left uncomfortable comments, and spammed users demanding votes and comments

Received most complaints

New Muntz-related trolls developed

High Google rankings for Muntz and Guidespot

IP address of Muntz & similar trolls tracked to internal employee

Reputation was challenged within our own community Manage complaints and acknowledge concern Be transparent in communication If I knew then, what I know now: - Moving forward: Trust intuition, act fast - Community guidelines in place at launch - Develop ghost user feature for trolls - User activity bread crumbs & warnings - Internal mandatory social media policies The Bob Muntz Management Lessons

Reputation was challenged within our own community

Manage complaints and acknowledge concern

Be transparent in communication

If I knew then, what I know now:

- Moving forward: Trust intuition, act fast

- Community guidelines in place at launch

- Develop ghost user feature for trolls

- User activity bread crumbs & warnings

- Internal mandatory social media policies

The First Six Months Google’s search results recommend Guideposts , the largest circulated religious-based magazine ORM challenges: - Search misspellings - High bounce rate and wrong target reach - Lacks optimization, fresh content & activity - Organic optimizing is not immediate Did You Mean: Guideposts?

The First Six Months

Google’s search results recommend Guideposts , the largest circulated religious-based magazine

ORM challenges:

- Search misspellings

- High bounce rate and wrong target reach

- Lacks optimization, fresh content & activity

- Organic optimizing is not immediate

Identity issues within the largest reputation engine Seed organic content before and after launch Active site users interacting and updating content If I knew then, what I know now: - Faster internal content jump-start & maintenance - Extremely active daily blog b/a launch - Social brand domination & activity b/a launch (Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc.) - Submit to directories ASAP - Vivid social sharing tools Did You Mean: Guideposts? Management Lessons

Identity issues within the largest reputation engine

Seed organic content before and after launch

Active site users interacting and updating content

If I knew then, what I know now:

- Faster internal content jump-start & maintenance

- Extremely active daily blog b/a launch

- Social brand domination & activity b/a launch

(Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc.)

- Submit to directories ASAP

- Vivid social sharing tools

Flickr user became a Guidespot hater - Emailed 100 photographers - Created multiple forum posts - Emailed demands to Guidespot HQ - Emailed and insulted Guidespotters Immediate backlash was short term - Blog post moderation - Flickr Forum moderation - Response to photo removal requests The Flickr Photo Tsunami New Layout = linkbacks to where photos were used online

Flickr user became a Guidespot hater

- Emailed 100 photographers

- Created multiple forum posts

- Emailed demands to Guidespot HQ

- Emailed and insulted Guidespotters

Immediate backlash was short term

- Blog post moderation

- Flickr Forum moderation

- Response to photo removal requests

New Layout = linkbacks to where photos were used online

Reputation was challenged within largest photo collaboration site online Manage complaints and fulfill requests within 24 hours React and be transparent – Connect The Flickr Photo Tsunami Management Lessons If I knew then, what I know now: - Community guidelines in place at launch - “Request Permission” pop-up reminders - Incorporate auto photo-credit below image - Admin photo removal capabilities - Links to CC or purchased stock photos

Reputation was challenged within largest photo collaboration site online

Manage complaints and fulfill requests within 24 hours

React and be transparent – Connect

If I knew then, what I know now:

- Community guidelines in place at launch

- “Request Permission” pop-up reminders

- Incorporate auto photo-credit below image

- Admin photo removal capabilities

- Links to CC or purchased stock photos

Layout Sucks A**: Social Media Comments ORM limits within Piranha-like social media platforms Massive traffic was shadowed by complaints about layout Popular guide on social media ignited negative user experience Success improves SEO, but risk = what potential users will read

ORM limits within Piranha-like social media platforms

Massive traffic was shadowed by complaints about layout

Popular guide on social media ignited negative user experience

Success improves SEO, but risk = what potential users will read

Layout Sucks A**: Social Media Comments Management Lessons Reputation was challenged within multiple outlets: - Largest traffic to Guidespot - Social media users - Natural search users looking for an outlet - Highlights layout and not the product or content - Internal morale – Hard not to take personally Do not reply to the comment, or have others do it for you Privately contact negative commenters and ask for input Moving Forward: Distinguish patterns, address comments on site blog, who is the site for – user or reader?

Reputation was challenged within multiple outlets:

- Largest traffic to Guidespot - Social media users

- Natural search users looking for an outlet

- Highlights layout and not the product or content

- Internal morale – Hard not to take personally

Do not reply to the comment, or have others do it for you

Privately contact negative commenters and ask for input

Moving Forward: Distinguish patterns, address comments on site blog, who is the site for – user or reader?

Authors want traffic and overuse social sharing buttons Most over-subbers are businesses trying to get into social or traffic Others sub trying to make a mark Over-submitting hurts both of us: - Domain looks like spam - Can hurt a business’s ORM Guidespotter Gone Social Subbing Crazy

Authors want traffic and overuse social sharing buttons

Most over-subbers are businesses trying to get into social or traffic

Others sub trying to make a mark

Over-submitting hurts both of us:

- Domain looks like spam

- Can hurt a business’s ORM

Reputation was challenged within social platform Interact with the author about their content Fly-out next to share buttons with info and links If I knew then, what I know now: - Community guidelines in place at launch - Social sharing guides in place at launch - “How-to” traffic building guides in place at launch Guidespotter Gone Social Subbing Crazy Management Lessons

Reputation was challenged within social platform

Interact with the author about their content

Fly-out next to share buttons with info and links

If I knew then, what I know now:

- Community guidelines in place at launch

- Social sharing guides in place at launch

- “How-to” traffic building guides in place at launch

Thank You! www.guidespot.com - Facebook.com/Guidespot - @guidespot Alexandra Friedman – afriedman@guidespot.com - @alexfriedman