Simon Wadsworth, Managing Partner of Leeds-based reputation management firm Igniyte runs us through a week in his working life. To suggest another senior media or creative figure to feature in A Week In My Life, please email david@prolificnorth.co.uk
Monday
My day kicks off with new business meetings discussing the benefits individuals can reap by cashing in on the use of Google’s legal facilities to challenge and (in many cases) remove defamatory articles which people see when Googling their names. This is something I’m particularly interested in, because getting rid of unfair and negative links can often turn a failing business into a more positive, trusted one. Google is developing and increasingly supporting individuals and companies in this area.
Tuesday
Caught up on 5STAR’s documentary Sex, Lies and Trolls: Going Viral, the recent documentary following the lives of the victims and perpetrators of online trolling. In addition to looking at the reasons behind trolling, the documentary covered the physical and emotional impact that those experiencing online abuse suffer. The programme featured celebrity MMA fighter Alex Reid and his quest to transform the way he is portrayed online. Igniyte’s reputation managers worked with Alex to audit his current persona and work on ways to influence it.
Wednesday
Midweek is often devoted to developing our Online Reputation Index. This is a unique tool I’ve created along with our software partners to objectively review the reputation of almost any person or brand. Whether it’s measuring the perceived reputation of a certain company member, the variation of the company over time or, simply, the general opinion of a company, the Index presents a simple score between 1 (lowest) and 100 (highest) to help quantify what others think of you. Currently, we’re tweaking the algorithm characteristics which determine the reputation score – further testing is in process.
Thursday
I continued to review the Index, with special focus on implementing PR coverage. I’ve always believed PR can be understated by many thought leaders. As online media, bloggers and social media influencers become more and more relevant, it is essential not to underestimate their powers of communication. Because of this, the Index is increasingly taking in both positive and negative online coverage to project a more accurate score in real time.
Friday
I finished off the week by working on the Index’s design in the office, then arranged a last minute “Pizza Friday” session with the team. Everyone helped contribute to a great week, so we enjoyed Friday afternoon ready to start another strong week on Monday.
