Talking Behind Your Back
If someone is talking behind your back, then you are unaware of what is being said. That idea came to mind after reading an article by Jim Edwards, Why Pharma Fears Social Networking. The Internet provides a great communication channel and everyone can get involved. Perhaps their lawyers may be concerned about pharmaceutical companies encouraging conversations in social media, but they will happen anyway. The companies can either be participants or they can merely be the objects of the discussion. Before the Internet, some would encourage such companies to hide in a trench until the noise died down. That is no longer an option.
These social media are somewhat of a challenge to all big companies. That is why it was interesting to see the BlogWell seminar on How Big Companies Use Social Media. There are many factors for a company to consider, not least The Ethics of Disclosure as Mike McGrath points out. However the Internet genie will not be going back in the bottle, so companies must learn how best to behave in this new environment.
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BPWrap
November 4th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Its a valid fear I have. I always hear good things about myself and my SEO skills from new and existing clients.
Have to admit I do wonder what people say about me behind my back, especially by those who are trying to compete with me in SEO and web marketing at a local level.
I mean I did hear recently that an IT software company was calling me “mercenary” for having the damn cheek to want to charge them for a days work…. I mean how dare I want to make a buck from then… whatever next?!
Funny thing is it backfired on them when I observed they too were offering SEO services and obviously as they were out of their depth they were not getting a look in. I advised the consultation wouldn’t be going ahead anytime soon either.
Still I do wonder if I am just a little too paranoid… oi, what you whispering about?????
November 4th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I think the only saving grace now, Darren, is that you are more likely to hear about it if it is on the Internet. Then at least you can do something about it.
November 4th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
True, I guess thats why Online Reputation Management has become so important these days…
November 5th, 2008 at 4:22 am
People love to talk behind our back, and we cannot stop them from keeping whispering, as this is their freedom…
Well, all I can do here is giving my best to ensure I have no regret in the end!
By the way, Barry. It seems like the internet genie is getting wilder and wilder day after day, isn’t it?
November 5th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
If I were a pharmaceutical company I know that I would certainly be fearful, once people realize that their symptoms aren’t theirs alone then the lawsuits start pouring in. Hopefully president elect Obama will clean up our very broken FDA
November 10th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Pharmaceuticals are a very tricky place, so I’m not sure I would encourage it. However, it’s funny that people think that being in social media will spread doom about you. Yes, it might – but the same goes for the telephone. At least in social media, you can track it.
Jeremy Lim
Internet Marketing Services at Outcome3
November 11th, 2008 at 7:25 am
It’s something that no one likes because it is two faced and generally not nice when someone talks behind yor back. But to be fair, i don’t care if people talk behind my back as long as i don’t find out that they’re doing it. Does that make sense?
November 21st, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Jonathan Trenn wrote a great blog on marketingconversation.com about this exact subject, and it’s so true. He referenced the importance of saving a portion of the marketing budget for social media strategy, it’s too important to overlook – even when slashing the budget is job one. Reputation is everything, and more and more dealing with social media is a vital component of that.