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Reputation Measurement

Getting the message out is only half the battle. Equally essential is the ability of an organization to measure its reputation in the eyes of the audiences it cares about. How is your organization portrayed in the media? Through its own messages and actions? This issue of CW Bulletin addresses the importance of the measuring stick in any communication.

• Measure Your Reputation Effectively
• Measuring the Influence of Blogs on Consumers, the Media and Reputation
• The Myths and Methods of Reputation Measurement
• Buttress Your Benchmarking Efforts

• Working Words: Editing Your Own Work
• Independent Thinking: Naming Rites
• State of the Art: Understanding "Micro Media": Subscribing to RSS Feeds
• Case Studies: Xcel, Saskatchewan
• Industry News: Dow Jones, blogs
• Related Links: State of the News Media

Feature Articles

OVERVIEW

Measure Your Reputation Effectively
by Nicholas Grant

A good reputation, particularly in an increasingly competitive world, is a must for all companies and organizations. Reputation is a company asset and should always be taken seriously—lose your reputation and you often lose a lot more besides. A good reputation is essential in crisis situations and can help to reduce the impact of negative events and press. More...

THE POWER OF BLOGS

Measuring the Influence of Blogs on Consumers, the Media and Corporate Reputation
by Julie Woods

According to the report "State of the News Media 2005" from the Project for Excellence in Journalism, "more than a third of Americans, some 36 percent, are regular consumers of four or more different kinds of news outlets—network news, local TV, newspapers, cable, radio, the Internet and magazines." More...

BASICS

The Myths and Methods of Reputation Measurement
by Katie Paine

Any discussion of reputation measurement has to start by making sure we're all on the same page about what we're measuring. So for starters, let's dispel some myths. More...

BENCHMARKING

Buttress Your Benchmarking Efforts
by Matthew Merlin

A smart company understands that a favorable reputation improves its bottom line. From a PR perspective, a strong reputation acts as good will, giving you the benefit of the doubt with both journalists and the general public. To find out how strong your company's reputation is, it is helpful to compare it with the reputations of other companies, also known as benchmarking. More...

Columns

Working Words
by Natalie Canavor and Claire Meirowitz

Editing Your Own Work

It's a dirty job, but everybody's got to do it

One of the most difficult things a writer can do is to edit his or her own work. It's great to have someone else, preferably a trained editor, review what you've written. But you may not always have that luxury, and even if you do, you should never be satisfied with a first draft. More...

Independent Thinking

by Daria Steigman

Naming Rites

Defining your business identity is key step to building success

When I decided to go into business for myself, I printed up a glossy brochure with a title that was perfectly descriptive of the work I was doing. The title of the brochure, "Policy Writing and Reporting Services"—later shorthanded to PWRS—became my de facto company name. More...

State of the Art
by Dan Forbush

Understanding "Micro Media":

Subscribing to RSS Feeds

For the last 19 years, Keith Moore has hosted a conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called "How Colleges and Universities Can Obtain National (and Regional) Publicity." In a sign of the times, this year's conference included a session in which we focused not on getting into the major mass media, but on the capabilities of the machines that sit on our desktops. In short, we looked at the evolving world of so-called "micro media," tools that are enabling us to create new online communities in ways never before possible. More...

Case Studies

• "Xcel Energy News Tracking System (XcelENTS)," Xcel Energy
• "RBC Insurance Travel Division 2003 Media Relations Campaign," RBC Insurance
• "Saskatchewan Our Future Is Wide Open Campaign," Saskatchewan Industry and Resources
• "Enjoy Your Health," Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Industry News

• Major Shifts in Corporate Reputations of 30 DJIA Companies
• Size Matters When It Comes to Rankings
• Company Reputation Bigger Than Brands
• Analyze Online News and Blog Discussion

Related Links

Related Links provides additional articles and resources for understanding this month's topic of Reputation Measurement. You can also find some of these links alongside each corresponding feature article for quick reference.

• "How to Manage Your Corporate Reputation Online," by Fergus Hampton
• The State of the News Media 2005

More...

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