Comments on: Does Reputation Matter? http://www.afhill.com/blog/does-reputation-matter/ Reflections on online strategy, social media marketing, web accessibility and interactive design. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:14:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Ari Herzog http://www.afhill.com/blog/does-reputation-matter/#comment-167240 Ari Herzog Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:55:03 +0000 http://www.afhill.com/blog/?p=1937#comment-167240 Everything is relative to the source and the user. I am familiar with Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li, as both are influencers in the social media sector where I work and play, but I've never read their book. I own their book; a friend gave me a copy, but I have yet to sit down and read it. I don't think I have to read it, for I know what it's about. By the same token, my mother reads my blog and has a better-than-faint understanding of the things I write about. But if I mentioned "Groundswell" to her, she wouldn't know either. <abbr><em>Ari Herzog’s last blog post..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ariwriter/~3/eFO87GgyNtc/">Perception Relations: The New Customer Service?</a></em></abbr> Everything is relative to the source and the user. I am familiar with Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li, as both are influencers in the social media sector where I work and play, but I’ve never read their book. I own their book; a friend gave me a copy, but I have yet to sit down and read it. I don’t think I have to read it, for I know what it’s about.

By the same token, my mother reads my blog and has a better-than-faint understanding of the things I write about. But if I mentioned “Groundswell” to her, she wouldn’t know either.

Ari Herzog’s last blog post..Perception Relations: The New Customer Service?

]]> By: Kelly http://www.afhill.com/blog/does-reputation-matter/#comment-167133 Kelly Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:32:40 +0000 http://www.afhill.com/blog/?p=1937#comment-167133 As you said, reputation is all about reputation within a context and within that context reputation does matter. If you join a local forum that's all about say restaurants in the area. And your first post is "Hey everyone, check out this great restaurant that just opened up down the street." Participants are going to be very leery of your recommendation. What are you? Are you associated with this new restaurant? Do you have an exterior motive? But if you spent a few days watching the unwritten rules of the forum (every social group has unwritten rules), and joining in conversations where you are able to contribute relevantly to the conversation, then when you post about the new restaurant you just found, people are typically more open to what you have to say as you've established some sort of reputation in the community. Now if one of the original founders of the board that everyone knows has impeccable taste when choosing places to eat, would recommend the place instead of you, you know people would be even more likely to check it out. You see scenarios like this happen time and time again on message boards, forums, chats, blog posts, etc. You're perceived reputation of the community you're dealing with comes into play. How many people's first post to a forum gets slammed by members of that community either accusing them of being stupid, associated with whatever they're posting about, or there to 'cause trouble? Whereas the same or similar post by as established member of the community with a positive reputation would get an entirely different response. Using a reputation system can help communities self-police -- giving more privileges to those who impact the community in a positive way, and keeping those with unknown or lower reputations on a shorter leash. So yes, I'd say reputation does matter. Is it relevant in all contexts? No. Okay maybe I should have written my own blog post as a response... As you said, reputation is all about reputation within a context and within that context reputation does matter. If you join a local forum that’s all about say restaurants in the area. And your first post is “Hey everyone, check out this great restaurant that just opened up down the street.” Participants are going to be very leery of your recommendation. What are you? Are you associated with this new restaurant? Do you have an exterior motive? But if you spent a few days watching the unwritten rules of the forum (every social group has unwritten rules), and joining in conversations where you are able to contribute relevantly to the conversation, then when you post about the new restaurant you just found, people are typically more open to what you have to say as you’ve established some sort of reputation in the community. Now if one of the original founders of the board that everyone knows has impeccable taste when choosing places to eat, would recommend the place instead of you, you know people would be even more likely to check it out.

You see scenarios like this happen time and time again on message boards, forums, chats, blog posts, etc. You’re perceived reputation of the community you’re dealing with comes into play. How many people’s first post to a forum gets slammed by members of that community either accusing them of being stupid, associated with whatever they’re posting about, or there to ’cause trouble? Whereas the same or similar post by as established member of the community with a positive reputation would get an entirely different response.

Using a reputation system can help communities self-police — giving more privileges to those who impact the community in a positive way, and keeping those with unknown or lower reputations on a shorter leash. So yes, I’d say reputation does matter. Is it relevant in all contexts? No.

Okay maybe I should have written my own blog post as a response…

]]>