With 2007 being dubbed the year of the rise in “social media”, people are now, more than ever, living their lives in a world where data is being captured on their every move - from walking past a security camera in a tube station to purchasing a pint of milk from the local supermarket. 

No wonder Andrew Jordan, Founder and Chairman of UK-based Reputica, the reputation management service launched in July 2007, believes the company is hitting a “sweet spot”. The company is a subscription-based monitoring service which reads and interprets sources both online and offline, in order to help individuals, businesses and brands understand how they are being represented and perceived. Through using a standard set of variables such as geographical coverage and impact on business, Reputica can then give structured advice on how the company can work to protect and improve its image.

Central to the rise in data capture has been the explosive popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, within which people are now choosing to compile data about themselves in the form of cyber profiles. Such websites have changed human interaction not only in the cyber world but also the virtual, with Facebook in particular, now being used as a tool for employers to carry out checks on possible job candidates and fellow employees.

Wall conversations and jovial pictures which are posted as a bit of “harmless” fun can backfire, with employees finding themselves being held responsible for risking not only their own but also their businesses’ reputation.

Jordan believes that 2008 will be the year that more companies wake up to the potential negative effects of such networking sites and take advantage of Reputica’s service in helping them measure and manage their “online footprint”.

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