Damaged online reputation
I just had a discussion with a friend over the weekend about a problem she is having with regards to her name being "googled" and she is quite upset about it. When we searched her name up in google it shows she was involved in a criminal case in which she had to testify on behalf of a victim. However, now since she is connected to that case and it has become public record all a potential employer has to do is look her up and assume she was involved in some fashion..good or bad. This is bothering her and I don't know how to give her advice on what to do to get this public information off the internet.
losteyesPeople don't take the time to look at HOW and WHY someone was connected to a case?
Are people's attention spans that short these days?
Andy Loigu Andy - I agree. If an employer can't be bothered to notice the difference between defendant and witness, wrong employer.
Otherwise, public record is public record. Anyone can go down to the courthouse and get that transcript anyway. You cannot prevent that, only make sure it's accurate.
GC There are companies that offer online reputation remediation. Here's a link to one, I am not endorsing it, and I have no experience in this area, but if the issues are serious it may be worth looking into this type of service.
http://www.reputationx.com/about-us
yankeefan Check out Brandyourself.com
It's an online reputation management company with a do it yourself version.
JBM Those services work mostly with things like on-line forums, Facebook, etc and people posting information, not public records. They can try to get the forum posts either removed or other people countering the posts. Would not help in this instance.
GC is right, this is more for businesses. They discuss SEO on their websites, search engine optimization, they work to push negative information to the back pages if google, and keep positive information on the front page. They also try and get places like twitter, yelp, facebook, and so on to delete negative posts that are unnecessarily hostile and negative.
Public record information may be possible to fix, but reputation websites are not the answer. Some research and a lawyer are necessary.
I'm not positive that it can be done, but I don't see why not, if people can get things like drug charges expunged from their records, I don't see a reason this can't happen.
PenningsLandscaping With employers the way to handle this is to get out in front of it. You cannot remove public records from Google no matter what a remediation service will tell you. On your employment application where it has a space for comments you put the explanation for the listing. They can question you or Google it but you will not be blindsided by the listing. If they don't want to hire you then they probably are not a fair company in other respects too.
MK This article might help your friend get a better understanding of what can/can not be published in NJ.
http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/publication-private-facts-new-jersey
JrzyGirl88 
Metsman I agree with you, Metsman.
I've been making a living by being a wordsmith, and sometimes the world (advertisers, audiences) forces "journalists" to be opinionated wise-guys, but somewhere, somehow, our society has lost its way.
People who do criminal things can make big bucks in the NFL, but to get a regular 9-5 office job, you have to be someone who has never been late with a credit card payment, etc. etc.
It's all poopadoodle.
I can't stand social media..... wait! I am using it now....Oooo Noooo , I will never see my living room, again! Andy.....I love that word..." poopadoodle" . Is that a designer "doody"? A total cluster mix, work, stress, pain? Just like any designer "breed ".....even a doody, can be costly. LMOA....You post was right on!
sallysimpson Perfect example is this crap with a Bloomsburg baseball player calling Mone Davis, the girl little league pitcher, a slut on twitter because she's getting a Disney movie made about her. End result, his dream is ruined and gets kicked off the team over a comment he shouldn't have made, but does the punishment fit the crime? No, I don't think so. For all we know he could normally be a stand up individual and just had a lapse in judgement. But because the world finds out in seconds thanks to social media his life gets ruined. It isn't right and shows our society is going down the crapper and being filled with overly sensitive cry babies... And it also says we really don't have freedom of speech because every little thing we say could have major repurcussions. It's like we live in a fascist state now.
Saw this topic and immediately thought of this article.....
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/magazine/how-one-stupid-tweet-ruined-justine-saccos-life.html?_r=0
Patrick O. It seems like young people use social media the way we used to just carry on conversation (away from adults and authority figures) when we would just say whatever was on our minds, much of it downright stupid.
In sports, the locker room ethic always has been, what is said here, stays here ...
but today's jocks don't seem to abide by that ... and it creates a lot of poopadoodle.
Last year's P'burg wrestling team (I hate to even go there) ... that locker room photo that someone put out there for the world to see ... created such a firestorm ... and made people jump to the conclusion that they were "racist" ... that's another social media phenomenon, people jump to conclusions without any deliberation of what the facts are ... that whole mess caused some good wrestlers to miss out on the chance to win championships ... it should be the poster child for a campaign of "THINK before you click."
If I ever coach a team again, I'd make my players leave their devices in my office before they go into that locker room ... with no exceptions!!!
Metsman,
I think that punishment fits the crime. That was a really, really stupid thing to do. He ruined his dream himself.
MB MB that's ridiculous. No one's life or career deserves to be ruined over something dumb like that. Obviously you are very intolerant about a lot of things. I remember joking around with people at school 20+ years ago calling each other gay slurs. You do that now you get expelled probably. It's a joke.
Take the diapers off and put big kid pants on...
All you have to do is google names on HL and it's very easy to see the things they've said, the views they have. You don't even have to use FB or other forms of social media, this is enough. I think that's why I'm amazed at the things that get posted here at times and whether you agree with it or not, that's life now.
Bessie Metsman,
What do you think an appropriate punishment would have been?
Calling a child a slut publicly on social media is a very poor decision at best. Of course the college doesn't want him on the team representing the school - he has made it clear that he has really bad judgement.
Anyone stupid enough to have and use a Twitter account deserves everything that happens to them. You are responsible for every word that comes out of your mouth... and you always have been. If no one hears them, you probably don't have anything to worry about. But, if you choose to say those words through a megaphone that can be heard by everyone around the world in a matter of hours... chances are it won't be long before it has a lasting effect on your quality of life. Everyone should already know this and act accordingly. If a college-aged "man" doesn't know that calling a 13-year old girl a "slut" is not going to go over well, I don't think he's smart enough to be in college. He should try to hook up with an A-club in Omaha or somewhere.
ianimal I can't even understand why a college player would make that comment about a 13 year old girl that he doesn't even know. It doesn't make an sense at all and at the time he made the comment, I guess he thought it was ok. You can say what you want, just be ready for the repercussions, that's why it's probably better to keep your opinions to your self, or discuss with your family and friends, don't be an ass and put it on Twitter, FB, Instagram. .
MB it was taken out of context. The jist of the tweet was that he was annoyed she is having a movie made of her. All people look at is the word "slut". A public apology would have been more fitting than taking a 19 year olds future away.
ianimal I agree twitter is stupid. I think it's the dumbest site out there.
So if someone called your daughter a slut on Social Media because she was getting something they weren't, you would be OK with that. Trying to understand how demeaning a 13 year old girl by calling her a slut it taken out of context.
Metsman,
I read the whole tweet. It doesn't matter what the POINT of the tweet was, you still can't refer to a child as a slut.
He could have said "That slut is a very intelligent and beautiful girl" and it wouldn't matter an iota because he still used the word slut to describe a child.
If he is that great of a baseball player and would have had such an amazing career, then I'm sure someone will be willing to overlook his misgivings. But you can't really blame the college for trying to maintain their image.
"Disney is making a movie about Mo'ne Davis? WHAT A JOKE. That slut got rocked by Nevada"... that's the exact quote. How do you feel it was taken out of context? In what context would a University's baseball team feel that it was appropriate for him to use the word "slut" to refer to ANY female, let alone one who is 13 years old?
To her credit, she has asked that he be reinstated...
Curt Schilling has destroyed a few lives of guys going after his teenaged college-bound daughter as well, including the VP of a fraternity at Montclair State...
https://38pitches.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/the-world-we-live-in-man-has-it-changed/
Just fill up the web with positive things you've done, and the bad news will be buried pretty quickly. That's something I've heard.
LeRoy Grimace How many college age kids think before they act? Few. It's called growing up. If a 35 year old man is saying stuff like that then there should be public outcry. This kid probably didn't even realize what he posted till after he hit enter. Who knows how many people are harassing him now over something stupid like this...
And Curt Schilling is a moron... He's said so many controversial things over the years yet his livelihood hasn't been ruined.
"This kid probably didn't even realize what he posted till after he hit enter."
Which means that he probably refers to women in general as sluts all the time. I don't know if that argument helps his case at all.
Forget about Twitter for a second... what if he told his coach that his 13-year old daughter was a slut? Do you think he'd still be on the team?
"How many college age kids think before they act? Few."
I don't think you're giving college kids enough credit. The vast majority are not stupid enough to do something like this.
ianimal I guess he should take a sensitivity class then... And it's a different situation. If it were the coaches daughter he could make the kid run till he pukes. I remember in my playing days we embarrassed the coach in public and he made us run till we couldn’t feel our legs.
MB do you have a statistic on that because this is the second situation with college kids in a week that’s made national headlines.
I do not have a statistic, but off the top of my head I can tell you that two out of millions is an extremely low percentage ;)
The school has to protect themselves from the bad press. Playing sports at this level is a priviledge, not a right. this kid was old enough to know exactly what he was saying and doing.
Currently doing the college visits with my son and it is like buying a time share with all the rah rah stuff they give you during a visit...if anything is mentioned about something that is reported in the news they are quick to put a different spin on it and change the subject.....
Metsman you will see soon enough since you will be doing the college tours soon enough if you haven't already started.
Tigsportnut, it may be a priveledge but it takes a lot of hard work over many years to get to the point of playing college baseball. To have that taken from you over a childish comment is too extreme in my view. I think it’s sad that the only person who seems to understand that is the 13 year old girl. There’s no such thing as forgiveness anymore. Everyone is out for blood over everything.
I'd probably suspend the moron for a couple of games, not a whole season ... provided he issues a remorseful apology on twitter, and in an official press release issued by the athletic department.
Also, the university should follow up and offer the player some counseling, because I'm afraid young men who describe successful women with words like slut, are more likely to be abusive, than men who don't use such words.
At the heart of abuse is a basic disrespect of women.
Andy, I believe that you are correct about the disrespect of women and the calling of those names.
In today's society, disrespect isn't just toward women. Seems like disrespect is part of our culture (just listen to "popular" songs).
justintime A reporter on a major news station told blatant lies , more than a few times during his career....he has been suspended, not fired .
Why has he been held to a lower standard !???
A comment about a 13 year old girl has more impact than a person that lie's to millions....what a sad situation.
Kids can't be kids, but newcasters and sports ( professionals ?? ) can continually push the envelope and continue to be rewarded !.
Steven Steven good point. Lets hold a 19-20 year old to a high standard and let middle aged guys do whatever... Makes perfect sense... Sad thing is even if Brian Williams loses his job, I'm sure he's set for life. This kid has possibly had his future taken away from him.
I'm pretty sure if Brian Williams called Mo'ne Davis a slut, he would have been fired, too. Conversely, if this guy lied about how much his curveball broke, he wouldn't have been kicked off the team.
And it's funny that you keep referring to this dope as a "kid". It's disrespectful to all the 18- and 19-year old men bravely serving our country overseas. Just because he was probably pampered and coddled his whole life because of his talent, that doesn't excuse him from being held to the same standards as the rest of the adult world.
ianimal you really think 18-21 year olds operate at the same maturity level as someone over 30? If you do you're nuts... You're not even allowed to drink until you're 21! You people who think a stupid comment should ruin a person's future are insane! I'm sure you did dumb stuff at that age too. I think Andy's approach was the correct one.
Exactly, ianimal. Comparing the Brian Williams situation to this is apples and oranges.
And Metsman, if Mo'ne Davis is having a Disney movie made about her, she definitely has a publicist. Her statement about having this player reinstated on the team is mostly likely driven by that to contribute to her image.
I think a 20-year old man who calls women sluts as a matter of course will most likely grow into a 30-year old man who still calls women sluts. Do you think that people learn respect in their 20s? If you do, you're the one who's nuts.
And you're going a little off the deep end about this guy's future being ruined. First of all, you're assuming that he would have had a future in baseball; he probably wouldn't have. He's playing college ball for Bloomsburg, not Wichita State. Only one player from Bloomsburg EVER made it to the bigs and he was a reliever who pitched 221 innings over 6 seasons. Not exactly the path traveled by the chosen ones....
Besides, I'm pretty sure this will blow over and I'll bet he's reinstated before the season even starts. All the things you say should happen, will happen. But, it's good to make an example of him as a cautionary tale for all the other immature morons out there so they don't make the same mistake he did.
MB you and ianimal are too extreme, I'm sorry... It angers me that there are people like you out there that want to burn someone at the stake essentially over an idiotic comment. No one should lose their future over that... It's crazy that people think that... I really hope this guy can latch on to another school's team.
ianimal don't even start with your baseball prowess... You are one of the biggest downers on this site. And how do you know if he calls women sluts all the time... Could have been a one time thing. Maybe he was drinking with friends when he posted it. Who knows... And who cares if he makes it to the bigs or not. He could have had a minor league career that opened the door to other opportunities after he was done playing. People are imperfect. And I'm frankly tired of people like you who sit on high horses and act like you've never made a mistake before.
You're in the minority of people who thinks he's "lost his future", which is a more extreme view than thinking that he should be punished for what he said (which is a lot more mainstream).
And I think your extreme views in defending this guy are based upon your hopes for your own son in baseball and your fears that he may do something similarly stupid in the future. Am I close?
ianimal what does me defending this guy have to do with my son? Pretty pathetic you have to bring him into it. And you don't know... no other school may pick him up and maybe pro scouts will avoid him too. It's also going to show up online when he starts looking for jobs after he's done with school. So yeah his future could be ruined.
Pathetic? I'm just trying to understand your rationale for defending an a-hole.
As for his future in baseball, talent is the great equalizer. People have done far worse and have been forgiven for nothing else but their ability to run or throw a ball.
But you are failing to see the point of view of the University, half of whose student body are women. If they were to condone this and not take any action against him, how would they look? Do you think they should sacrifice their own reputation for this dope?
I just know he probably worked his tail off to get to where he is and it’s a shame a dumb comment has to ruin that for him.
I hope someone does give him a second chance.
I see the need for punishment, I just think it was too extreme. Andy’s idea for a punishment was more rational and it doesn’t show they condone his actions by doing that. It still shows they are taking the matter seriously. Bench him for some games, make him give a sincere public apology, and make him take some kind of class. I mean are people that ridiculous that they’re going to protest the university over this? Oh that’s right people protest over cops doing their jobs and try to put criminals on a pedestal as if they were good people. People need to get a life…
"I mean are people that ridiculous that they’re going to protest the university over this?"
I would guess the University is a lot more worried about parents not wanting to send their daughters to a place where this type of public disrespect toward women by members of their athletic teams is tolerated. That would hurt their bottom line a lot more than one baseball player, because I'm guessing that the Bloomsburg baseball team isn't a huge money generator for the school.
"if Mo'ne Davis is having a Disney movie made about her, she definitely has a publicist. Her statement about having this player reinstated on the team is mostly likely driven by that to contribute to her image."
Wow, now THAT is cynical, lol. I prefer to believe that she's just a good kid with forgiveness in her heart. If you tweeted that under your real name, the torches and pitchforks would be at YOUR door (-;
Well there's the irony ianimal... you saying parents may not want to send their daughters there... If parents are making the decision of where their kids go to college, then how can you view college students as full fledged adults?
And it shows how ridiculous people are... I'd be more worried about the academics than one idiot who made a stupid tweet.
You don't see the difference between a 16-year old high school junior and a 20-year old college junior? I'd say there's a pretty big difference in expected maturity levels between the two.
ianimal don t use that analogy! 20 yr old boys probably have a maturity level below the 16 yr old girl. ;0.......BAHHAAAA!!
Christine Both ages should know not to do it. 16 year olds get charged with adult crimes, so there's not that big of a difference.
No, not as a rule, they don't. If the crime is first degree murder, sure. You aren't going to get away with killing someone just because you're 16 in most cases.
But if a 16-year old gets caught selling weed or burglarizing cars, he's not going to be tried as an adult. He'll go to family court and have his record sealed when he becomes an adult. 18 is still the age when people are legally considered to be adults, ridiculous tobacco and alcohol laws notwithstanding.
Might legally be an adult at 18 but you don't think the same way as someone 20 years older. There's still a lot of immaturity.
Personal immaturity is a personal problem. I know a guy who just turned 50 who is more immature than any 18-year old you can pick off the street. Should this mean that he never has to be accountable for anything he does either? People mature at different rates or sometimes not at all.
Eighteen is the age where you are legally responsible for your words and actions. Believe me, there are a lot of people out there who regret things they did at 18... the prisons are full of them.
Reading all the posts, this is better than reality TV ... LOL
Just thought I'd dig through some of my Orioles media guides and see where some of these guys played college ball ... some real biggies like Virginia State, Fredonia State, Long Island University, Pierce Junior College, U Mass, Mesa Community College, Miles College (Birmingham Ala.), Loyola Marymount, University of Bridgeport, Montreat Anderson Junior College, Campbell College (N.C.), Hofstra, San Diego City College, University of Chattanooga, Salisbury State (Maryland), State College of Iowa, Trinity University (Connecticut), Santa Rosa Junior College, Ball State, Wagner (on Staten Island), North Carolina at Wilmington.
These guys all have World Series championship rings ... the O's scouts really beat the bushes to find them, and the minor league coaches must have done a great job coaching them up.
They all may look back and be glad there was no "social media" like today when they were young, developing ballplayers.
Heck, Earl Weaver called the umpires every curse word in the book, and he kept his job (-;
In light of all this, I was in the rest room at Friendly's today and three guys who looked like college students judging by what they were wearing, walked in chatting away ... every other word was f-this and f-that... as vulgar as it gets.
They walked away without even turning the water off in the sink. If I hadn't been there, who knows how long it would have kept running?
Your typical 20 somethings when there are no women around, I'm afraid. It's something cultural ...
Getting back to the evils of social media, we have technology at the fingertips of many (thousands, millions?) young people (and some older lunkheads) who lack the maturity and judgment to use it. You can click something that goes viral at any time and it could be something you really end up regretting.
I was just lucky to notice at a young age that the newscasters and sportscasters on radio and TV never used bad language ... and they became the example I followed ... and when I talked about it with my dad, he said, just don't get in the habit of using bad language, because if you do .... you may slip and use it at the wrong time.
College is a place where teaching is supposed to take place ... let's hope some of these men who use words like 'slut' learn something ... sometimes we learn by our mistakes and sometimes those mistakes do have painful consequences.
ianimal comes shining through Bessie?! How so? He's part of a lynch mob that would tar and feather anyone who says something stupid. Someone brought up Justin Beiber earlier. I guarentee people were tweeting all kinds of inappropriate things about him when he was a teenager. None of those people got attacked. We're just a weak society full of cry babies nowadays... I feel sorry for future generations...
andy - sometimes in public situations where young people are behaving badly, like throwing the f-word around liberally and loudly, i tell them to knock it off, most times they tone it down,
i think we need to speak up more for decency in public.
Ed shultz on msnbc called laura ingram a 'slut' on his news commentary show and he still has his job.
BrotherDog When I was younger, I broke up a fight at an Eagles' game.
You would have been proud of me, now that I'm older I'm amazed
1) that I survived the experience
2) that I had the fortitude to do it, at the time I just acted, period.
About ianimal, I remember last October I think it was, when I said something about Joe Flacco going to a school (Delaware) where you get an actual education and the profs don't do you any special favors for being a football player ... ianimal comes on about how Flacco went to Pitt first, didn't make the team ... face it, Andy, he wasn't good enough to play for Pitt...
Ianimal, I don't care that Pitt didn't want Flacco ... it does not matter... he's won a Super Bowl. When I put on a post that Johnny Unitas didn't quit after the Steelers cut him, ianimal said, what does Johnny Unitas have to do with Joe Flacco?
After that, I stayed away from HL for at least a month, I was going to stay off forever but I'm too extroverted to ever do that ... I don't think anybody missed me.
I'd like to meet Ianimal sometime, I think I'd get along with him if we just talked sports like normal people in a normal setting ... but this social media format just does not work the way normal person-to-person conversation does.
I remember one time I was on the same side with Brother Dog about allowing home schooled kids to play sports in the district where their parents pay taxes .... I was AMAZED at the arguments people were coming up with to disagree ... just totally AMAZED.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, I'll go back into my cave now.
Long story short for me, everyone's entitled to their opinions, I don't have to argue my point to change anyone's view of things and they needn't care less about mine. We all have our own personal crusade in life. Andy, Clyde can be tough with his sports opinions, just ask GC, lol.
Sports is supposed to be fun, entertainment, a diversion.
Sometimes I've felt bad, that by spending so much of my life writing about sports, I'm not doing something important ... but then I'll hear from a doctor who enjoyed something I wrote, or a fireman, policeman, an educator, a mayor ...
Sports are what they turn to for a break from the pressurized things they do, and people do take great pride in the accomplishments of their teams and athletes.
It has its place, but sometimes people act like someone is a total failure because he or she did not win, or make the Hall of Fame. I try not to be like that.
+1 Andy.,sports is entertainment, and God knows we need entertainment in our lives. I think you've contributed more to the enjoyment of sports and sometimes life lessons for your long time followers. You always made Clydes day when he got your trivia question right. Never underestimate that value.
I'm still baffled as to why that conversation upset you so much, Andy. I'll just chalk it up to one of life's great mysteries.
Getting back to where this whole thread started, the prevailing conventional wisdom is that you never rant on social media and say anything negative about a former employer ...
not if you ever want to work there again.
Another example of people being very unforgiving, and again, people need to be very thoughtful and rea-a-a-a-ally cautious about what they post.
I used to have fun with those trivia questions in the sports column, but as more people brought computers into their homes, it became easy for them to look up the answers. And I didn't think it was fair to only list the first correct answer, because some people were not getting their paper delivered until Friday or Saturday.
Trivia works great on radio, because if you want to be the first to get through with the correct answer, you've got to have that instant recall and dial the number quickly.
I'll probably never get a chance to ask sports trivia questions on radio, though. Nobody will hire somebody my age and the local station no longer caters to people who would be old enough to have been in the ballpark to see a Tom Seaver, Richie Allen, or Mickey Mantle actually play.
And, sticking to the topic, what I just wrote (being polite and all that) has probably damaged my online reputation.
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