Whenever Apple announces anything, the Tech world stops to discuss it as they are changing the world. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look and feel of Apple products, own an iPad which I utterly adore but I don’t strictly think of Apple as innovative any more. I also don’t think of them as a victory of style over substance so I am not a critic really. What they do, they do absolutely brilliantly down to the last detail. In so many ways they do little small touches where it really matters. At the same time, I don’t trust them at all and rarely use iTunes to buy music, don’t use the Mac that sits on a desk near me and don’t own an iPhone. I know they are excellent software engineers.. but for me they stand for an old paradigm of producer and consumer. They build things where you are not allowed under the hood to fiddle. I dont like that as my whole reading of the Internet age is that we get to fiddle and own our devices. Ping made me wonder whether I had Apple wrong after all and they were about to start embracing social media after all. For me Apple is cool in the designer sense and not cool in the run amok, dance in the mud in Glastonbury sense. Sounds strange but I think of them as the cool people in the bar that you are scared to talk to, but actually turn out to be nerdy and dweebish and are boring in bed because they are so self conscious. So is Ping the mashed up social web or a nervous half-hearted stab in the dark by Apple. Well, since I cannot access the iTunes store or rather the Ping part of it, it is impossible to say There is the question why I am writing this article at all. Reputations are like trees. They take time to grow and shape and they are difficult to change as time passes. Many successful companies rarely transition to business environments and I sense that this is what is happening with Apple. Already within one day their relationship with the uber-social Facebook has died, and it got me thinking that one of the aspects of Apple products is that they never seem to really talk on social media much.  They are wonderful devices and you can use them to do wonderful creative things but they don’t seem to go further. You consume them. What is the experience of Ping? Well it is not social and because it does not connect to anything else it is hard to see how I am going to use it. The main problem is that I cannot connect to anybody without emailing them which I cannot be bothered to do. You know, what with facebook, twitter and apps like Grooveshark (which Apple resolutely will not allow onto the apstore why do i need Ping. I mean really, who cares.

Though unconfirmed stories of William Hague’s sexuality have been circulating in Westminster for some time now; with the emergence of the first hint of allegations surrounding his 25-year-old special adviser, Christopher Myers, rumour mills have been abuzz with the latest updates from his personal life. The fact that he hired a third adviser when his predecessors had just two after David Cameron has pledged to cut back on political advisers, was in itself a subtle nod towards the homosexual relationship rumours.

A series of pictures that showed Hague and Myers strolling in London had raised fresh queries about the nature of his friendship with his “special” adviser. The newspapers came up with more stories about the foreign secretary’s private life, questioning whether there had been a misuse of public money in the appointment of Myers. Hague, the coalition’s most senior minister is in indeed in a tight spot, as inquisitive journalists have filed Freedom of Information requests seeking information on the nature of trips  undertaken by Myers, how much he was paid and his detailed job description.

Things were far from smooth in Downing Street after the appointment of Myers, a 25-year-old with little expertise in foreign affairs, which ultimately boiled down to the resignation of Myers. Many Tory members felt that he should have had a job in Hague’s parliamentary office because he is a key adviser in Hague’s Richmond constituency and not as his adviser.

Downing Street was never pleased with the way Hague handled the matter and many Conservative members had expressed their displeasure in the messy handling of the issue by Hague. In the wake of these allegations Hague released a personal statement revealing highly personal details about his marriage and his firm commitment to his wife in an attempt to dispel rumours about his sexuality and to safegurad his online reputation. The dramatic statement by Hague, who confirmed that Myers had decided to resign because of the pressure of “untrue and malicious allegations” about him, came after rumours hit the webspace.

He seems to be doing what should be done if the allegations are true by going into details of his marriage. Somehow the story seems to be just unfolding!

A hospital in Italy has been left reeling as two of it’s top doctors broke out in a fight whilst attending to a woman in labour.

Sicilian residents must be left wondering who they can trust after gynaecologist Antonio De Vivo and duty obstetrician Vincenzo Benedetto broke out into a fight after arguing over the need for a caesarean as Laura Salpietro went into labour last week. It’s reported that De Vivo, having had his collar grabbed, put his first through a glass window in the heat of what was an extremely unprofessional punchup.

Mother Laura Salpietro and newborn son Antonio have both been left in intensive care after their horrible ordeal with the Italian hospital. The incident has sparked four separate investigations, from the hospital authorities, a local prosecutor, the regional health authority and the ministry of health in Rome. Meanwhile, the gynaecologist De Vivo said simply “I merely say that in this matter I am the wronged party and I was attacked.” I think it’s fair to say that there are two clear victims in all of this, and the doctor ranks as neither.

Italy has one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world, but incidents like this aren’t about to help this hospital’s reputation at all. News of such barbarity is likely to cast a shadow of doubt over the sanctity of Sicilian healthcare, despite the two doctors both being suspended last Thursday. People come to hospitals mostly at times of intense vulnerability, and we like to feel assured that we’re placing ourselves in good hands. Women especially feel most vulnerable during childbirth, and the actions of these doctors wont be putting any minds at ease any time soon.

The reputation of hospitals are their life blood. They need people to be able to put their trust in them, and to come to them with their ailments. Should the bond of trust be broken, and the faith destroyed, then patients will think twice before using their facilities.

Like the doctors in question, judgement is currently suspended on Policlinico Hospital’s reputation. For an establishment that bases it’s entire business on life and death decisions, is there any room for uncertainty?

Just a few weeks back when we wrote about ‘How Pakistan’s bad reputation is affecting the flood aid’ here you have yet another story involving Pakistan for all the wrong reasons. This time it’s the Pakistani cricket players who are accused of bringing the gentleman’s game to disrepute. The allegations against them are ‘spot-fixing’ in the current England- Pakistan Lord’s Test. This one incident has proved that cricket is marred by corruption and Pakistan players have cemented this belief.

The worst of its kind in cricket’s history, this organized corruption undermines the credibility of the game. This adds more to the suspicion that you are watching a game that is already fixed. There is all kind of noise in the media and public looking to throw any player out of cricket if they are found guilty.

Cricket may be like just another sport, but in Pakistan this game is a passion which often does the diplomacy act to bridge difference and gain mutual respect with other nations. As the country is going through some trouble waters, this latest controversy will perhaps snub the Pakistan team from cricket.

Cricket is going through its worst time as a professional sport. Pakistan, though they have strongly condemned the act and for putting the nation to shame by the players, the country should think about how to balance and who to whip before the member countries decides to isolate them on cricket and otherwise.

Coming back to game, when you know cheating flourish in cricket in all forms, watching a match next time will be absolutely pointless. Cricket governing authority (ICC) should put its house in order before the sport loses its reliability. Nothing destabilizes the integrity of any sport other than the feeling that what you are watching is in pure sporting drama.

High street retailer Marks & Spencer must be hoping that all their excess salt will help preserve their image as recent reports have found that the retail behemoth sell 7 out of the 10 most salty salads in town.

Health conscious people of Britain who rely on high street supermarkets such as M&S for a healthier alternative to the masses of fast food outlets available, and are now learning that their “healthier option” might be anything but. The study of 270 salad dishes surveyed by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash), found only six contained less salt than a packet of crisps. Results also suggested that one-tenth of all the salads had more salt than the 2.1g contained in a Big Mac burger.

This news will probably let the patrons of McDonalds feel a little smug, but what have Marks & Spencer have to say on the matter? Claire Hughes, M&S’s nutritionist, had the following to say…

The Cash study misleads consumers regarding the actual level of salt content in the salads. She added that all the different pack sizes are clearly labelled, and that M&S is committed to providing a range of choices for consumers when it comes to what they want to eat.

So Claire Hughes clearly doesn’t care what adverse effects their ‘healthy foods’ are having on their customers. How concerned should people be though? Cash campaign manager Katharine Jenner said: “Many choose salad as a healthy and convenient lunch, particularly when watching their waistline.

“Rather than feeling healthy, however, they often feel bloated and sluggish, symptoms of water retention which can be caused by the hidden salt in these salads.

“In the long term the health problems are more serious, as salt intake is linked to osteoporosis and high blood pressure. Given the healthy image of salads it’s surprising to find that they contain such high levels of unnecessary salt.”

So… osteoporosis? High blood pressure? These aren’t things that your customers should be worried about, Claire? Your ‘Taste of Asia’ salad has a salt level of 2.81g – that’s almost as much as 6 packets of crisps, and 0.71g more than a Big Mac burger. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends adults eat no more than 6g of salt a day – about a teaspoonful – to minimise the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. People eating an M&S salad are almost half-way there!

Also guilty of flogging high-salt content salads are usual suspects KFC, McDonalds and other supermarket chains Tesco and Waitrose, and the fact that of the 270 salads studied only 6 contained less salt than a packet of crisps, is bound to have customers thinking twice about their diet. As yet though, only M&S has responded with any official statement – and an extremely nonchalant one at that.

So attention, salad lovers. They’re not just salty; they’re M&S salty.

The high profile CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co, the world’s biggest technology company had to step down under a smokescreen set off by a sexual harassment case filed by a lady marketing consultant who was working for him. Mark Hurd, who was connected to 28 board members in 3 different organizations across 5 different industries was one of the most powerful figures in HP and was the architect of the work culture and success of this technology giant. It is ironical that the CEO Mark Hurd was in discussion for a new contract worth about $100 million, when he got marching orders that came with a purse of $28m, one third of the contract value that he was eyeing at that time.

HP said that it ousted Hurd after its investigation of a sexual harassment complaint found he had falsified expense reports and other documents to conceal a relationship with a female contractor who worked for HP. The sudden and shocking departure pf the HP CEO took the stock markets by surprise and HP’s shares tumbled sharply by over 7%  as the first reports were flashed. Though HP maintained that the change of guard at the helm of affairs will have no bearing on the prospects of HP, investors opted to take a wait and watch policy.

The Mark Hurd episode became the overnight talking point for many journalists and anxious investors, which in turn left a dent on the online reputation of HP. However, HP was quick to act and ensured its brand protection by removing  Hurd. In the coming days, how best  the company recovers its lost ground would be of great concern for not just the share holders of HP but also millions of  HP brand  loyal customers and technology buffs all over the world.

Natural disasters usually galvanize mass support like it did in Haiti recently, however the Pakistan floods are not building up as much support as they should. Why? The main reason for this is that Pakistan comes with a certain reputation. The country is known for being a hot-bed for terrorism, for having helped and supported the regressive and violent Taliban; for having harboured the ‘who’s who’ of Al Qaida and so on.

Pakistan’s national reputation if news reports are to be believed is standing in the way of aid to the country. No Hollywood stars or even Bollywood stars are raising the issue, no concerts, nothing being planned.

Shameful indeed, for the vast majority of those affected by the floods aren’t politically motivated and are innocent, peace-loving people.

Further damning was President Zardari ‘s ill-timed visit to the UK and France during the floods. To the rest of the world this served as reproach on the current government, weakening an already wavering reputation. This could very well be the end of Zardari’s political career and his quick visit to flood hit areas has not done anything for his public image.

As I write this post millions are waiting for relief, yet the world seems largely aloof!

Back in the day, if somebody wanted to bad-mouth your business, they had to risk their own reputation to do so. Nowadays they can do it with the aid of thousands of social networking and blog sites with complete animosity. If someone posts a false or a malicious comment or blog, they can go without being noticed – being one among the numerous sites online. So, it’s tempting and easy to be malicious.

Reputation management is more than a service simply for those people who have had negative content levelled against them online. ORM is predominantly for protecting your reputation and keeping it consistent for the entire duration. By paying attention to your customers, you can ensure that you are always offering them what they want, and can adapt your advertising as to attract other potential customers to your custom.

When you open the social media floodgates, you create a channel for people to come and ask help for their various issues. So they may either ask you questions about the various products or services, or it might be a disgruntled customer who is posting negative comments about you, because they are dissatisfied about your product or service.

It is important to monitor your business online:

• If you need to take action against the negative comments you need to know exactly where and why they exist.
• Find out what people are saying about others’ brands so that you can make sure your business is ahead in the competition.
• Know the changing tastes of the people, so that you can adapt your advertising and products range accordingly.
• It is essential to know of any many gaps in the market, so you can fill them before your competitors do.
• Know what people type into search engines in order to find your products, so that you can adapt your website to include the right keywords.

If you cannot monitor your brand on your own, then you need to make use of the services of an online reputation management firm like Reputation Management For.com, who will do the trick of helping you build, regain and protect your brand name. We offer various services and packages and have great tools and systems in place to protect your name online; it will ultimately help you to have complete control of your business.

The much hyped 5 -star holiday of America’s first lady in a lavish Mediterranean Retreat when the country was reeling under the worst economic meltdown has had a bad influence in the reputation of the first family. Though  the  first lady is paying for her own room, food and transportation, the government will be bearing the security costs  and support staffers, plus most costs associated with her Air Force plane. Many feel that this foreign luxury  holiday came at a bad time as back home Americans are battling with loss jobs and an insecure future.

The webspace has been abuzz with comments on this ill timed get away at the expenses of the tax payer’s money. Politics Daily readers comments like “A little restraint would be appropriate in these tough economic times. It would mean a lot to the American people who pay for all these vacations and outings and would go a long way towards better relations with the people of the U.S. ” are keeping alive the issue as the first lady gets ready for another spell of holiday to Florida and Massachusetts island in the coming days.

The worst thing is that it  has come close to the heels of the frock controversy  that  sparked ‘nude’ race row that spoiled the First Lady’s second state dinner. Michelle Obama’s reputation has been heavily influenced with these controversies that a Google search would come up with results like Spain vacation and state dinner dress in the top slots.

However, Michelle Obama is far too popular and should ride this controversy well but as they say  all things do add up; and a cross check on the reputation chart will do good at this juncture.

Reading this guardian article – ‘PR firms make London world capital of reputation laundering’ is alarming but then I have a few thoughts about this. For one I agree, PR companies may unscrupulously try to airbrush problems of their clients in every way possible, this is true. But, the one glaring thing about this exposé is that no country known the world over for human rights violation is going to get a ‘squeaky clean’ reputation handed over on a platter. No way!