Reputation management services emerge to counter negative online information
(September 12,
2011) The proliferation on the internet of blogs, forums and social
media has created a place where useful exchanges of information take
place. Unfortunately, when an individual or company is mentioned,
reviewed or commented upon on the internet, such information cannot
always be taken at face value. Search engine results can sometimes
include information which is erroneous, taken out of context, or
maliciously motivated.
Potential customers want to learn as much as they can about your
business and often turn to the internet. But as a businessperson nothing
is more discouraging than to lose a customer because of something they
read online when they “Googled” your business. A negative comment or
review can be motivated by a desire to aid a competitor, or because of a
grudge against the business for one reason or another.
It
is becoming more and more important to have a good online reputation. It
is said that hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost each day because
of false, erroneous or misleading search engine results.
Companies specializing in online reputation management (ORM) have sprung
up, which attempt to manage the information available through internet
searches. These companies try to influence how an individual, brand or
company is perceived online.
There are software programs that purport to aid in reputation
management, but ORM usually involves the human interpretation of search
results, and can be expensive.
Many sites make an honest attempt to screen out covert or biased
comments and reviews, but the actual motivation of the person posting
the information is, of course, difficult to judge. There are even
services on the internet where reviews can be purchased by anyone
willing to pay a small fee.
ORM
services monitor websites and search engine results for negative
information placed online by professional journalists, or for negative
user-generated content. The goal of ORM is to eliminate the negative
information entirely if possible, or to at least push it further down in
the search results. Some techniques used are take-down requests of
individual website owners or, in some extreme instances, litigation.
Positive techniques are also part of ORM, such as quickly correcting
misinformation and offering free products for review. Today many
companies use social networking sites to improve public perceptions of a
product, service or brand.
Attempts to manage negative reviews have sometimes resulted in stuffing
a negative review site with positive reviews, but businesses should be
advised that this is a violation of Federal law. FTC guidelines on
endorsements require that if a business, employee or paid agent posts an
opinion online they must disclose that material connection.
Public charging stations to be installed for electric cars
This month the City of Houston and its electric vehicle partners
launched Houston Drives Electric, a comprehensive city-wide electric
vehicle program. The announcement highlighted the two new additions
to the City’s electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid fleet, as well as
new infrastructure to support EV drivers. The City purchased two
Nissan Leafs which are the first all-electric vehicles in the City’s
fleet. Another 23 electric vehicles will be added to the City fleet
by year’s end, bringing the 2011 total to 40 electric and plug-in
hybrids.
“The
City of Houston is proud of its vision and ongoing leadership in
electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid technology,” said Mayor Annise
Parker. “This innovative technology is part of our alternative
transportation future, helping the City save money by reducing
gasoline costs, while also reducing in-city tailpipe emissions. Due
to the significant support from the City’s partners, Houstonians can
feel confident about charging their cars anywhere.”
In addition to the privately funded charging station commitment made
last year by NRG EV Services (eVgo), the City and ECOtality will be
installing 28 additional public charging stations at City libraries
and parks with funding through the State Energy Conservation Office
and EPA Climate Showcase Communities grant funds. GRIDbot will
handle the installation of an additional 28 municipal charging
stations in the parking garage underneath Tranquility Park for City
fleet vehicles, funded by a TCEQ grant.
A
stakeholder process led by the City, ECOtality and the Houston
Advanced Research Center (HARC) has led to the development of major
planning documents to guide the City’s deployment of electric
vehicle infrastructure. These documents include the Electric Vehicle
Charging Infrastructure Deployment Guidelines, Long-Range Electric
Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Plan, and Micro-Climate Plan.
The
City’s partners are making major announcements regarding their
infrastructure commitment to Houston. NRG’s eVgo will unveil
Houston’s first Freedom Station site. The eVgo electric vehicle
charging network now includes Freedom Station sites, located at the
H-E-B Buffalo Speedway Market and the Shops at Houston Center in
downtown Houston. eVgo subscribers will be able to plug in their
vehicles while they are shopping and take advantage of a new charger
that can add 30 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes. In
addition to charging stations installed on City property, ECOtality
has plans to install over 200 charging stations in the Houston area
over the coming months.
The City has a new website about electric vehicles at
www.greenhoustontx.gov/houstondriveselectric.
East End begins $5M revitalization
Groundbreaking event to kick off construction of Livable Centers and capital improvement projects
The Greater East End Management District (GEEMD) is starting
construction on its Livable Centers and community revitalization
projects. The general public and business owners are invited to
attend and participate in the ceremonial event, September 29, 2011.
The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. with breakfast and the ceremony
starting at 9:00 a.m. The groundbreaking will occur at the 3500
Canal and 200 N. Sampson Street intersection. This kick off ceremony
will gather public officials, community leaders, and private
investors interested in the Livable Centers.
The activities planned include mariachi music, display of a vintage
World War II tank, display of the “Classy Chasis Club’s” vintage
automobiles, mariachis, as well a host of additional activities
offered by local vendors.
During the event, the GEEMD will kickoff construction of capital
improvements funded by grants in 2009 totaling five million dollars.
The timeline will be released for a pedestrian oriented York and
Sampson Streets and Navigation Boulevard. Development will include
new sidewalks, lighting, bus stops, landscaping and wayfinding
elements, as well as on-street parking.
This infusion of capital improvements will raise the quality of life
and improve pedestrian access for East End residents. Today, 34% of
the population in area are pedestrian oriented and rely on public
transit to get to and from their destinations during their daily
commutes. Upon completion of the project, increased and safer
connectivity will be realized by the citizens. In the near future it
is anticipated that these capital improvements will yield increased
East End economic development and tourism opportunities.
The Livable Centers Plan is a component of the strategic plan
developed by the GEEMD with input from many East End businesses,
civic organizations, and residents. Today, more than one half a
billion dollars is being invested in the East End to usher in an era
of efficient transit throughout the community, along with street
beautification projects.
The GEEMD has been a catalyst for galvanizing the community to
address some of its concerns, as well as getting feedback for ways
to make improvements. With the support and attendance of the
business community at the groundbreaking ceremony, the GEEMD is
unifying further a cohesive business community.
About the Greater East End Management District
The Greater East End Management District was founded in 1999. Its
mission is to revitalize the infrastructure and image of the
District, to attract more businesses and to increase economic
activity in the area. Improvements include new infrastructure,
beautification, security, public safety, and workforce development.
The Greater East End Management District covers 16 square miles and
borders Clinton Drive to the north, Loop 610 to the east, Telephone
Road and Interstate 45 to the south and the Houston Belt and
Terminal Railroad to Highway 59 to the west. Visit
www.greatereastend.com to learn more about the Greater East End
Management District.
Woodland Heights teacher authors book on area’s history
A book about the history of the Woodland Heights neighborhood
promises to reveal some surprising answers to questions about the
area’s past. The book titled “Recollections: A History of the
Woodland Heights and Surrounding Communities” was written by Omar
Holguin,Jr., a neighborhood resident and teacher in the Galena Park
School District.
In the book he recounts the events leading to the creation of
Woodland Heights and details the area’s history prior to the
establishment of the neighborhood, including the era of the Mexican
Land Grants. There are roughly 80 illustrations, including photos
from the 19th century and area maps dating to 1839.
Omar says he became interested in researching the history of the
Woodland Heights area while listening to the stories of older
residents during meetings of the civic association’s centennial
committee in 2007. He spent the next several years gathering what
information was available through library research. “I was
interested and curious so I continued taking notes and doing more
research. This book’s organization is based on those discussions
from the centennial committee meetings.”
Most of the book, he says, was written during the year he stayed
home with his son as he recovered from treatment for leukemia. “This
book is heavily researched since I knew nothing to begin with and I
have tried to rely upon primary sources within my limitations. It is
not perfect but there are suggestions for further research at the
end.”
The book will be available through Amazon.com and
https://www.createspace.com/3582355 later this month.
Freshman State Representative recounts experiences in her first legislative session
Sarah
Davis, Republican State Representative for District 134, was the
guest speaker at the Houston Property Rights Association luncheon
September 9th. District 134 includes Bellaire, West University
Place, west Montrose and the Memorial Park area. She talked about
her experiences as one of 35 new representatives in the 82nd
Legislature, and about the outcome of the two sessions this year.
Rep.
Davis said that since the legislature meets every two years for only
140 days, much work must be done in a short time. She was appointed
to the Public Health Committee and the Civil Jurisprudence and
Judiciary Committee in the House. She quickly learned how hectic the
legislative session could be. “In the Public Health Committee we
heard 275 bills and we voted out 123. On the Judiciary Committee we
heard 311 bills and voted out 184. Overall, there were 3,865 bills
filed in the House of Representatives, and the Governor ended up
signing a little over 1,400. So that is a lot of work to get done in
140 days.”
“The
Texas constitution prohibits the legislature from voting on any bill
the first 60 days of the session. So you get sworn in and then there
is a whole lot of ‘hurry up and wait.’ Wait for committees to be
formed. Then you have to wait for bills to be referred to those
committees. The committee chair decides which bill they are going to
hear. Witnesses have to be lined up, then you have hearings. It
begins a long process.”
A special session was called by the governor when the regular
session ended. Each special session cannot exceed 30 days. “In the
special session we had about 114 bills. I think it is safe to say,
though, that the special session was dominated by six major issues.
The first five issues were issues the governor declared emergency
items. The emergency items included eminent domain reform, sanctuary
cities, voter id, the sonogram requirement, and tort reform. All of
the emergency items were signed into law except the sanctuary cities
bill. The Senate did not pass it in the first session so the
governor asked us to look at it again in the special session. The
Senate passed it and sent it over to the House, but it never made it
out of the House. The sonogram requirement has been struck down by a
federal judge in Austin. But that will be continually litigated.”
The
biggest issue was the state budget, Rep. Davis said. “We were
looking at a $25 to $27 billion deficit. But when you hear that term
it is a little misleading. The Texas constitution does not allow us
to deficit spend. We have to have a balanced budget every
legislative session, so it is not so much a deficit but that we
would need that amount of money to keep pace with the same level of
spending from the last legislature. But in the end the budget was
all about cuts, which we did. We did not to my knowledge pass a
single bill that had a fiscal note or financial application for the
State that would cost the State any money.
“We did not drain the rainy day fund. We started the session with
$9.4 billion in the fund. We did pay $3.2 billion to pay for
expenses the last legislature incurred. Sales taxes were not high
enough to cover those expenses. So now we have about $6.2 billion
left in the rainy day fund, and it will continue to accumulate as
long as the price of oil stays at a certain level. We felt that it
was important that we not drain the rainy day fund, and that we
balance the budget without raising taxes.”
The cuts in public education were the most controversial, she said.
“The last session allocated $4 billion of stimulus money which was a
one-time injection of money that all the school districts knew would
not be available next session. So if you subtract $4 billion which
everyone knew was not going to be available, the state legislature
increased in real dollars spending on public education by 5.6% that
put another $1.6 billion of State money into public education. All
you hear about is that there were all these major cuts to public
education, but I don’t believe that to be true.”
Public education accounts for 60.5% of the State budget, according
to Rep. Davis. “The State portion of medicaid and medicare is about
30% of the State budget. That leaves very little for the rest.” She
said that the statistic ranking Texas 48th in the nation on public
education spending is based on the actual dollar amount per student.
Texas, she continued, ranks in the top ten in the percentage of the
State budget spent on public education. “Many people do not know
this. One morning I was on an elevator with some of the protestors
at the Capitol, and I ask them how much of the budget did they think
was spent on public education, and they said 5% or 9 %.”
Immigration reform debate was very emotional, she said. “The
sanctuary cities bill did not pass. We did get a bill passed that
requires proof of citizenship to renew a drivers license, which is a
significant change, but a lot of people did not know that it was not
[already] a requirement.”
“I introduced a number of bills. When you are elected you have to
learn the difference between campaigning and governing. You can
stand before a group and talk about philosophy, but when you are in
office it is about what your constituents want you to do for them.”
Rep. Davis said she is proud to have served in the 82nd Legislature.
“It was truly an honor to be there. I enjoyed every minute of it
except for the hearings that lasted until five in the morning . You
learn so much about how government operates and how you can make a
difference. If you are active and work hard you absolutely can make
a difference in your community. Every morning when I turned the
corner and would see that capitol I would get goose bumps just
driving down Congress Street, and I could not believe that is where
I was headed. It was really an amazing experience.”
Italian Interlude: An Evening with Italian Mezzo-soprano Anna Maria Di Micco, benefitting The Angels Special Daycare
Experience the raw and venerable talent of classic opera as Italian
Mezzo-soprano Anna Maria Di Micco makes her Houston debut in a
lyrical concert benefitting The Angels Special Daycare on Oct.30 at
7 p.m. at the Stafford Centre.
The evening will include enchanting renditions from Georges Bizet’s
“Carmen” as well as influential operas of the era. After Di Micco’s
debut at “La Scala di Milano” her career led her to perform in
prestigious theaters in Italy and all over the world including the “Teatro
alla Scala di Milano,” “Arena di Verona,” “Opera of Tokyo,” “Schausspielhaus
of Berlin,” “Zarzuela in Madrid,” “Regio of Parma,” “La Fenice in
Venice” and others.
She will be joined by pianist Annalisa Spizzica.
With Di Micco’s noteworthy Rossini roles and intense vocal style of
the greatest Verdi queens, her shining career is sparkled with
precious and significant collaborations alongside artists such as
José Carreras, directors such as Riccardo Muti and filmmakers such
as Franco Zeffirelli.
These experiences have shaped Di Micco into a star of luminous
beauty and an irreplaceable point of reference with a warm and
powerful voice wrapped in refined interpretive style.
The Angels Special Daycare, Inc. is a registered non-profit 501(c)
(3) corporation, created to provide innovative programs and services
that support young adults with special needs from 14 to 24 years of
age.
With a staff dedicated to nurture and encourage each young adult,
the program promotes personal growth and community involvement, thus
building self-esteem and productivity for the future. Parents or
caregivers can feel confident that their loved ones receive quality
and compassionate care.
