Sticks and Stones: How Digital Business Reputations Are Created Over Time and Lost in a Click

"Larry Weber has made an important contribution to helping any leader understand how to manage and protect reputation in a digital world. The influences on reputation have spun out of control, and this book is a highly actionable approach to move from reacting to managing one of every organization's most important assets." —Michael E. Porter, Bishop William Lawrence University Professor, Harvard Business School "In Sticks and Stones, Larry Weber presents a compelling look at the challenges of protecting corporate reputation in a world where company information can cross borders and gain momentum in an instant via the Internet. Drawing on his keen eye for communications trends, Larry offers practical advice for navigating this ever-changing environment. Corporate leaders would be wise to embrace his counsel." —Ron Sargent, Chairman and CEO, Staples, Inc. "Businesses no longer control their brands. At best, they can influence the communities of constituents who debate, shape, and refine their definition of what the brand means to them. Marketers and business executives can tap into these conversations to form incredibly rich and lasting bonds or allow themselves to be rolled by them. Larry Weber understood this dynamic long before most commu-nications thought leaders. In Sticks and Stones, he delivers not only bountiful examples of the best and worst practices in reputation management, but also practical advice that any leader can use to understand and shape reputation in this complex new world. This is a must-read book for the modern marketer." —Paul Gillin, author, The New Influencers and Secrets of Social Media Marketing "In today's interconnected world of social networking, 24/7 blogging and Twitter, a company's livelihood relies, in large measure, on its ability to build a reputable online presence. Sticks and Stones is a must-read for any leader in business, academia, or politics who wants to achieve and maintain a 21st-century, online competitive advantage." —Deborah Wince-Smith, President, Council on Competitiveness

Table of Contents:
FOREWORD Mark B. Fuller. PREFACE. PART I DIGITAL WORLD, DIGITAL REPUTATION. CHAPTER 1 Your Digital Reputation in World 2.0. CHAPTER 2 Psst—Want to Know Who's Talking About You? PART II SHAPE YOUR REPUTATION. CHAPTER 3 Building Reputation: Start a Dialogue. CHAPTER 4 Building Reputation: Something to Talk About. CHAPTER 5 Building Reputation: Where to Be on the Web. CHAPTER 6 This Means New Roles, New Jobs for Every Organization. PART III IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU (AND YOUR FIRM). CHAPTER 7 Click—Your Personal Reputation at Stake. CHAPTER 8 Can a Small Business Build a Big Digital Reputation? CHAPTER 9 Big Business, Big Digital Rep. PART IV TOOLS AND TACTICS. CHAPTER 10 The YouTube Juggernaut. CHAPTER 11 How to Respond to Negative Comments, Gripes, and Crises. CHAPTER 12 The New Craft of Public Relations. CHAPTER 13 Reputation Lessons from the Obama Campaign. CHAPTER 14 The Future of Digital Reputation. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. NOTES. INDEX.

About the Author :
Larry Weber leads W2 Group, a next-generation ecosystem of marketing service companies that help CMOs in their new roles of content aggregators and community builders. W2 Group companies include Racepoint Group, a global public relations firm with special expertise in digital media relations; Digital Influence Group, a social media marketing agency; and Two Martinis, a branding firm that aligns brand vision and customer experience in a social media world. Earlier in his career, Weber founded Weber Shandwick, the largest public relations agency in the world. He is also cofounder and chairman of MITX, the world's largest online advocacy organization,and the author of Marketing to the Social Web. Larry Weber leads W2 Group, a next-generation ecosystem of marketing service companies that help CMOs in their new roles of content aggregators and community builders. W2 Group companies include Racepoint Group, a global public relations firm with special expertise in digital media relations; Digital Influence Group, a social media marketing agency; and Two Martinis, a branding firm that aligns brand vision and customer experience in a social media world. Earlier in his career, Weber founded Weber Shandwick, the largest public relations agency in the world. He is also cofounder and chairman of MITX, the world's largest online advocacy organization,and the author of Marketing to the Social Web.