24 August 2010 | Author: M. Thomson SEO & Affiliate Consultant
Google's intention of Sidewiki was for users to contribute helpful information about any given webpage for all to see (as long as they have a Google Toolbar). Rather than being used for information exchange, some labelled it a "PR Game Changer," and the focus soon swarmed around how it could affect public relations.
However, bigmouthmedia can reveal that 90% of brands we assessed do not maintain a page owner entry. Out of the 50 mixed retail and travel brands we looked at, 16% had Sidewiki entries from their users left un-maintained or unanswered.
Worryingly, 12% had negative comments from their users, in some cases bad-mouthing their service offering. In each instance where negative comments were made, not one brand was a page owner.
Page owner entries are designed to allow websites to talk to their users, receive feedback and ask questions. Has public relations forgotten about Google Sidewiki, or are they spending their time in more mainstream PR hotspots such as Twitter? Research would seem to reveal so.
As an example of how Sidewiki can be useful, one user added an entry notifying that National Rail has a mobile website that some may not have known without using Sidewiki. Under the entry, we can also see the flipside where a spammer has added a sexual reference - naughty!
Depending on your strategy, Google Sidewiki may not be for you. From our research, it's obvious that not many brands care or potentially even know about Google Sidewiki. Depending on Google's push, we may see more/less of Sidewiki.
As a means of digital protection, bigmouthmedia would suggest websites at least claim their entry by verifying their website in Google Webmaster Tools.
90% of brands don’t maintain Google Sidewiki
Google Sidewiki, released in September 2009, is one month short of its first anniversary. Getting ready for birthday celebrations (ice cream and jelly anyone?) bigmouthmedia thought it was time to revisit the relatively quiet tool.Google's intention of Sidewiki was for users to contribute helpful information about any given webpage for all to see (as long as they have a Google Toolbar). Rather than being used for information exchange, some labelled it a "PR Game Changer," and the focus soon swarmed around how it could affect public relations.
However, bigmouthmedia can reveal that 90% of brands we assessed do not maintain a page owner entry. Out of the 50 mixed retail and travel brands we looked at, 16% had Sidewiki entries from their users left un-maintained or unanswered.
Worryingly, 12% had negative comments from their users, in some cases bad-mouthing their service offering. In each instance where negative comments were made, not one brand was a page owner.
Page owner entries are designed to allow websites to talk to their users, receive feedback and ask questions. Has public relations forgotten about Google Sidewiki, or are they spending their time in more mainstream PR hotspots such as Twitter? Research would seem to reveal so.
As an example of how Sidewiki can be useful, one user added an entry notifying that National Rail has a mobile website that some may not have known without using Sidewiki. Under the entry, we can also see the flipside where a spammer has added a sexual reference - naughty!
Depending on your strategy, Google Sidewiki may not be for you. From our research, it's obvious that not many brands care or potentially even know about Google Sidewiki. Depending on Google's push, we may see more/less of Sidewiki.
As a means of digital protection, bigmouthmedia would suggest websites at least claim their entry by verifying their website in Google Webmaster Tools.
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