RepuTrack™

I was directed to a TechCrunch's article by @autom8 (thanks for the link share Autom). The sentiment seemingly promoting this idea of overlooking indiscretions and one's online reputation. I also noticed @andybeal tweeting about the article, describing how

the era of "desensitized online faux pas" (something he thinks will inevitably happen) might already be here.

I might be alone, but I find the title and overall sentiment to be quite distressing and dismissive. Look, I get how forgiving a faux pas happens within social media, but the act of forgiving or reconciling more serious transgressions and/or missteps is not a given, and is something that still requires earning audience trust. And I also understand how people forget with the passage of time - one only needs to cite an example of the way political blunders become a distant memory come the next election.

Perhaps what the article (and @andybeal's tweet) is suggesting is a reputation management future where the social Web is inundated with so many human transactions and experiences that the negative incident ratio of a company or brand becomes less important in informing consumer choices.

The slippery slope to all these ways of thinking is a reputation scattered in the wind, and a misguided, reckless abandonment of common sense, where we actually begin to buy this notion that audiences will tolerate a brand that appears to be stumbling too often out of a hot kitchen scenario, with a reputation constantly in need of a fix.

It's one thing to forgive a faux pas, and altogether a different story when you're promoting the idea of overlooking indiscretions at wholesale. I can't help but think that this view is akin to promoting heavy drinking behind the wheel while driving an online reputation monitoring and engagement strategy - NEVER a good idea.

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