This may be one reason why PR firms often overlook Glassdoor in favor of other careers sites, notably LinkedIn. New research from digital firm Five Blocks, conducted exclusively for the Holmes Report, suggests they are wrong to do so. ​Read More

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With a three-year sales growth of 110% from 2010 to 2013, Five Blocks also increased staff by 50%, adding significant technology and research resources as well as expanding the firms client and partner service management team. Read More

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Back in May 2014, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the highest court in the European Union, issued a ruling upholding a law which has since been labeled the “Right to be Forgotten” (RTBF). The RTBF ruling allows EU citizens to request links [search results] that show up in their personal search results to be removed by Google and other applicable search engines. Read more

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As many readers may already be aware, the EU’s Court of Justice (EUCJ) has recently issued a ruling on the right to be forgotten that allows for private EU citizens to request certain links (search results) be taken down if they meet the court’s criteria. As many as 70,000 – 80,000 requests have been submitted already and the story is constantly developing as Google and the media affected by the ruling have begun reacting to it. Read more

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There was a time when protecting your reputation online was one item on a list of priorities for a hedge fund’s management team, usually near the bottom. When considering a hedge fund’s costs and shifting priorities, repairing or improving their online image tended to fall by the wayside until a crisis occurred. Read more

The post The Missing ‘Link’ for Digital Reputation of Hedge Funds appeared first on Five Blocks.

The feature, which Google calls “In-Depth Articles,” offers up links to a set of three long-form articles, usually at the bottom of the search results page. The articles are usually detailed profiles and exposés on companies and their leadership. Companies and high-profile individuals should take notice of this development and understand that it presents a number of opportunities, as well as some perils.  Read more

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Challenges: While the departing executive had a strong public and online presence, the succeeding partner’s online presence was confusing and disjointed. Rather than a corporate bio and other expected search results, a search for his name resulted in Facebook pages and images of other people with the same name. The firm was understandably concerned that these results would damage investor confidence.

Solutions: To establish the managing partner’s presence, Five Blocks executed a program which included:

1. Enhancing Digital Presence: Coordinating changes to the firm’s corporate website and ensuring the managing partner’s prominence in search engine queries.
2. Wikipedia Efforts: Working with Wikipedia editors, Five Blocks helped to create and submit a Wikipedia page with appropriately sourced content and a professional image. This content was subsequently used by the media.
3. Optimizing Content: Ensuring that relevant links appeared when stakeholders queried the managing partner on a search engine.

Results: Within a few months of Five Blocks working with the hedge fund, results included:

• The succeeding partner appeared far more prominently in queries for the fund.
• The managing partner was featured in a list of the most powerful people on Wall Street in a leading business publication. All of the content about the managing partner was sourced from their Wikipedia page initiated by Five Blocks.
• The managing partner earned a Google Knowledge Graph (see below) which presented him as a recognized entity online.
• The managing partner told Five Blocks that their efforts helped build trust with current and potential investors.

The post Hedge Fund Leadership Succession appeared first on Five Blocks.

Hedge fund managers are notoriously reticent when it comes to talking about themselves publicly and, save for a few, they’ve always had a bias against speaking to the media. Regulatory barriers, including the ban on general solicitation, have sometimes stood in the way. But those walls are close to coming down. Still, many managers wonder why they should even care about their online reputations. After all, most hedge fund investments are born from private placements. Marketing has not been high on the list of a fund’s priorities and many want to maintain an air of exclusivity that negates any need for mass advertising. Read more

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