Jacque Bermejo: A Lesson on Personal Online Reputation Management

Metro Manila was slammed by Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana internationally) last weekend and the damage has been massive. Floods all over the city and nearby suburbs had people stranded on roofs as the water reached unheard-of levels. Here's a video of cars floating because of the floods:



And now that the storm has passed, a lot of people all over Manila have been extending support to the Typhoon Ondoy victims in relief operations. People have been volunteering, donating, and praying for the success of the relief and rescue efforts. In short, people are trying to be useful.

However, there are also people who seem to be doing the opposite. And people perceived to be like that often draws the ire of Filipinos.

One such person is now the infamous Jacque Bermejo. An overseas Filipino worker based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Ms. Bermejo has become an overnight internet sensation for the all the wrong reasons. Her sin? She allegedly said something that struck a collective nerve among Filipinos affected by Typhoon Ondoy:

Translated, the broken English/Filipino statement

buti n lng am hir in dubai! maybe so many sinners bak der! so yeah deserving wat hapend!

means "Good thing I'm here in Dubai! Maybe many sinners back there! So yeah, deserving what happened!" While there may be more vicious statements out there, I believe this one angered Filipinos because of the judgmental tone and insensitivity of the statement.

This statement started a wave of hate comments in Facebook and blogs. A Facebook group specifically targeted against her has been created and now as almost 8,000 members. Clearly, Jacque Bermejo's online reputation is in ruins, much like the effect of Typhoon Ondoy on Metro Manila.

So how does Jacque Bermejo get out of this mess? I have a few tips:

• Confess and come clean - If Ms. Bermejo did say those things, apologize publicly, even in social networks. Show remorse over the statement and show support to the relief efforts. The most important thing here is authenticity in here statement.
• Act fast - In the span of a few hours, the internet hate has spread like wildfire. Any minute not spent in apologizing/giving clarity to the situations is a minute where the hate just grows.
• Get supporters - The idea is to control the negative spin, so at best, she could slow things down. Supporters who can vouch for Ms. Bermejo's character should come out.
• Join the cause - To show sincerity, Ms. Bermejo, guilty or not, should help in the relief operations to reduce the "holier than thou" stance.

These are just some basic online reputation management tips, but for everyone, remember that not only companies and organizations have to be careful in making statements online. Like in the case of Jacque Bermejo, a storm of negative emotions was stirred up with a single statement.