Google's New Sidewiki and What It Means For Your Business

In September, Google launched Sidewiki, an add-on toolbar for Firefox and Internet Explorer, and soon, Chrome. Once installed, users can leave comments on it about any website they visit and these comments are visible to anyone who has this toolbar installed.  This is not the first tool of this kind, but Google has a bigger brand and more marketshare than the others. Also, with the other tools they are rolling out, Sidewiki could very easily gain in popularity.

Conversations about your company are happening with or without you online and now, with Google's Sidewiki, they can happen on any website in the world, even yours . . . even without your permission.

So what does all this mean for you?

Both your internal and external customer service need to be on par. One snarky email to a bride or another vendor and that person can not only blast you on Twitter or Facebook, they can post about it to your website.

This new tool also allows competitors to comment on your site. Google does require that you use your real name to post (not exactly sure how they will monitor this, though they do track IP addresses for every interaction) and they do have policies in place that prohibit defamatory comments, however you will not have the ability to delete Sidewiki comments that others post like you can on your blog or Facebook. Google will have to do that for you and it will be at their discretion, not yours.

Because of this, you need to have a solid public relations plan in place if you don't already. Not public relations in the sense of garnering publicity or editorial features, but in the sense of protocols and actions that your company will take in responding to comments, both positive or negative, in the public arena. These policies really should be in writing, regardless of your company size.

This new tool has a lot of potential to be a great addition to the Internet and considerably useful. It can allow brides to mention that a wedding gown in a size 6 from a certain designer runs a bit small and to order larger or vice versa.  It also can help raise the bar in the wedding industry: improved customer service, better vendor relations, better products, and so on. While companies have never truly been in control of the conversations about them, tools like these only amplify that truth.

What are your thoughts on Google Sidewiki? Do you think it will help or harm your business?