* The real challenge of reputation management is configuring a reputation system to closely parallel a small town
Recently, I was talking about the relatively new identity management area of online reputation management. Some siloed reputation management systems were mentioned (e.g., eBay, Yelp, Trip Advisor), which are the ones always mentioned whenever identity management visionaries get together. But, in reality, what we’re looking for goes back much farther than the online age.
I actually found this description in Wikipedia:
“The classic example of reputation management is the small town. Population is small and interactions between members frequent; most interactions are face-to-face and positively identified — that is, there is no question who said or did what. Reputation accrues not only throughout one’s lifetime, but is passed down to one’s offspring; one’s individual reputation depends both on one’s own actions and one’s inherited reputation.
“There are generally few formal mechanisms to manage this implicit reputation. Implicit Reputation is the accumulated reputation one gets in a small town from previous actions. The town diner and barber shop serve as forums for exchange of gossip, in which community members’ reputations are discussed (implicit reputation), often in frank terms. Outstanding members may receive small, symbolic awards or titles, but these are mere confirmations of general knowledge.
“There is exceedingly little deviation from community norms in a small town. This may be seen as either good or bad; there is little crime, but also little room for dissent or change. The small-town model scales poorly; it depends on each member having enough experience of a large number of other members, and this is only possible up to a point.”
In larger towns and some cities, neighborhoods can be almost as self-contained as small towns. It follows that the same sort of reputation management is present there also.
Transferring this sort of reputation management to the online world is actually quite easy. All it takes is time. As the article said: “Reputation accrues not only throughout one’s lifetime, but is passed down to one’s offspring…” Parts of your small town reputation precede your birth, parts linger after your death. The online world just hasn’t been around long enough yet. Unfortunately, no individual online reputation silo is liable to be around long enough to make a difference – we’re too eager to jump on to the “next big thing.”
Besides time, though, there’s the problem of who knows whom – and how. In the town, interactions are frequent, peer groups are identified, the degree of “closeness” (how often you’re in contact with another) are all known and understood. On Facebook, I have 186 “friends.” Now I did grow up in a small town (Riverside, RI), 50 years ago when “on line” meant waiting in a queue, and I certainly didn’t have more than 100 “friends” – probably a lot fewer. With a larger group of acquaintances and even more of what we called “nodding acquaintances” (people you would acknowledge with a nod, or smile but wouldn’t ever actually speak to). The parts of my reputation that each of these people contributed (if any) was weighted by their closeness to me as well as by the length of time they were aware of me – and that’s what’s missing online.
Moving reputation data between and among the various online silos is technologically child’s play. Configuring a reputation system to closely parallel a small town – especially the need for closeness over time – is the deal breaker. Solve that and your fortune is made.
