Using social media to support and protect your brand

Supporting and protecting my own products from things such as negative onslaughts via the world wide web would means in many ways maintaining a constant vigil over the image of the brand your are representing. For a product that is widespread and large scale enough to merit direct criticism on many sides means that it should be monitored. Point and case, blogging and the world wide web have taken over many industries as a means of commenting and making ones-self heard on issues of almost any subject. Not only that, but many companies (i.e. Amazon.com) actually welcome active participation of reviewing and criticism on their websites to help buys make informed decisions based on their fellow customer’s opinions. This can be both extremely useful, and extremely damaging simultaneously. The proverbial double edged sword.
First off, support. It should be stated that no one product or service will please every potential customer on the planet. Negativity towards your product or service is a consumerism given. But simultaneously, customers have come to appreciate companies that take pride in customer service and who offer their customers the chance to speak out about the product, often directly through the manufacturer. Constant listening and improvements of products is one great way of supporting your product virtually. Provide a place for customers to make their voice heard, then actually listen to what they are saying and do something about it. Video games are a great example of this trend in customer respect.
Second, protect. Since no product or service is perfect, and will eventually garner bad reviews from one side or another, quick response of negative publicity is key. Whether it be large scale or simply addressing the issue as close to the moment it goes out is paramount to maintaining good brand image and customer will towards your product or service. In legal situations, if an accusation is made and the accused gives no answer, the jury, audience, judge, and prosecutor may assume silence is equal to guilt. That is why a strong vocal addressing of the issue is very important to maintain your products integrity in the times of adversity.