Two thirds of uk business owners concerned about their personal online image
- 86 per cent of owners see financial risk in their personal online material
- 1 in 5 businesses browse web for personal material on competitors & suppliers
Over two thirds of British business owners (67 per cent) admit to having concerns that how they appear online could have a negative effect their business, according to research released today by Fasthosts Internet Ltd, (www.fasthosts.co.uk), the UK's number one web hosting company. The survey of 540 British businesses found that 78 per cent of business owners believe there to be personal material related to them on the Internet, and 43 per cent admitted to anxiety that material posted online by others, like friends or partners, could have a negative effect on their business affairs. The research found that 1 in 5 owners routinely 'Google' for personal material on rival owners and 48 per cent judge personal online material to be representative of a business person overall. Another survey of 300 people who publish their own personal website , as opposed to just social networking, found that 84 per cent of those believed this offered more control over their online image, and 79 per cent of personal website owners were happy to recommend the tool as a means of creating or modifying an individual's online image or identity.
The 'Fasthosts Proprietor Identity Survey' found that the majority of UK business owners are now engaged with the issue of 'online identity', with over two thirds expressing some degree of concern regarding how they appear online. Significantly, the majority of British business owners, 78 per cent, now believe there to be personal material relating to them (such as photos, blog entries, Facebook profiles) on the Internet. Over 40 per cent of owners surveyed had a specific concern that what others may be publishing may have a negative effect on their business. Over 17 per cent admitted to having later regretted posting one or more items of material.
Whilst publishing material online is highly popular and enjoyable, some 95 per cent of those surveyed recognised that the online image it creates for an individual owner can have an impact upon their business. Significantly, 86 per cent of owners believed that there could be a link between a proprietor's unfavourable personal online material and a decrease in sales revenue. The extent of alarm varies, with 48 per cent viewing this to be a 'significant' risk, and 46 per cent recognising a 'small' risk. The level of concern on the issue of online material mirrors how heavily business owners themselves now use the Web for researching each other.
Over 81 per cent of UK business owners routinely browse the Internet for personal online material on business contacts. Some 1 in 5 of those surveyed (21 per cent) admit to searching for material relating to other company owners such as competitors. A further 1 in 5 (21 per cent) research their suppliers private lives online, and 18 per cent routinely look for material relating to their business partners and associates. Interestingly, owners appeared to use the Web far less to check job applicants, with only 11 per cent willing to do this.
The need for prudence when publishing personal material can be seen from the swiftness with which proprietors judge those they see online. Significantly, 66 per cent of owners have made a judgment on at least one business contact based solely on their online personal material. At least 48 per cent of owners surveyed believe that it is possible to make a reliable overall assessment of a person from their personal online material.
However, it is not all bad news when it comes to how business people manage their online image or identity. Encouragingly, 76 per of business owners believed that if the right balance was struck, their personal online identity could be used to positively impact their business, with 19 per cent strongly believing this to be the case.
Interestingly, a further survey of 300 people who publish their own personal website as opposed to just a social networking page, found that 84 per cent felt significantly more in control over their online image using this medium. Some 71 per cent of people using a personal website, linked to the Internet with their own domain name, believe that their website has given them a favourable online image, and 67 per cent viewed their resultant online image to be overall representative. Significantly, 70 per cent stated that their website has created a more favourable overall online image for them than a social networking page could. Furthermore, 79 per cent of personal website owners were happy to recommend the tool as a means of creating or changing an individual's online image or identity. The research lends weight to the argument that personal sites or blogs can be a useful means to generate or make modifications to a business owner's online identity.
Mark Jeffries, CTO of Fasthosts Internet Ltd said, "Today, the issue of online identity is clearly a concern for the British businesses. With it now being commonplace to search online for individuals as well as companies, proprietors should take care to present their own personal online material carefully and keep an eye on their online image accordingly".
As well as being more controlled, individual personal websites appear to be highly sociable just like social networking, with the average owner being contacted by 11-15 new people per year, and 21 per cent being approached by 50+ new people per year. In relation to social networks, 68 per cent of personal site owners valued their own sites as allowing more creativity and only 26 per cent suspected that a social networking page could be more communicative.
Jeffries added, "With the right approach, business owners can present their personal online material in a way that won't compromise their business activities. Our research highlights that personal websites in particular appear to offer a high level of control over online image, and can allow this to be modified effectively."
As the UK's number one web host, Fasthosts offers a comprehensive range of web solutions including web hosting with inclusive Blog tool & easy to use SiteBuilder for creating a web presence with ease. Further Fasthosts products include domain name registrations, email solutions (including mobile email services), shared web hosting, dedicated servers, online payment services, reseller web hosting, software-as-a-service and feature-rich broadband packages. For more information on Fasthosts, see the website at www.fasthosts.co.uk
