Identity, Image, Reputation

In the article, Corporate Image and Logos, the author emphasized how does corporate image is very important in an organization.The marketplace is awash with logos, repeated in television commercials, on trucks that pass us by; on packages and signs in the supermarkets; stationery and flyers. The list is endless. It is essential, then, for a logo to have meaning; to present to the subconscious mind of the consumer a message about the corporation and/or the product it represents.A logo does exactly that in a very subtle way. Part of a logo's impact comes from repetition, the very act of seeing a familiar symbol on a continual basis. Every company, every branded product or service needs a logo for this purpose.An organization’s identity is the visual manifestation of the company’s reality as conveyed through all tangible ideas or materials created by the organization and communicated to their constituents. The image is then simply a reflection of the tangible identity seen from the constituents’ perspective. These tools may be the most powerful and influential weapons organizations possess today in their efforts to differentiate themselves from competitors.
Consider the Example
EBay and Amazon.com understand the value of reputation systems. On eBay, a member’s reputation guides other users to decide whether an auction can be trusted or not. Although easy to manipulate, the reputation system is a foundation of eBay’s growth and popularity. On Amazon.com, the reputation system allows users to judge the value of other people’s reviews. It, too, provides an important tool to users to make value-based purchasing judgments.
On more traditional communities, ratings and reputation systems can take many forms. The simplest is the number of posts made to the community. The more posts a member makes, the more “senior” they become. Date of registration can also be used as an indicator of a member’s seniority. More complex systems allow members to rate one another, and some systems combine these techniques.
Most people value their ratings from others and the reputation they build in a community. It’s an investment, just like a 401(k) retirement fund. Once members are invested in a reputation, they are far less likely to abuse it.
Reputation systems can also be tied directly to a role system, so those with increasingly senior reputations can be given greater access or responsibilities within the community. Those with no or little reputation can be given little or no access to a system or service, providing them an incentive to increase their reputation. (Such a direct tie-in will not work for every site.)