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Microsoft/Windows independent blog, LiveSide has reported yesterday that Bing has decommissioned its Visual Search feature. However, the news seems nothing new at all, as the feature has been dropped months ago. As it turns out, no one has noticed that it has been removed from the search engine.

To be clear, the report is not talking about the traditional search that is currently available on Bing. It is all about the Visual Search tool that Microsoft’s search engine has released in 2009. The feature uses a unique Silverlight technology that enables users to view large set of images and data.

What Does Visual Search Do?

First announced in September 2009, Visual Search made an initial appearance at TechCrunch 50 Conference. It lets searchers browse easily using a slick interface of “structured data sets from trusted partners.” As described by Erik Shoenfield, a TechCrunch writer:

“For instance, if you type in ‘dog breeds,’ it organizes them for you in a grid of images that you can scroll through using a slider on the right. When you hover over a particular image, it enters the name of that dog breed in the search box. And you can re-order the image results by size, breed, exercise needs and Bing popularity.”

It initially earned a spot on the homepage search categories, under the Travel. Then it will be gone missing from the top of the navigation once the user is into Bing search results. The idea behind Visual Search is simple: Use clean imagery to enable users to sort through large sets of data easily.

It was followed by improvements in December 2010, which includes moving from Silverlight to HTML5 and promoting 111 different Visual Searches. However, the Visual Search feature no longer resolves. Other than revealing that the search tool is no longer working, a Microsoft spokesperson pointed out that the feature’s gallery has been shut down since last fall.

“Last fall, we began the process of removing Visual Search galleries on Bing. Like all of our betas, Visual Search was part of an on-going effort to better understand how we can offer the best search experience possible. We learned a lot from Visual Search beta and we’ll apply that knowledge to Bing as part of our continuing effort to help users ‘do’ more, while keeping our offerings visually appealing. This does not affect nor should be confused with Image Search that will remain a key feature to us.”

When your business is bad-mouthed by a customer on the Internet, it could turn into a PR nightmare. That’s why it’s important to monitor what people say about your brand. You should also know how to respond to negative feedback accordingly.

What is Business’ Weakness?

Unfavorable reputation is often caused by exposed company weaknesses. What makes it worse is the fact that various media could amplify it. Therefore, it is important to know your business’ defects. This lets you anticipate what needs fixing, which prevents customer resentment go haywire.

Avoid Defamatory Remarks

You should know how to avoid defamatory remarks inside and outside of your business. Do not include any damning content in your company’s blog or website and even internal emails. In addition, you should prevent your employees from addressing a customer in a disrespectful tone.

Check Your Online Reputation

The Internet is a great way to know what other people are saying about your business. Identify the key influencers in your industry. They could be other experts from your field, online magazines or bloggers. If you can afford it, you can also keep an eye on people outside of your industry and see what they say about you. Additionally, you can hire companies who specialize in online reputation management.

React Accordingly on Valid Remarks

Before reacting to any negative remarks about the company, determine who made the comment and check if it’s valid. See also if other people are talking about the issue and how fast it’s spreading. If the situation becomes erratic, bring the conversation to your website or open a forum on the topic. The speed and nature of your response should reflect to the degree of the problem.

Outline Your Response

While it is always better to respond on what other people has to say, handling your company’s reputation crises has two ways. Offer a genuine apology when it comes to valid statements. Tell your customers your exact plan of eradicating their animosity, re-establish consumer trust and convince them to continuously do business with you.

False account, on the other hand, must be dealt by asking for a retraction and providing the accurate information. When publishers are being uncooperative, get your message out through your own blog or send in the lawyers.

Act Like a Professional

It’s okay to be defensive when responding to criticism. However, don’t get too emotional. Deal with the situation efficiently and professionally. Gather all the facts and apologize, don’t be arrogant, avoid unnecessary litigation threats and negative PR campaigns against the commenter.

 

What people say about your company online can either make or break your brand. Hence, it is your responsibility to learn what people are saying about your brand and respond accordingly. This is needed in order to maintain your business’ clean image.

Since 2003, blogs were seen as an effective but inexpensive marketing tool for a business. Thanks to easy-to-use blogging platforms that are available nowadays, anyone can now set up a blog. However, the common mistake that business owners do whenever they start a blog is that they dive in without thorough planning.

Why Planning is Important

One way to be successful with business blogging is to know your competition. Study your niche and see what blogs dominate it. Know what they write about, how they interact with their readers, and think of ways that you can adapt from them and on how you can get ahead of your competitors.

Having a content plan is also helpful for your business blog. Determine five to ten keyword-rich subcategories for your blog, and then list at least five topics for each. Once you’re done, fill in your content and decide how much content you want to generate within a week.

Now that you’re done with research and you have your content-calendar planned, it’s time to get your business blog rolling.

Gearing Up Your Business Blog

Starting a blog is not easy as it seems. Your blog must have a purpose that complements your business goal, regardless whether it’ll be used to generate leads, establish online presence, or develop content for other reason. That’s why your blog needs a core message that will give readers an overview of what they can expect from your blog.

Having a Content Provider

Content writing is the heart of blogging, which means that a blog needs a dedicated content provider. A fresh and valuable content is what will give your readers a reason to ask for more and come back later. Be honest and evaluate whether you can provide ample time to constantly update your blog. Otherwise, you’re doing yourself and your audience a disservice, which can hurt your brand’s online reputation.

Think of Your Audience

Before starting a blog, you should also think of your potential readers. In one way or another, they could also be your ideal client. It’s essential to know who they are, what their needs are, and how you can deliver those needs to them. That way, you can tap into their emotion and encourage them to act depending on your blog’s business goal.

 

Having a successful business blog definitely requires thorough planning. Once the preparations are done, your business now has a marketing tool that can establish your brand’s online visibility to attract your target market.