How to Document an Online Reputation Incident

Make the issue reproducible

Record the direct page or profile URL, platform, date observed, and a short description. If search visibility is involved, include the query and the result URL separately. Screenshots are useful context, but the live URL helps the reviewer locate the source.

Write a short chronological record

List the first observation, important changes, reports submitted, and replies received. Distinguish the event date from the date you discovered it. If a date is uncertain, label it as approximate rather than filling in an invented timestamp.

• Use one line per event with a date and factual description.
• Record case references alongside the relevant report.
• Keep the current status and the next decision separate from the history.

Match evidence to the concern

Account access issues may require ownership records; a review concern needs the exact review and policy issue; a publication correction needs the disputed passage and reliable supporting information. The interactive checklist below draws preparation items from the same service catalog used for case reviews.

Minimize sensitive information

Do not place passwords, recovery codes, identity documents, or private customer records into a public incident summary. Start an enquiry with enough context to understand the issue. Share additional records only when necessary through an appropriate agreed channel.

Agree on the next decision

End the record with the outcome you are seeking and the question you need answered. For example: is this a platform reporting issue, a factual correction request, or a monitoring task? A concise evidence packet supports assessment without implying that a third party will approve the request.