This new site features content specifically geared towards mainstream and niche applications of online reputation management and is sure to give you insights on the future direction of this industry.

So who is Sue Scheff? Is she a celebrity? A business owner? A politician? None of the above. She is a consultant to parents of troubled teens. She started receiving these nasty comments on PTA websites in her home state. Yes, the Parents/Teachers Association members were the culprits. There were forum and message board posts that blasted Ms. Scheff. She even had YouTube videos in which she was threatened.

This is the most absurd thing most have ever heard. Getting beaten up by the PTA? Ms. Scheff sued for defamation. She won an $11.3 million dollar verdict, and still these attacks continued. It’s hard to know who is saying these things about you online. Anyone can post anonymous rants and accusations. The internet gives people a sense of impunity; it’s like wearing a mask.

It seems like a hopeless situation, especially because negative comments remain on the internet indefinitely. But online reputation management can help you regain your name. Once something is posted on the internet, it is very difficult to remove it. Sometimes, the person who posted it will take it down. Even if that happens, there’s no way to know if it shows up in anyone else’s sites. Reputation management works by pushing these types of posts so far down that no one will see them. At the same time, your websites or blogs are optimized. This means that the right keywords are used in the right places to ensure a high search engine ranking. So when someone googles you, instead of seeing how terrible you are, they’ll see the strengths, accomplishments, and qualities that you’ve worked hard to attain.

Sue Scheff ended up hiring a professional online reputation management firm, and she no longer dreads what she’ll find when she googles her name. Her firm optimized her website and created several others, showcasing her achievements and the important work she was doing.

Companies and business aren’t the only ones who need online reputation management. In Sue Scheff’s case, she was an average person who was working in a service-related field. She became the target of deranged PTA members and needed help. Without online reputation management, she would have continued to read terrible things about herself. Her friends, family, coworkers, and clients could also read them. This is not helpful in a field like hers where trust is so important. Everyone is affected by the internet, and if you think no one ever searches for your name, you may be wrong. You may not think you are of interest to anyone. But if you plan to have a career, employers will run a search for your name; competitors may check up on you.

You can’t tell who is going to search for you, but you can help protect your name and reputation. The internet has leveled the playing field in a lot of ways, and unfortunately, this means that now you too can be a target. Reputation management is crucial - monitor your online identity and get help if you see negative comments popping up.

In an article on ChannelWeb, there is an amazing statistic. “If you took 100 random names and looked up search activity, you are going to have about 200 searches per name.” Business contacts, prospective employers, prospective boyfriends or girlfriends, and anyone with internet access can look up your name anytime they want. This increases, of course, if you are in a position of authority in any capacity. If you’re sure that your online reputation is spotless, do a quick search for your own name. It may surprise you to find blog, message board, or forum posts that criticize you. Again, this is far more likely if you are in the public eye in some way.

Most people do run searches on their own names, if just to see if they show up anywhere. But few monitor their online presence regularly. This can present one of two problems:

First, if you’re not looking at what is being written about you, you can be caught totally unaware by negative comments. If you’re in business, competitors may be posing as customers and writing malicious posts. If you teach, your students may be mocking you – or worse – online. These negative comments have a way of spreading, and the internet has unlimited range. It may seem hard to believe that you could be the target of bad online press, but it is possible. Any topic is up for discussion on the internet, and people will say whatever they think about you, even if it’s not true. This can extremely damaging to your career and your life.

Seventy percent of job recruiters use Google to check out job candidates. If the information that shows up in the results is negative or inaccurate, this could cost you career opportunities.

The second potential problem is, in fact, the opposite. If you don’t look at what’s being written online, it may surprise you that NOTHING is being written. This can be equally damaging to your career. You could be missing a huge chance to market yourself and get your name circulating.

As the internet continues to grow and dominate business, your online reputation is going to be even more important. Instead of having to maintain your reputation in your community or your state, you have to show a much wider audience. Because of fierce business competition, if there is any negative press, consumers will probably not trust you with their purchases. It’s so crucial to monitor your online reputation. If you need to update your content or do a little damage control, a reputation management firm is your best investment.

If people feel that it’s perfectly alright to attack a huge business like Ebay, what makes you think that they won’t attack your business? Professional hackers are always looking for “the next big thing”, and they often choose to use small companies, believing that they can get away with more. This can wreak havoc on your business and may even cause you to have to shut down.

What To Do
When it comes to protecting your reputation, there is nothing more necessary. Your online reputation can be snatched from you as quickly as your identity can, and you need to take steps to protect it. Many find that, by hiring another company, they are able to step back and let someone else take care of it. The emotion is taken out, which can help in a number of ways, and their reputation is secure.

If you are worried about your company’s reputation, you are smart to be. You may want to try to let someone else be in charge of your company’s reputation, much in the same way that celebrities trust other people to guard their reputation. This way you can make sure that your company is safe from those that would try to use your company for their own gains.

In the business world, it’s a bit trickier. A bad reputation doesn’t generally give consumers reason to trust you, and it often leads business partners to wonder if they should be in business with you any longer. Your business reputation is far more valuable than a celebrity’s reputation. How, then, do you make sure that your company does not become fodder for the tabloid presses? How do you keep everything on an even keel so that you have clients and your business associates have faith in you?
Getting Help
Would you try to quit smoking without help? Probably not. Most people do not have the will power to be able to quit something that is physically addictive on their own. Why, then, should you be expected to be able to stop a media frenzy about your company? Some people get themselves into even more trouble when a media storm rolls along because they say absolutely nothing. This can cause the old, “they’re not responding, so they’re guilty” stage to occur, which can be even more devastating.
In order to keep your reputation clean and your business booming, you may need to think about hiring help. There are a number of companies online that claim to be able to help you to manage your reputation, but only a few that actually know what they’re doing. Do the research and discover a company that has a talent for helping to manage reputations that is reliable. It’s a guarantee that you will thank yourself for it.