At one time or another, most people want a red button - something that, when pushed, will more or less put an end to uncomplimentary comments (and the folks who write them).  There are ways of handling an online reputation that are both more realistic and less drastic, however.

People and businesses often have blogs.  Those that don’t can still get talked about on forums, and both blogs and forums show up in search results.  Now, I’m not claiming these ideas are undiscovered and universal truths - many of them come most recently from Andy Beal and Judy Strauss, and they’ve been tossed around countless times before - but they’re worth some thought.

First, consider whether an accusation is even worth a response.  Anonymous guests writing nonsense in poor English aren’t going to bring down your business anytime soon.  But if someone respectable shows up, a quick response to accusations is important - you don’t want to allow things to snowball.

If the person is wrong, say so.  Try to provide evidence, not emotion; all caps and exclamation points accomplish extremely little.  And whether the person is wrong or not,
Beal and Strauss suggest that you take control of the conversation.  They write, “By inviting customers to call your 1-800 number, publishing a post to your company blog, or broadcasting your own YouTube apology, you’ll ensure that your sincerity, transparency, and consistency, are not lost in the noise of someone else’s publishing platform.”

Hopefully these suggestions will help.  The advice of friends and colleagues can also be useful in reputation management.

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