Defend Your Online Reputation

[Valerie S. Johnson]

By Valerie S. Johnson

Admit it, you Google yourself occasionally. And you should. It’s a good idea to find out what is posted about you online. Now a company takes it one step further by providing an Internet Reputation Management Service.

Whether you are a job seeker, college or grad school applicant, professional, or just someone … out there, ReputationDefender can search for the dirt on you (or your child, if you are a parent) that is posted on social networks (e.g., MySpace, Facebook), professional review websites, blogs, online news sources, photograph, video, and audio sharing sites (e.g., Flickr, YouTube), and loads of other nooks and crannies on the Internet.

You pay a monthly fee for search reports. The six-month service costs $15.95 per month, and lower monthly fees apply for longer terms and upfront payment. After reviewing a report, you can appoint the company as “MyReputation Advocate” to correct or destroy an unwanted item of online content for $29.95.

The company’s CEO is a Harvard law graduate, although pursuing legal remedies are usually the last resort for correcting or removing content for clients. The website is ReputationDefender.com and is currently in Beta release.