One of the much-discussed benefits of the internet and “Web 2.0” is that it is interactive and designed for collaboration, with user-generated content creating a virtual community.
You’ve probably searched for a business online and read reviews of their work. To no one’s surprise, I’ve always been a little skeptical of the comments on those sites. I always feared that it was too easy for someone (the business owner, their family members, their advertising or PR firm, etc.) to fill the site with rave reviews.
Fear no more! It’s really happening! Enter Reputation.com.
According to their website, “We make sure customers only see the truth about your business by eliminating negative material from your top search results…” even if those negative reviews are deserved!
Our publishing team will create custom profiles and other content for you or your business to build a positive online presence, and our expert reputation advisers will work with you to push down or suppress any negative content that shows up high in your search results. (emphasis added)
So there you have it. Negative content suppressed, irrespective of whether it’s true or not. You can officially no longer trust anything you read (in the same way you couldn’t trust any photograph appearing on the web due to Photoshop).
All children are above average. Having access to all this great information and not being able to trust anything but the name, address, phone and web address of a business isn’t very helpful. Some progress.
The Local Paper 