cover image Wild West 2.0: How to Protect and Restore Your Online Reputation on the Untamed Social Frontier

Wild West 2.0: How to Protect and Restore Your Online Reputation on the Untamed Social Frontier

Michael Fertik, David Thompson, . . Amacom, $24.95 (264pp) ISBN 978-0-814-41509-2

Fertik and Thompson, respectively CEO and chief privacy officer at ReputationDefender, tackle online defamation, which can cause a company significant damage with only a few mouse clicks. The good news is that if you are prepared, you can defend your company and make sure that its online image is a true reflection of reality. Likening the Internet to the new frontier of the American Wild West, the authors explore the challenges of being in a world that is instant, permanent, and anonymous. They provide valuable insight into the quandary of “Google Truth,” why people attack each other online, and the different types of Internet attacks. Of particular usefulness are the chapters on how to measure this type of damage, including how to do an online reputation audit. They stress the benefits of a proactive defense and show how to recover after the damage has been done. Full of invaluable information that readers will be very grateful to have when they need it, this book explains the rules and provides the tools for overcoming online attacks and regaining a positive reputation. (June)