Reputation management for companies is either defensive or preventative. It seems that any company that reaches a certain level of success will eventually fall victim to an online reputation problem of some kind. Whether a service, product, or manufacturing company, there is always a critic - and that critic is very often a competitor hiding behind a veil of anonymity or posing as a disgruntled customer. Preventative (we like to call it prophylactic) online reputation management is nearly always the best course of action before a problem arises. Of course, most companies needing brand reputation management don't realize that until it's too late. Companies tend to think they can control their online reputation better than they actually can. The reality is that a company's reputation is like fame - it is resident in the opinion others hold. A good corporate communications plan should include online reputation in both defensive and preventative areas. Information originating from a company can certainly be controlled, and it should be. Yet others will chime in and the results can be difficult to control; often the marketing department will be blamed when in reality it is mostly out of their control. Corporate reputation can be controlled to a large degree. On one end of the spectrum are the standard fare of company communications, the press release. On the other end of the scale, far beyond the realm of light, is the dark side. The dark side consists of aggressive astroturfing (a fake grassroots movement - the technique is favored politicians), fake reviews and testimonials, under the table payoffs to bloggers to write favorable information.