This is because its’ name has been negatively portrayed by the government, all the major news stations, and ridiculed by the most dangerous critics of all: Comedians. Most famously is the recent youtube portrayal of BP’s seeming stupidity. I found this clean version online.

However, sometimes even in the most extremely unfortunate cases, there is still hope. This hope is dependent on having a good Online Reputation Management team. Teams like this can help you meet the web and all its demons head on by using methods like reverse SEO, and also tools like flickr, facebook, and twitter.

Online Reputation Management can be the key to a company’s bright future. Currently, when you run a search for the term “oil spill” on Google you will be greeted with information about what BP is doing trying to stop the oil spill and not simply pictures of birds covered in tar.

By “SEOing” this information to the top of Google, BP has essentially removed the first layers of tar from their own reputation.

Sadly, however, it seems that BP is better at Online Reputation Management than they are at stopping oil spills.

Obviously there is a purpose for both and benefits to both, but I would recommend the Facebook Page for your business. It is better for your business. Let’s discuss why.

First off, when I think of Facebook groups, I immediately think: “James and Jill are getting hitched! Come celebrate!” This is basically an announcement. Even if these were my best friends, I am going to look at this group only a few times so that I get the info I need and then when the wedding is over I will probably never look at it again.

Facebook Pages on the other side, keep long-term fans rather than the quick short-term fans that Facebook groups receive. Every business wants long-term, loyal customers, not fleeting uninterested guests. T

Unlike Groups, Pages also are visible to unregistered people. Therefore pages are indexed and easier to find, which is exactly what you are looking for with any business and especially with SEO. This helps people to find you and it is beneficial to your reputation management.

You can start discussions on both a page and a group, but you can optimize your discussions a whole lot more with a page with all the extra applications and resources available to a page owner. Such applications include making polls and quizzes for your fan page or other like things to get your fans involved.

Both a page and a group can invite members and message to members. But another unique thing to a Facebook page is that it tells you insights bout your fans, which a group cannot and does not give you about its members.

In short: a Facebook Page is where it is at. If you are doing social media for your business, then you better have a Facebook page!

Many online consumer raking programs are used to file complaints against your company. The downside to consumer picks are that the majority of people who care enough to submit their opinion are extremists. Those who have a great experience with your site and people who despise your company will leave comments. This leaves the middle ground of average consumers barren.

Groups of people who have a negative experience with your company can band together to destroy your reputation online. This can have a devastating effect on the future of your business. The best way to counter these types of negative comments is through online reputation management.

Here are some quick tips to online reputation management:

1. Always be creating fresh content: Anything from blogs, social media (Twitter, Linkedin, etc…), or submitting articles online will help your site to stay up to date. This will increase the frequency that search engines will review your site.

2. Build more links: The more links you have to your site the more credible it will become. If you can outrank the negative comments about your site by creating more links then there is a better chance that people won’t see the complaints or believe them to be credible.

3. SEO: The more SEO you are involved in the quicker online reputation management will work. If you stay active and up-to-date there is a good chance that you can salvage any damaged reputation.

Even if you don’t currently have a negative comments on consumer review sites these steps will help you to maintain a positive image. If you stay on top of your content you won’t ever need to stress about online reputation management.

Engagement is the most important element in reputation management. Repair a tarnished reputation online the same way that you would repair a tarnished reputation with your day-to-day associates:

– Address the situation. Don’t dance around the issue. Obviously there is a perceived problem (if not an actual issue), so don’t pretend like nothing is wrong. In the eyes of your audience- be they employers, employees, clients, current customers, future customers, or even unrelated by-standers- you have erred. You can’t fix their perception if you won’t address it in the first place.

- Even though you’re coming from below, maintain the upper hand. Don’t come into the conversation with an angry tone. This simply makes you appear coarse and incompetent in addition to whatever other shortcomings you or your business is accused of. Remaining calm and reasonable lets you be in control of the conversation.

- If you’re wrong, admit it! Then work to fix the problem. Be sure to maintain an open mind, but stand your ground and don’t let yourself be pushed around.

-Don’t make rash decisions. Generally, you have time to sleep on it, before you act. Take that opportunity. It will almost always be for your benefit. Angrily taking to your blog won’t help anything.

- The best action is to ask your satisfied customers to post reviews about you or write a blurb about you on their blogs. Patiently reassure your customers or future customers and post positive things from different sources online. You want to have Google finding the good about you and that will keep the bad at the bottom of the search engine results.

There was an emotional aspect to co-founder Sergey Brin’s decision, he fled the Soviet Union as a child, “He says memories of that time–having his home visited by Russian police; the anti-Semitic discrimination against his father–emboldened his view that it was time to abandon Google’s policy.”

Even though Google.cn is leaving China, it has redirected users its uncensored Google Hong Kong, which is already under Chinese restrictions according to the New York Times.

China only constitues 1% to 2% of Google’s market, so it wont be a terrible loss. Many wonder if there is some scheme behind it all. Dell also recently reported that they might be moving their business from China to India.

Tell us what you think Google is leaving China.