TIME: Escaping a bad rap

A damaged online reputation can be professionally devastating and personally humiliating. On-line reputation management firms work with you to repair your reputation by burying all the negative links. And the hefty fees the firms charge could be worth it. According to Frank Farley, a psychologist at Temple, the intimate nature of one's reputation means that any threat to it could also be a significant threat to one's mental health, leaving a person feeling helpless, anxious or even depressed. "Our self-concept, our self-esteem, our reputation — all of these are central to who we are," he says.
April 19, 2011 | TIME magazine