Reputation Advocate and Better Business Bureau Find Mutual Benefits

Online, September 29, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Brentwood, Tennessee 29 September, 2009 - Serving as the Managing Director for Reputation Advocate has provided quite a pace for Steven Wyer this past year. That momentum has accelerated as he has dialogued with the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee. Online slander and unseen attacks on middle Tennessee businesses are on the rise, and Reputation Advocate is speaking with the business community daily as business owners struggle to get their heads around the rules of this new game. A recent front page story featuring Reputation Advocate in the Nashville Business Journal points out that "businesses often face shady tactics in cyberspace."

As Steven Wyer expressed in that interview, "If you want to know what people really think of you and your business, type your name into a search engine such as Google and see if what you read is an accurate reflection of you, your employees and your business." You may be shocked at what you find. The anonymity of the Internet encourages candor but the shadow side of this is cyber attacks from unknown people, complaints fabricated many times by competitors and causing very real damage to small businesses throughout North America.

Reputation Advocate, in conjunction with the Better Business Bureau, will begin this week distributing a helpful, direct and hands-on brochure available to its 6000+ business members in middle Tennessee. Additionally, Mr. Wyer will be spending time in each of the six regional offices answering questions for both staff and members about online reputation management (SERM). The brochure will be widely distributed through the Better Business Bureau and may also be requested by contacting Reputation Advocate at 888-229-0746.

"Our hope is that by giving business owners quick basic action steps that can be taken immediately, we will help BBB members take control of their online reputation before they are damaged," says Wyer. For those that find themselves either under attack or simply grappling with how to best be proactive in their defense, Reputation Advocate offers a diverse set of tools that can be utilized to build a solid defense against online slander. The firm accesses over three hundred social sites, blogs, forums and industry-specific websites along with proprietary sites and content to build a "web" of online connections for clients. When people first hear about the services offered by Reputation Advocate, they confuse the company with standard types of search engine optimization (SEO) that are offered by many agencies. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the company's best relationships are developed through web hosting, design and creative service agencies. The way Wyer describes it, "We provide a defense that complements the offense designed by middle Tennessee agencies for their clients."

With the accelerated migration of business to web-based applications and advertising, no company can afford to be unaware of what is being presented online to the public about their company. Customers and sales are one click away from being lost, simply by being oblivious to what is happening on the web. No one is immune. Doctors, dentists, lawyers, bankers, hospitals, schools and colleges and even teachers can be attacked with just a few keystrokes, not to mention the millions of negative postings about individuals. One thing is certain, Reputation Advocate is answering the needs of many middle Tennessee businesses and the material distributed by the Better Business Bureau will not only assist those in need today, but also those who may be in need at any moment in the future.

Steven Wyer is the Managing Director of Reputation Advocate, a firm providing comprehensive online solutions to individuals, business and institutions. For further information the company can be reached at 888-229-0746.