This healthcare company tried to encourage their employees to use Facebook to spread the good word about their successful projects. Wisely, many employees chose not to because of the well-known privacy restrictions that are placed upon them–they did not want to share information that might be considered sensitive on a social networking site. In the age of online reputation management strategies, news of any mess-ups would get out quick and do incredible damage to the image of the company.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/10/19/urnidgns002570F3005978D885257654005AB2F6.DTL

This guy is completely right to defend the idea of online reputation management–regardless of whether his particular arguments or right. I’ll leave you, the reader, to decide whether his arguments are cogent or not–but I think everyone can agree that reputation is of immense importance. Many businesses and individuals who have suffered from internet libel will agree when I say, I’m glad the industry of online reputation management exists.
http://tonyadam.com/blog/online-reputation-management-does-matter/

There is a longstanding debate amongst critics and proponents of reputation management services as to whether it is has a net positive or net negatvie effect on the Internet and society. Whilse some allege that these services are “gaming the system”, I would contend that people have every right to publicize themselves in a way that is flattering, or at least not demeaning. To the question “is it ethical?”, I would respond “is it ethical to advertise on TV and radio?”
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9060960/Online_reputation_management_is_hot_but_is_it_ethical_

This article makes a detailed arguement about whether those who participate in web libel should have their anonymity gauranteed and protected under privacy laws. I won’t comment on that, except to say that internet critics currently have anonymity–as we know all too well. This anonymity enables them to make some pretty nasty comments which, whether true or false, inevitably become problematic for those being criticized.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/1255416.html