If you are the subject of continuous gossip and defamation on Internet forums there are some organizations that can help you.
For all the gifts of the Internet -- information and education that would not otherwise be available to rich an poor, educated and school-deprived, urban and rural communities -- remember this one fact. Major news papers and journals, such as the New York Times and Time Magazine, would be hauled into court for defamation charges for statements that are commonplace on the Internet. So educate yourself.
Once your reputation is called into question on Internet sites it can be ruined forever. These sites depend on "hate" to gain traffic. And they earn money from web sponsors for site visits. So more visits leads to more revenue.
Among teenagers the constant "badmouthing" and "trash talk" has led to bullying online. Threats made online frequently evolve into bullying off line in the real-time world. Threats and bullying are often followed up by actual physical harm. This is a growing trend and one that is alarming teachers, administrators and parents increasingly. The trend has now reached epic proportions and has become a problem for young adults - no longer teenagers.
There are organizations that can help you protect your reputation. Here are some tips. I will post the full article later.
Do More
For all the gifts of the Internet -- information and education that would not otherwise be available to rich an poor, educated and school-deprived, urban and rural communities -- remember this one fact. Major news papers and journals, such as the New York Times and Time Magazine, would be hauled into court for defamation charges for statements that are commonplace on the Internet. So educate yourself.
Once your reputation is called into question on Internet sites it can be ruined forever. These sites depend on "hate" to gain traffic. And they earn money from web sponsors for site visits. So more visits leads to more revenue.
Among teenagers the constant "badmouthing" and "trash talk" has led to bullying online. Threats made online frequently evolve into bullying off line in the real-time world. Threats and bullying are often followed up by actual physical harm. This is a growing trend and one that is alarming teachers, administrators and parents increasingly. The trend has now reached epic proportions and has become a problem for young adults - no longer teenagers.
There are organizations that can help you protect your reputation. Here are some tips. I will post the full article later.
Do More
- Create a Google Alert for your name. You will receive an e-mail anytime you are mentioned somewhere online. Notify the hosts of the website where a smear about you has been posted; they will often take it down. The faster you respond, the less time a lie has to spread.
- Companies like Reputation Defender (reputationdefender.com) can help you wipe away lies that continue to appear in the records of Google and other search engines.
- Wiredsafety.org provides advice for victims of online harassment.
- Daniel Solove's book The Future of Reputation can be downloaded for free at futureofreputation.com.
