• SEO Smarty , Monday, August 4, 2008 12:45 PM

Online reputation management has seemingly morphed into one of the (many) disciplines that search pros need to have a grip on, so keeping on the lookout for new review or gripe sites is a must. Ann Smarty examines three sites that angry customers can go to and voice their frustration publicly--and grades the organic search damage potential of each.

DontDateHimGirl.com is an online community where women can share stories about their cheating (or otherwise awful) boyfriends. While the site is more personal than business-oriented, if a member publicizes her ex's company name and job title along with his dirty laundry, it could pose a potential PR problem. But Smarty found that the gripes tend not to show up on the first page for a search on a person's name, so the reputation damage may be minimal.

Meanwhile, Axelist allows anyone to complain about anyone else--from bosses and coworkers, to dates, teachers and politicians. A posting reveals some details about the offender, including age and location. Smarty found that Axelist complaints did garner some well-placed organic results. And JobVent lets people publicly gripe about jobs they've had as a warning to potential applicants. With fairly good search visibility and realistic posting guidelines, the site is one to watch.

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