Hi, my name is Rob Frappier and I am the Community Manager for ReputationDefender. Our company focuses on helping individuals and businesses protect their reput

Hi, my name is Rob Frappier and I am the Community Manager for ReputationDefender. Our company focuses on helping individuals and businesses protect their reputations online. Unfortunately, there are a variety of companies that operate under the extortionate business model that the original poster discusses. They offer "solutions" to the problems that they themselves have created. The fact that most consumer review sites do not require individuals to disclose their actual identity makes it difficult for business owners to determine the validity of reviews and to pursue legal action in the case of defamation. In our experience, the best solution to mitigate damage done by inaccurate or defamatory online reviews is to focus on proactive reputation management efforts. Increasingly, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals are turning to social media tools to help build their brands online. This provides the dual benefit of protecting against reputation damage while also creating positive content for Google and other search engines. At ReputationDefender, we offer solutions to help business owners get started on a proactive reputation management campaign. However, there are steps that your friend can take to help repair the damage on her own. Here is some advice from our Online Resource Center tailored for medical professionals - http://www.reputationdefender.com/how_to/online-reputation-management-tips-for-doctors/ http://www.reputationdefender.com/how_to/online-reputation-m.... On a related note, Yelp co-founder Jeremy Stoppelman recently did an interview with Mashable.com to discuss how Yelp has added new features to try and deal with false and malicious reviews in the wake of multiple class-action lawsuits against the company. Here's a link to the interview - http://mashable.com/2010/10/28/jeremy-stoppelman-yelp-interview/ http://mashable.com/2010/10/28/jeremy-stoppelman-yelp-interv.... Best regards, Rob