A few years ago, people used to be more cautious about saying negative things about other people, mostly because it generally wound up in an awkward personal confrontation situation-which most people hate.

But the tantalizing cloak of internet anonymity has sent playing nice or not playing at all right out the window.

Now, disgruntled customers or jealous competitors can post a blog, bookmark, journal or twitter your good name right down the drain in less than a day.

So what should you do if you've attacked online? If it's concerning something that actually happened, then you should be open and honest. Don't try to hide the offending news or deny that something occurred by sticking your head in the sand and going about business as usual.

Potential customers know that business is not all flowers and roses, and while misunderstandings are bound to occur, what can really endear a company to a customer is the way the conflict is handled.

If you are fault, apologize. If you own a blog, it may be helpful to chronicle what's going on and what you are doing to fix the situation in a series of blog posts until the situation is resolved.

But if you are being flamed for something that didn't happen, it may not be wise to respond directly to the person starting the rumors. Instead, engage in your own personal PR campaign.

Write a concise version of the accusation, and provide your own factual story of what really happened. Again, you can address the situation in blog entries, interviews, or even send out press releases. Don't stoop to name calling or other childish behaviors. While you are willing to put in the time and effort to make things better, you don't want to stoop to the other party's level by doing the same thing they are doing. Maintain a regal and professional attitude and go about business as usual.

If you've had the good fortune not to be in the situation as of yet, then it's up to you now to be vigilant about managing your online reputation. Stay on top of what your Google image is by searching for yourself regularly. Keep submitting your own content to the internet via articles, interviews, podcasts and video. The more positive information that exists online, the more difficult it will be for one person (or even a few people) to unravel your company's image with a few careless words.