When I speak, it’s pretty typical I’ll hear something along the lines of, “What happens when we begin participating online and someone says something bad about us?”

The fact of the matter is, people are already saying bad things about you. You have unhappy employees, upset customers, even belligerent investors.

The web doesn’t change that. Sure, those people now have a megaphone, but you have a huge opportunity. Because you can monitor and listen, you now know what people are saying and how to react to it.

Following are five steps for dealing with negative comments and criticism online. (more…)