Once upon a time, online reputation management services were unknown. People went blithely about their business without the need to worry about how others perceived them. Character was more important than reputation because a good reputation was usually inline with ones character. Then one day, a company named Google was formed, and with it the Google algorithm. The search engine began to make everyone’s voice heard – in fact, it amplified voices not based on actual merit, but based on a secret formula. This has given rise to the age of internet reputation management services firms whose sole purpose is to level the playing field when Google magnifies a single negative whisper into a cacophonous shout. Internet reputation services work to promote positive information in search results, while diminishing or nullifying negative information.