“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” – Winston Churchill.

The above quotation has always been extremely popular in reputation management services circles. That is because it is more true now, in the digital age, than it ever was before. Indeed, the quotation should probably be modified–in the digital age lies get all the way around the world before truth has rolled out of bed, instant communication and a worldwide reach means that misinformation has a way of traveling quickly and being pervasive. This is so unlike what companies had to deal with when newspapers were the main medium of communication, or radio after that, or finally television after that. All of those communications were conducted at a snail’s pace, comparatively. The result of the advances in communications have been almost universally positive–but the pace at which a lie circles the globe is certainly one drawback. Reputation management services are really the only options available to individuals and businesses which have been unfairly maligned–bloggers have neither the incentive nor the inclination to withdraw bold-faced lies.