Slander is a type of defamation of character that is usually in the form of or oral comments. However, in today’s society, Google has replaced the need for making phone calls or meeting with people in order to settle life’s little squabbles. Millions of people log into Google every day, and if enough nasty things posted about you, Google slander can become the result. A clever attacker can get your name or your company right up on the front page of a Google search, but you will not like what you see

Try ‘googling’ yourself. If negative remarks are the first thing to come up, you have probably fallen victim to Google Slander. You may be wondering how to determine if the information that pops up is indeed defamatory in nature. By definition, defamation occurs when something said about you is simply false, was seen by more than ten other people, or is accusatory in nature. These remarks include referring to you as:

· Being sexually deviant

· Having committed a crime

· Being incompetent to perform your work duties

· Having some horrible disease (communicable or not)

Although all these requirements do not have to be met for you to be a victim of Google slander, they are a good acid test. If you have answered ‘yes’ to having received remarks of this nature, you are probably looking at something much more serious than a person simply exercising their First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

If you are experiencing Google Slander, or any other type of internet attack that is defamatory, you do have recourse. There are many things that can be done. Some are more benign than others, but all require the help of a specialist. Fooling around with the inner workings of Google is not for the layman.

One of the biggest deterrents to your ability to get your online reputation is the ease with which anyone can open numerous email accounts and make numerous posts all over the internet. At Reputation Defense Online, we takes numerous steps to return your online presence to a clean state. Specific actions we take include:

Determining the best course of action for your particular case. This is done via a free initial consultation).

Performing investigative work to gain information about the attacker.

Putting the attacker officially on notice, especially if your goal is simply to stop future attacks.

Collecting and compiling all data that might be necessary for a lawsuit.

Actually filing of lawsuit.

Reaching a settlement with the attacker.

Completing a lawsuit, if necessary.

If you have recently ‘googled’ yourself and been revolted by what you have seen, take action. Visit the cyber investigation professionals at www.ReputationDefenseOnline.com and reclaim your peace of mind.

With the internet fast becoming the most popular forum for written communication, the old-fashioned way of confronting an adversary by phoning or writing a letter has long gone by the wayside. Just about anybody can create an account on any one of a number of websites and write things that are either naughty or nice. An example of the former involves a Topix defamation lawsuit. Topix is a popular ‘opinion’ site where people recommend (or not) everything from restaurants and hotels to doctors and attorneys.

The reason for discussing the Topix Defamation case (Cooley v. Ballew) is that it brings to the forefront just how damaging defamation can be. It took three years for the case to be settled, during which time vicious and disparaging remarks flew back and forth on that site.

Those communications crossed a specific threshold and were deemed defamatory. If you think that you may have fallen victim to Topix defamation, there is a good acid test you can use. Ask yourself the following:

1. Were the statements made false?

2. Was the material visible by more than ten people?

3. Were the remarks accusatory? For example, did they say that you:

Are sexually deviant;

Committed a crime;

Are incompetent to perform your profession; and/or

Have a horrible disease?

Although everybody has the right to invoke their First Amendment right to freedom of speech, there is no excuse for deliberately posting information to websites that is defamatory. If you . suspect that you are indeed receiving Topix defamation, there are many routes you can go to take care of the problem. You can simply find the culprit (not always easy) and communicate to them that you know who they are and that you are planning to take action against them. This is the gentlest action. The harshest is to begin a lawsuit.

However, anonymous posts abound on websites like Topix. All you need to create a new account is an email address. Those are available, free, by the handful. Reputation Defense Online, a cyber investigation firm, specializes in helping its clients find those anonymous attackers. Briefly summarized, this company will :

1. Identify the best course of action to stop the defamation. This is done via a free initial consultation.

2. Actively investigate to find out exactly who the attacker is.

3. Put the culprit on official notice. If your goal is simply to get the attacks to stop, this may as far as you need to go.

4. Collect and compile data should a lawsuit become necessary.

5. Actually begin the legal process by filing a lawsuit.

6. Attempt to ‘settle’ with the attacker, if possible.

7. Follow through and actually complete the lawsuit.

If you are the victim of Topix defamation, visit the cyber investigation professionals at www.ReputationDefenseOnline.com. Don’t wait until the problem gets out of hand!

Defamation refers to deliberate, offensive and/or malicious misrepresentations of someone’s words or actions. Libel is a type of defamation- it is always in written form. With the internet increasingly becoming the venue of choice for getting words out into the public, a lot of harshly written content has been popping up. Rather than make a phone call or visit someone you are at issue with, the convenience of sending your fingers over the keyboard and pressing ‘submit’ is every so tempting.

The result of this that these ‘submitted’ words may have legal implications. One instance of note is the defamatory Topix libel suit (Ballew v. Cooley) which ended up turning a three-year battle that required professional assistance before the libelous content was removed.

It is the responsibility of every blogger and every website owner to know the difference between exercising the First Amendment right of freedom of speech and deliberately defaming a person or business.

When content posted on sites like Topix crosses certain thresholds, defamation of character results. Topix libel is perhaps not always easy to recognize, but there are some key acid tests you can apply to determine if you have received libelous defamation. If the answer to any of the three questions below is ‘yes’, it is likely that the threshold has been crossed.

ü Did the written material accuse you of one of the following:

Being sexually deviant?

Committing a crime?

Being incompetent to perform your profession; and/or

Having a horrible disease?

ü Is what was stated about you false?

ü Was the material visible by more than ten people?

If you have fallen victim to Topix libel, get on the offensive quickly. There are several ways you can approach the problem. The easiest is to find out who your attacker is and let them know that they’ve been caught red-handed. You can advise them that you are taking active measures to put an end to their malicious activities.

However, attackers guilty of Topix libel will not be easy to find. Anonymous accounts are created there all the time. Reputation Defense Online is a cyber investigation firm that helps guide its clients through the difficult process of identifying, stopping, and employing all necessary methods to return your online presence to a healthy state.

There are, generally seven steps to clearing your good name. These are:

1. Determining the best course of action via a free consultation;

2. Performing investigative work to gain information about the attacker;

3. Putting the attacker on official notice to stop;

4. Compiling all information necessary to begin a lawsuit;

5. Filing the lawsuit;

6. Reaching a settlement with the attacker(if possible); and

7. Completing the lawsuit if necessary.

If you have experienced Topix libel, visit sit the cyber investigation professionals at www.ReputationDefenseOnline.com. Clear your reputation and get back to enjoying your net surfing experiences.