In the world of search engine reputation management it is important to be seen, without being seen negatively. This is true of all public relations and image campaigns. Online, however, there is a more anarchic quality because of the Internet–which is often perceived as being out of your control. However, this article describes very accurately how some people have taken control of their reputations online.

On the other side of the ledger are individuals such as Jon Rognerud and Guy Kawasaki. Jon has a somewhat unusual name obviously (and the “Jon” spelling helps), but he isn’t the only person on the planet with that moniker. Yet he owns the first five pages of Google for his identity. Guy owns at least the first ten pages of Google (being a best-selling author helps) and none of the references are disparaging.

The rest of the article is illuminating too and gives several examples of people who were less, er, successful in managing their online reputation.

http://webbiquity.com/reputation-management/dont-they-know-who-you-are-why-reputation-management-is-crucial/