Can online gossip hurt your career? Ask Stephanie Fierman

With the spread of the Internet, we find that so many people use it to look into the past of individuals we want to date, hire, or marry. Yet, so much on the Internet is at the very least unsubstantiated, and often totally untrue. Gossip has always been a poor basis on which to make important selections, but when it is on the Internet, it has even greater danger. It is sensible for each of us to know what is being said about us. Frequently, we cannot change it, but being prepared is essential.