You have a new website or blog and all is well with the world. It's like you have you own personal playground and you are the sovereign of your land. But one day, you look out of the rose tinted windows and see an evil wizard on your front porch, telling anyone and everyone who will listen that you are a horrible person and everyone should leave this kingdom immediately.

When people are saying good things about you and your company on message boards and blogs, it's easy to take your internet reputation for granted. But nothing stings sharper and more venomously than the pain of seeing the first negative post about you in a seat of search engine results.

So what should your next step be?

It may sound cliche, but count to ten, or take a deep breath. The last thing you want to do is fire off an adrenaline-fueled, fight or flight response.

Also take a moment to consider that the person who attacked you may not have meant to attack you personally. If they're a disgruntled customer, then they probably felt they were acting in the name of business or justice.

You should make no attempt to hide the situation, because search engines have long memories, and pretending that nothing ever happened will only make you look dishonest and ridiculous in the long run.

Personally respond with a customer-service attitude and try to make things right. Apologize and listen to their frustrations. Keep a careful record of everything you do and say. Now is not the time to get defensive or fly off the handle.

If things get sticky, launch your own pr campaign, telling your side of the story. If you made mistakes, own up to them. People will forgive you because we're all human and we all make mistakes. But nothing angers the average customer more than a business owner who seems to think his status elevates him about the customer in such a way that makes the customer feel belittled and used.

If you feel conflicted about what to do, think of how you would want to be treated were the situation reversed, and act accordingly.

Not everything everyone says about you online will be positive, but part of the key in handling a negative report is in staying calm and being open and honest.

Your attitude either positively or negatively affect how future prospects view you, so make sure that character is key in any potentially confrontational interaction.