In a NY Times article, Brad Stone and Matt Richtel explore the issue of “sock puppets” — people who post online commentary under assumed identities (recent example: “Rahodeb“). The good news is that online conversations don’t have to become unethical. You can create a positive press campaign and get your message out in a number of ways:

• Company blogs: Encourage blogging throughout your organization. Establishing a corporate blogging policy is a good first step.

• E-Newsletters: Ask your readers to comment on your company blog.

• Press releases: Use (search engine-optimized) press releases to announce blogs and other customer-centric initiatives.

• Podcasts: PR Web’s Podcast service is easy to use; it submits your podcasts to iTunes and podcast directories, providing even more ways for users to find them.

• Social networking sites: Monitor relevant sites to identify customer concerns and brand evangelists, and help create goodwill by establishing two-way communications that address concerns and show apprecation for brand enthusiasm. Branded social-networking sites (Carspace.com - Edmunds, Nike, etc.) are becoming more popular. Web Crossing Neighbors (or free alternative Ning.com) can help you create your own space.

Starting a positive press campaign today will help you create conversations that can have a lasting impact on your reputation.