Social media amplify consumer conversations that otherwise occur in other (offline) situations.  This scares the hell out of some corporate comms and marcomms executives who are used to policing what is said about them and perhaps believing their own hype. If your service is sound, however, and your value proposition is strong, what are you afraid of? Take the good with the bad, learn, change what you need to, and address issues where they lie.  Social media are in fact very valuable in offering you insights into what is being said about your organisation. Insights you would otherwise have to try and glean from old fashioned market research. There are lists around of "reputation management" tools - designed more for social networkers (managing their arrays of online IDs and preventing identity theft), but also useful for monitoring relevant comments in various forums. You need to get active and engage; and failing that, you can always go legal to deal with "miscreants". Whatever you do don't just fly blind - take the opportunity.