I've written in the past about online reputation management and the explosion of CGM (consumer generated media). New numbers out today from the Pew Internet & American Life Project tie the boom in CGM to the steady growth of broadband. No matter what's fueling it, the really important thing to remember is this: Every day it becomes more and more likely that someone is going to talk about your company or your product. What are you doing to track those comments?

A few numbers to consider if I haven't convinced you in the past...

Over 35% of Internet users have posted content (CGM) on the Internet. That's about 48 million people out there sharing their thoughts and ideas on blogs, web pages and video sites.

As of March of this year, 42% of Americans were using high-speed internet connections at home, that's a 40% increase over last year's numbers.

Broadband users account for 73% of online content that comes from home internet users. That's roughly 31 million people.

The logic here is that broadband access makes it easier for people to spend time online, thus broadband users are generally more Internet savvy and more likely to add their own thoughts to the mix. With broadband expected to continue to grow and dial-up expected to vanish before too awful long, the number of Internet users creating CGM is going to continue to rise.

Again...how long will it be before someone talks about you online? Are you ready for them?