The social web will increasingly be used by candidate search firms to find out background information about senior executives.

According to online reputation tracking firm Reputica, "reputations are no longer made in traditional media".

The company's chairman, Andrew Jordan, said: "You can no longer rely on press cuttings to give you a whole picture of a person."

Reputica's own search reports look beyond simple news reports and provide information from sources like blogs, chatrooms and trade journals to provide a deeper 'public perception' of the candidate.

"Even if these senior managers have never written a blog, or posted a comment anywhere, someone else may have written about them or their company," Mr Jordan continued.

"The sheer strength and speed of our search process means that within minutes we can find information across a far broader spectrum of sources than has been possible previously."

The social web is also becoming increasingly important to firms who trade online. With the prevalence of public forums and the ability to leave feedback, companies are being scrutinised like never before but also have more possibilities through IT.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent)