Comments on: How not to interact with bloggers if you’re a CEO

By: Krishna De

Krishna De — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:13:07 +0000

Damien – I think what many people forget is that the common sense and business etiquette we expect in business in the offline world is also required online.

Would this CEO have said what he did in the email in a face to face conversation with you?

He was lucky he was connecting with you versus many others as you mentioned “I asked said CEO could I publish his email on my blog” – as we know many people just publish! Not every influential blogger shares your values.

Perhaps you could offer him private consulting in how to engage with bloggers?!

By: Dennis Howlett

Dennis Howlett — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:46:25 +0000

@John Mc C – like a freeze out really works on a blogger. I used to be a pro journalist and from time to time would get in hot water with some egomaniac testosterone driven company because they didn’t like what I said. Today, I get just as much trouble. I have a shit storm at the moment where the company’s PR publicly commented that I have paid affiliations with a competitor which is utterly untrue, unlike my story that is stuffed full of their facts – which don’t make sense. As you might imagine, that went down like a lead balloon.

We’re now at the point where the PR is refusing to communicate. Point is I know I have a story. They know I have a story. They know it’s embarrassing. They’ve been given the chance to set the record straight.

I’m not going anywhere. And this piece of crap will resurface again. For which I am more than ready. Across multiple dimensions.

Bottom line – don’t mess about with someone who has ink that comes in very large barrels and that same person knows their stuff. Especially when they’ve got someone else tee’d up to run the story anyway.

@Damien – keep doing what you’re doing. You’ll be just fine. You’re a lot braver than most hacks. Any of those that work off press releases should be taken out back and given a thoroughly good thwacking with a cluestick. They make journalism a dirty word.

By: Cormac

Cormac — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:12:36 +0000

I have analysed the ebb and flow of the discussion and have come up with this

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/blogofractal.png

By: John McCormac

John McCormac — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:07:04 +0000

Most Irish technology journalists depend on press releases and sanity can be optional at the upper reaches of business. Still there is always another technology journalist to take the place of the one knocked off the list. Sometimes a freeze-out can extend to more than press releases and people in the company might be instructed not to talk to journalists about certain topics. But then the Irish technology press doesn’t like dealing with anything controversial – as can be seen from the click and drool recycling of ComReg and Eircom propaganda about ADSL and broadband in the past.

By: mj

mj — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:28:58 +0000

Only a complete idiot would trim his Press Release list.

In fact, that’s so retarded an idea, I am going to have to sit down straight away.

By: John McCormac

John McCormac — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:23:28 +0000

Calling into question the ability of another Irish technology journalist? Most Irish technology journalists recycle PR fluff and those who do it well generally end up with jobs in PR. If a CEO really wanted to upset them, he could knock them off the press release list. Real tech journalism gets to the truth and that always scares CEOs. CEOs should listen to their marketing people before talking to the press or bloggers.

By: distantrambler

distantrambler — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:48:51 +0000

As someone as said on a earlier post, it is a measure of how seriously the business community take bloggers and blogging. Therefore it is to their advantage to lean more about both bloggers and blogging.

By: SeanR

SeanR — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:43:39 +0000

This is just thuggery, just like a schoolyard bully, awful tactics adn its all about power. I know from another blogger how difficult ‘private’ correspondence can be for bloggers.

So you raise a crucial point about how to deal with this issue for bloggers. Perhaps a note on a blog “all unsolicited/ offensive mail will be posted online” … for example?

By: Michael Barry

Michael Barry — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:37:53 +0000

Was the unsolicited email a response to things that were posted here or on twitter?
If so then the email was not unsolicited.
As Bock says you could have just told him to Fuck off. It wouldn’t be the first time. It wouldn’t have been professional but ambiguous bitching isn’t very professional either.

By: smoke

smoke — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:14:08 +0000

I guess it’s only a matter of time before a dispute that starts on a blog ends up in an Irish court. That’ll be an interesting day for the Irish blogosphere.