Blogs. Twitter. Facebook.
Ever wonder why we don't see more people, who think they have been wronged by someone, set up a micro-site/micro-account to tell the world about that person's transgressions?
It doesn't happen often, but every once in awhile when it does, I'm always surprised we don't see more of it. Need proof of the potential? Just ask Oracle President Charles Phillips. Brace yourself, because this one has some sting:
"Over the course of several days this week, a series of mysterious billboards popped up in New
York and other cities showing romantic photographs of the co-president of Oracle with a woman.
On one of the billboards that appeared in New York on Times Square, the words “Charles & YaVaughnie” were posted along with “You are my soul mate forever!” The note was signed “cep,” referring apparently to Charles E. Phillips Jr., the Oracle co-president.
Last night, Mr. Phillips offered something of an explanation: he was having an affair, which he said had since ended. The woman in the photographs is not his wife, Karen, but his former mistress, YaVaughnie Wilkins, and he acknowledged a long-term relationship with her.
The billboards are apparently an attempt by Ms. Wilkins to embarrass Mr. Phillips. Ms. Wilkins could not immediately be reached for comment last night."
Billboards in Times Square cost 10's of thousands of dollars, so I get this avenue's not available to the accounting clerk who got termed for performance reasons but feels your controller is too loose and free with the expense account. Still, billboards wouldn't do that individual much good anyway. You know what would? A microblog that is set up via Blogger or Typepad that either features that person telling the world why they think they were wronged or simply dishes dirt in an unrelated way. The digital tools are actually better than a billboard in that the links to the site end up going viral and the media isn't a "one and done" proposal - instead they can be updated whenever the scorned has a new thought to share.
Need proof on the value of media in this area? Ask former CEO Chuck Jett, who is stil getting hammered by a hate blog.
So authoring tools are available to anyone, and people feel like they got jobbed every day. Why don't we see more of these types of acts via blogs, Twitter and Facebook?
I suspect it's because most of us have to work, and setting up a blog to strike back at someone or a company tends to be the equivalent of career Harikiri. After all, if I'm looking to hire you and your rant blog at a former employer comes up in the Google search, what's to say you wouldn't do the same thing to me?
That, my friends, is the great equalizer...
I love the billboard idea, that stinks of pure vengeance! Micro sites have been used a lot in the UK on an anti corporation basis. If you do a search for "I hate xxxxx" and enter a company name, you more than likely come up with a sight or forum including employee gripes. To go it alone though would take a brave person.
Posted by: TheHRD | January 26, 2010 at 06:52 AM