4 ms·

Sounds like he's trying to have his cake and eat it too. Many of these loud obnoxious protesters were probably the same ones who were singing your company's pr

by DevX101 16y ago

Sounds like he's trying to have his cake and eat it too. Many of these loud obnoxious protesters were probably the same ones who were singing your company's praises early on.

tptacek 16y ago
But, that and a nickel gets ya...
- wccrawford 16y ago
  Viral marketing. Even without the nickel. Don't underestimate the value.
  - tptacek 16y ago
    What's "viral" about giving your stuff away for free and hoping that the freeloaders will end up being a net win? Aren't we just talking about word-of-mouth marketing? Doesn't that work mostly when the words travel among paying mouths? Are you sure you aren't just putting a 2.0-ey spin on a simple problem?
edanm 16y ago
Why do you think so?
- DevX101 16y ago
  There are a subset of people who are just loud. And they like everyone to know. Malcolm Gladwell called them 'mavens'. These are the type of people that when they try a new cool restaurant, want to tell EVERYONE about it. Never piss these people off. They are insanely helpful in getting early traction for your business. But piss them off, and they feel personally offended and make it their personal mission to 'get back at you'. I can't find the thread right now, but there was a guy on reddit who made a post like this. His insurance company screwed him out of a few bucks. He then told the agent he'd tell all his friends to leave their company. The agent laughed it off. This guy went on a vendatta against the company emailed all his friends (A LOT) and ended up costing this company a few hundred thousand dollars a year (at least) in lost revenue. He could have made it worse by naming the company in his thread on reddit, but I guess he called a truce at that point. Find these mavens in your business and treat them well. Even if they're "pathological"
  - msy 16y ago
    Or get rid of them early, if someone's only value is exposure and they're going to try and hold you hostage over every perceived outrage it's a matter of time until they turn on you.

by DevX101 16y ago

Sounds like he's trying to have his cake and eat it too. Many of these loud obnoxious protesters were probably the same ones who were singing your company's praises early on.

tptacek 16y ago

But, that and a nickel gets ya...

wccrawford 16y ago
Viral marketing. Even without the nickel. Don't underestimate the value.
- tptacek 16y ago
  What's "viral" about giving your stuff away for free and hoping that the freeloaders will end up being a net win? Aren't we just talking about word-of-mouth marketing? Doesn't that work mostly when the words travel among paying mouths? Are you sure you aren't just putting a 2.0-ey spin on a simple problem?

edanm 16y ago

Why do you think so?

DevX101 16y ago
There are a subset of people who are just loud. And they like everyone to know. Malcolm Gladwell called them 'mavens'. These are the type of people that when they try a new cool restaurant, want to tell EVERYONE about it. Never piss these people off. They are insanely helpful in getting early traction for your business. But piss them off, and they feel personally offended and make it their personal mission to 'get back at you'. I can't find the thread right now, but there was a guy on reddit who made a post like this. His insurance company screwed him out of a few bucks. He then told the agent he'd tell all his friends to leave their company. The agent laughed it off. This guy went on a vendatta against the company emailed all his friends (A LOT) and ended up costing this company a few hundred thousand dollars a year (at least) in lost revenue. He could have made it worse by naming the company in his thread on reddit, but I guess he called a truce at that point. Find these mavens in your business and treat them well. Even if they're "pathological"
- msy 16y ago
  Or get rid of them early, if someone's only value is exposure and they're going to try and hold you hostage over every perceived outrage it's a matter of time until they turn on you.