Kinda Like Wildfire, Only Faster
Posted by Lynnster on April 11, 2007
OK, well, I just screwed up and made a comment over at the marvelous, marvelous Home Ec 101 about the whole JL Kirk situation that I probably should have just posted here since I got to rambling on too much, but jeez, I am tired (and also apparently forgot to eat lunch or dinner today). Anyway, it’s here, if you’re so inclined. And then go poke around Home Ec 101 some more and browse, ‘cos it’s really really cool. Anything or anyone that makes me even THINK about housework at all is kind of a miracle in itself. Just doesn’t happen, but Ivy and Heather actually kind of make it sound fun. (I’m just saying I think about it more often. No, I haven’t been replaced by a neat freak pod Lynnster.)
I still think this whole rotten thing is sort of akin to me having an awful experience with a salesperson at some large national chain store – which I would almost certainly post about if it happened (well, heck yeah, I would), and then them retaliating in response by posting the credit card number I used to buy merchandise on that occasion on the very public Internet. I mean, really, this whole mess is kind of just that bad to me, even if JL Kirk didn’t actually do anything to legally breach the Cobles’ confidentiality. It was morally and ethically questionable at best.
Or hey, you know, should American Idol go threatening to sue every blogger in America that’s dissatisfied and unhappy with the way things are going this season and has posted about it? Puh-leeze.
But certainly, yeah – if I am your customer and spending my money on your service or goods, and you don’t treat me well or, worse, bully me? Twenty years ago, I’d have told every single person I knew. Who wouldn’t?
Nowadays, I’d do that AND post about it. And if you want an opportunity to make things right, coming at folks the way these yahoos went after the Cobles is just about the dumbest way to do it ever.
It’s not even been twelve hours yet since it all broke and already KC’s initial posts on her blog are about to get pushed off Google search’s first page by others, and it’s just going to get to be more and more, and plenty who don’t even have any local/Tennessee/Nashville ties and are just interested parties around the country, probably eventually around the globe. I’m thinking this probably should be a lesson for every single business owner that exists.
I’m not sure when “word of mouth” stopped being a concern for some companies, but I think that AND “word of Internet” is probably something that would be well revisited for those who forgot or who never bothered to think about such issues in the first place.
I’ll hush now ‘cos there are much more savvy folks discussing it all elsewhere and I’m wiped out anyway, but besides the ones I cited earlier and several other discussions going on NOW ALL OVER THE COUNTRY (big key words there!) – here’s two more takes that I found just spot-on perfect while browsing this evening, here and here.
I think that old saying “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” is worthless in regards to this situation. I mean, come on – nobody wants to be the person(s) responsible for ticking off the entire danged Internet.
And I do mean the ENTIRE danged Internet, indeed. I’ve now read several hundred (thousands, maybe?) words at this point on the matter and other than a couple of cautious souls, I’ve yet to see ANYONE who didn’t agree that this whole thing was bad mojo on JL Kirk’s part (and their legal representatives for representing them on it). Not one single, solitary soul.
Some days, after all these years, the online world annoys me. But today I am truly struck by the awesomeness of the Internet and am glad to see it being well used in a manner it SHOULD be – to inform, educate, and call it when right is right and wrong is wrong. And this was all just SO wrong – NOT on KC’s part, but on the Kirk company and their representatives who, again, just really should have known better.
And it has been just totally awesome to see dozens – HUNDREDS – of folks, and many of whom are often on opposite ends of the spectrum over many issues on any given day – all coming together to basically say uh uh – no way – this is WRONG, and the wrongdoers shouldn’t get away with it, and the entire freakin’ general online public is going to call you on it.
Sometimes I forget how awesome people are, but not today/tonight. Ciao for now.
Heather said
Rock on Lynn. Feel free to leave long rambly comments whenever you’d like.
Bob Krumm » Kirked said
[...] offers sage advice. The Urban Dictionary: kirk: “To go crazy, to flip out, to wig out.” Lynnster Home Ec [...]
Kathy T. said
You just have to stop and ask yourself what the he*l they were thinking. Gah.
Lynnster said
Yup, it’s a pretty big mess and getting bigger. And totally of their own doing. No one else to blame.
churlita said
Behold, the power of the internets. It’s always great when things are used for good rather than evil.
princess banter said
Venting and ranting indeed feels good, doesn’t it? :) That’s why I do it a lot — haha! You write really well… totally honest and straightforward. I love it!
Rachel said
I’ll be interested to see where this goes today. Very impressive how far it has gone already. “Nowadays, I’d do that AND post about it. And if you want an opportunity to make things right, coming at folks the way these yahoos went after the Cobles is just about the dumbest way to do it ever.” – exactly.
malia said
As much as I hate that this happened to Kat, I have to say that seeing the responses to it yesterday was just thrilling! We’ve seen it happen before on a smaller scale like when that blowhard said mean stuff about Pink Kitty at NiT and when someone maliciously posted Aunt B.’s personal info in the comments of a bunch of NiT blogs (like Kat’s) but this, this was on a completely different level! It’s just, well…Wow!
I really hope at least one (preferrably all 3, but that’s probably not going to happen) of our local news stations covers this soon! I kind of think it shouldn’t be WKRN, though that would all kinds of cool IMO.
saucygrrl said
You know, it just ASTOUNDS me what people think they can get away with if they use a lot of legalese. Let this be a lesson to all shysters who think they can beat up the little kid on the playground. It would be SO awesome if this made its way onto TV news.
Carnal Reason » You can’t always get what you want said
[...] Urban Dictionary: kirk: “To go crazy, to flip out, to wig out.” Lynnster Home Ec [...]