anyuser
03-08-2009, 06:37 PM
Before this week, few knew anything about Amanda Bonnen and her alleged mold problem, or much of anything about Horizon Group Management and their apartments. Now, a local complaint made via a tweet has turned into a national issue – with lessons for both Twitterers and companies targeted by tweets.
Ms. Bonnen tweeted in May about mold in her Chicago apartment, and Horizon Group Management answered with a $50,000 defamation lawsuit. News of the suit sped around the Internet Monday after a Chicago blogger caught wind of the complaint.
The social media lesson here? Yes, Twitterers should be careful what they write, especially if their account isn't private, experts say. But, they add, companies should also be careful how they respond to a negative tweet – handling it badly could result in a public relations nightmare.
"Now, everyone is going to think that Horizon has moldy apartments even though their intention of bringing the complaint was to say they didn't," says San Francisco attorney Colette Vogele, who specializes in legal issues surrounding technology and new media.
cont: Sued for a tweet: How not to deal with complaints on Twitter (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0801/p02s01-usgn.html)
comments:
Horizon is facing some negative PR since its lawsuit was made public. A company spokesman told the Chicago Sun-Times that it's "a sue first, ask questions later kind of organization."
As the company is now discovering, social media has given consumers new kinds of leverage over corporations.
"Horizon is about to learn the hard way," wrote Augie Ray, a social media marketing professional, on the Social Media Today blog. "Companies can no longer effectively manage their reputations via legal actions and consumers are no longer at a disadvantage in the face of bullying lawsuits."
So the next time scummies try to sue people (again), remember your reputation will be tarnished and it will probably more than likely hurt your company more than it would ever help. Because of this defamation suite, lots of people are not going to rent from Horizon so they loose more money. Smart idea on their part? I think not.
Ms. Bonnen tweeted in May about mold in her Chicago apartment, and Horizon Group Management answered with a $50,000 defamation lawsuit. News of the suit sped around the Internet Monday after a Chicago blogger caught wind of the complaint.
The social media lesson here? Yes, Twitterers should be careful what they write, especially if their account isn't private, experts say. But, they add, companies should also be careful how they respond to a negative tweet – handling it badly could result in a public relations nightmare.
"Now, everyone is going to think that Horizon has moldy apartments even though their intention of bringing the complaint was to say they didn't," says San Francisco attorney Colette Vogele, who specializes in legal issues surrounding technology and new media.
cont: Sued for a tweet: How not to deal with complaints on Twitter (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0801/p02s01-usgn.html)
comments:
Horizon is facing some negative PR since its lawsuit was made public. A company spokesman told the Chicago Sun-Times that it's "a sue first, ask questions later kind of organization."
As the company is now discovering, social media has given consumers new kinds of leverage over corporations.
"Horizon is about to learn the hard way," wrote Augie Ray, a social media marketing professional, on the Social Media Today blog. "Companies can no longer effectively manage their reputations via legal actions and consumers are no longer at a disadvantage in the face of bullying lawsuits."
So the next time scummies try to sue people (again), remember your reputation will be tarnished and it will probably more than likely hurt your company more than it would ever help. Because of this defamation suite, lots of people are not going to rent from Horizon so they loose more money. Smart idea on their part? I think not.