Mystery Author, DEBRA PURDY KONG
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How Social Media Helps, and Hurts

5/11/2014

4 Comments

 
A number of years ago, probably after I released my first mystery title, Taxed to Death, I read a piece of advice somewhere that said never respond to a negative review. It was good advice that I’ve followed all these years. I’ve watched famous authors respond to negative reviews and it never ends well. Reputations are tarnished and the scathing comments seem to multiply.

Recently, a company called Mediabridge decided to do more than post a scathing reply to a negative review of their router. According to a piece in arstechnia, they sent a letter to the reviewer threatening to sue him after they discovered that his comment had become Amazon’s #1 most helpful response. The company claimed that the review had cost them money and tarnished their reputation. They also claimed that the reviewer intentionally set out to discredit, damage, defame, and liable Mediabridge.

The reviewer posted the letter and asked readers for any financial assistance they could manage to help with his legal costs. The letter launched a social media brouhaha. The responses were overwhelmingly supportive of the reviewer’s right to say what he thinks and not be bullied by the corporate world.

Two things happened out of this. One is that Amazon revoked Mediabridge’s right to sell products on their site and two, Mediabridge’s Facebook page was inundated with so many nasty comments that the company has now deleted its entire Facebook presence. They said that the whole incident has been distorted and blown out of proportion. They also added that the loss of revenue will likely cost employees their jobs.

So, here’s the thing. Whether the reviewer was accurate in his assessment of the router, or whether the company was correct in their assessment, a lot of damage has been done. I know we in Canada and the U.S. live in societies where freed of speech is honored, but think about it; wouldn’t Mediabridge be better off right now if they had just kept quiet? Like I said, negative responses never end well.

4 Comments
Julie H. Ferguson
5/11/2014 03:09:33 am

I agree with you wholeheartedly.
I was also given some advice over twenty years ago: As a non-fiction author, never review or endorse a book that is on the exact same subject as yours. I've been asked to so so many times and have declined with an explanation.
However, I need to point out that other authors have not followed this maxim, and my books have occasionally been slagged in an obvious attempt to reduce sales; some reviewers have even slagged me personally. It's hard not to react, as it's hurtful, but authors should turn the other cheek because, as Debra says, it "never ends well."

Reply
Debra Purdy Kong
5/11/2014 09:43:08 am

Thanks for your comments, Julie. Much appreciated! I can imagine how hurtful the slagging must have been. We've all had to endure this in some way since kindergarten. It's an unfortunate part of the human experience, but professionals like you not only rise to the top but survive and thrive.

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Andrew Ashling link
5/16/2014 01:18:16 pm

While I agree with the general position you take, and I myself have refrained from commenting on negative reviews, your information is not entirely correct.
Mediabridge is still on Amazon as you can verify for yourself: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=Mediabridge

Moreover, do you think defamation (if such was the case) falls under the freedom of speech? I don't.

Reply
Debra Purdy Kong
5/16/2014 01:35:00 pm

Thank you for your comments, Andrew. Interesting to know that Mediabridge is on Amazon. The information came from the arstechnica article, so it might be that things have been worked out between Amazon and Mediabridge or that the article was incorrect. As for the point about defamation, has it truly happened, though? Just because someone (or a corporation) claims they've been defamed doesn't mean they truly have been. If Mediabridge pursues their lawsuit, the court to decide what, if any defamation damage, has occurred. Right now, it's a matter of differing opinions that has hurt the reputations of both sides, and that's why it's a shame the lawsuit threat occurred in the first place.

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