We first published this article last December but it was so good, we thought we’d share it again.
Industry Professionals, please go to the link below and read the whole story of a “PR Professional” in the computer gaming industry who went full retard in a series of emails that garnered him the attention of several websites. End result, bad for said “PR Professional.” Once he realized how screwed he was, and begged for it to stop, he was informed that it was too late; the internet had the story.
kotaku.com/5871235/controller-company-berates-customers-penny-arcade-bring-popcorn
This is the age we live in. Think about what you say. I learned this lesson in the military. Once you send that email, it’s in the wild and there’s no calling it back.
Post something really dumb on a forum? Well, you might be able to go back and cover your tracks and get away with it once in awhile. But if you’re a REAL toolbag, you’ve made yourself some enemies and they lie in wait for you to show your ass and then copy it before your brain kicks in. Then, they’ve got you twice. Once for being a jerk and the second time for being a sneaky jerk and deleting it.
I know people who have whole email archives of email from others in industry implicating them in all manner of evils. They sit in wait for when alliances shift.
So, don’t do it. Smile at your detractors. Laugh behind their backs, in person if possible. Backhanded compliments are your friend. Offer them liberally. Tell your off-color jokes on-on-one. But don’t send an email telling a customer that they are a chump for buying your product. You just never know where it will end up and who will pay attention.
