The Perils of New Media

I am on fire today!! A lot of stuff has happened that I want to write about :)

We released an article on behalf of Stefans jewellers about a ring that was purchased for $1 million bucks. Wowser! We thought it was pretty newsworthy, perfect timing for valentines day, and a bit of light relief after all the heart break in Victoria.

The websites Perthnow and watoday ran the story, which was great. On Perthnow, the article got 94 comments. Sounds great, right?

Not so much!!

Some of the comments were very bitter and nasty, commenting on the waste of so much money in the economic period, and the devastation in Victoria.

"While I applaud the fact that this man can afford to make this purchase, he has openly contributed (knowingly or otherwise) to the Blood Diamond trade in Africa."

"Are you kidding me? We've got nearly 200 dead(expected to go much higher) and 5000 homeless in Victoria as a result of the fires. I hope the recipient gets to look at pictures of wives with no husbands, kids with no parents or toys, the homeless and the absolute devastation in the faces of those who have lost everything. Enjoy your ring!"

"Yeah all people with money deserve it how dare we criticise... What a load of BS. $1m on some ugly ring is stupid and anyone who spends like that obviously hasn't mastered business and savings. I bet daddy gave him a fair bit of cash and he works 3 hours a day while his staff earn him all the money"

However, some of them were great and got behind the un-named buyer.

"Thats really sweet. Lucky lady. Why are people bagging this guy out???"

"He has probably donated more then you earn in a year, it's a gift to his sweetheart, how sad on life are you, Why don't you give them your home if you've got one. Hope she loves the ring mate"

"You ever thought the guy might just be successful and really love his partner? Why does it always have to be suspicious? No wonder we are a world of cynics!"

All those lessons and lectures about PR being uncontrollable, particularly in a new media forum, suddenly got rammed home. It was a fantastic experience to witness that first hand, from the first story idea (which I helped formulate), to writing the release, then pitching it, then the joy of getting it placed, then the angst as we watched the comments role in.

As for those comments, I think the defence won in the end, but maybe that's just my hopeful bias :) Check it out yourself


Cheers,
Krish
Bentley Campus