(Originally posted this at Baratillo.net since this is a blogging issue. Although, I stronly feel it should also be psoted here since it is a fodd blogging issue as well)
Do you know Charles Augustus Milvertone? He is a character from the Sherlock Holmes stories. A blackmailer and extortionist. Nearly as smart as Holmes – Milcvertone met his maker courtesy of a bullet from one of his victims.
I remember Milvertone because this weekend I received messages about an interesting story developing online. It concerned a blogger, a restaurateur and a pr company. And of course it involved a two restaurant reviews. Two offers, and tidy sum of money sought (Source: Please Don’t Give Blogging a Bad Name).
It is an interesting story because it is a story of abuse and corruption and at the same time also a mystery story. Who is the Big Bad Blogger? … Who is the PR Company? … and what was the restaurant or restaurants involved.
It could be called AC-DC strategy. AC -DC is a term in the Philippine corruptionary given to the practice of media to attack then collect and defend and collect a person or business. Hence, AC-DC.
There have been stories going around the Big Bad Blogger for months and perhaps years now. Unfortunately, most of the time the affected restaurants would decline to pursue it further because they would often claim that it would affect their business. No one was willing to come forward.
If you accuse someone one must have the proof. Specially in a case where there seems to be extortion involved.
Now we have this. Someone has finally taken the stand to complain. How I wished it had been more specific – we need what Rudyard Kipling one said the services of five men – wht, what, when, where and why.
Without it this will be story of corruption that will fade into the folds of anecdotal stories. And quite frankly I am not sure what it is to be afraid of the Big Bad Blogger and the PR company.
Specially, if you have the goods on them. would it be a question of legal consequences? or Would it be a PR problem? What is so fearsome about a PR company?
What is to be feared of the Big Bad Blogger?
Sadly, this maybe because of the myth that has been grown and fostered around blogging and social media. How many times have I heard someone introduce a blogger as some one who can make or break you? A person of influence online and offline?
Oh please.
A blogger or a online person’s interest (if any) comes from the trust and respect the readers have for him or her. Once, this is compromised – credibility and good reputation will slip through their fingers like sand. And they lose their clout.
So why be afraid of the Big Bad Blogger and the PR company?
No reason. Expose the crooked blogger and crooked PR company (if it is a pr company or someone
