I’m sure you remember your parents or grandparents, or just anyone with a little common sense, tell you that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, just don’t say anything at all.” Unfortunately, for some people, they seam to forget that little pearl of wisdom when they are online. Social Media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are great ways to communicate with a large number of people. The thing that some people forget, though, is that they’re communicating with a large number of people.
Recently, Courtney Love was involved in a lawsuit with a former lawyer she had hired. Love hired the lawyer to work on fraud case pertaining to the management of the estate of Kurt Cobain, her ex-husband. Not happy with the outcome of that fraud case, Love turned to Twitter and made several comments that the lawyer, Rhonda Holmes, viewed as defamation. The jury ultimately sided with Love, but the trial was historic in that it is believed to be the first time that alleged defamation through Twitter has gone to trial.
Very rarely, if ever, has a business been able to gain from belittling their competition, whether it is through social media or television or newspaper or radio. I’m not saying this to scare you away from using Social Media or voicing your opinion. Instead, just another simple reminder that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, just don’t say anything at all.”