A Golden Lesson

Not many of us who use blogs and forums are able to use the Golden Globes as a platform to voice our opinions. However, stars of Hollywood occasionally morph their acceptance speeches and enter new territory by throwing out their inner demons to global audiences exceeding 14, 5 million.  

If Tina Fey  knew about the new Internet phenomenon of Online Reputation Management, I doubt she would have needed the Golden Globes to ‘get back’ at her detractors, not least to start a conversation with them.  

As even hardened traditionalists have come to see, the Internet and its accompanying software has equipped consumers with a voice and a platform, and the ability to amplify their views – not quite in the same magnitude as the Golden Globes, yet still influential. People everywhere, even Saturday Night Live stars who’ve bagged 5 Emmy’s and 2 Golden Globes, are engaging and listening to blogs and forums across the Internet landscape. You NEVER know what is being said about you online, unless you monitor everything that is being said… Tina Fey seemed to monitor what was being said about her, to which she replied with a Golden Globe in her hand;  

There she was, in front of her colleagues, winning fame and glory before confessing, "If you ever start to feel too good about yourself, they have this thing called the Internet. And you can find a lot of people there who don't like you”. 

And in case any angry online detractors of high profile stars ever wonder while watching their favourite program if their famous targets actually ever read the offensive comments online, Tina Fey answered that one in a most wholesome manner. 

Fey damned three Los Angeles Times bloggers – Dianefan, Cougar-Letter and BabsonLacrosse – for their negative comments after she won the Golden Globe for best actress in a TV comedy series for her role as Liz Lemon on NBC’s 30 Rock. The three above names make regular appearances on O'Neil's entertainment blog, The Envelope. 

"I'd like to address some of them now," she continued. "Babs in La Crosse, you can suck it. Diane-fan, you can suck it. Cougar-letter, you can really suck it, 'cause all year you've been after me. All year”. 

But don't think that's going to make them disappear – it's only given them more ammunition. Fey’s delivery may have been gratifying on stage, but her expected indulgence must have clouded her judgment concerning the consequences that would take place online. Negative statements about a brand, or in this case a personality, should be seen as an opportunity for growth. Fey’s response to Dianefan and co should have been online too, as this will show the community in question that the person involved both listens and responds – essential in repairing an online brand attack. 

Soon after Fey’s televised speech, Cougar-Letter posted this taunt on The Envelope message board: "Give me something to suck on."  

And Fey, without knowledge, may have turned one Internet friend into a foe: According to the gossip blog Gawker BabsonLacrosse is actually a fan of Fey.  

Now, putting on that brave performance on stage may have got her fans cheering, in addition to being a catalyst for a flourish of blog posts congratulating her, but ultimately she didn’t reconcile with her cyber-enemies. This means that Dianefan and co are still out there all the more willing to write scornful posts about Tina Fey – not a good thing! No one wants the 1000 voices of the blogosphere empire to descend upon you. 

This should be a lesson to all those businesses and personalities alike who are interested in their online reputation – as all who use this ever growing medium should. Imagine if Barack Obama took haste to respond by getting aggravated and singling out the users who constantly knock him down. Instead, chin up and respond online genuinely with a discussion in a transparent, honest and humble manner.