Controversy: Lesson learned from a "negative" post

I recently learned something from a blog post that left a little mud on my face. Probably not the first or last time...we're all learning to navigate this Web 2.0 interactive-everything-gets-indexed blog world.

Here's what happened: I caught a video interview by Ralph Wilson of Web Marketing Today of Andy Beal on How to Get Started in Business Blogging. I spotted some holes in what Andy Beal said, and immediately wrote up a blog post calling him out for faulty information.

My intention was to stir up the conversation a bit to get increased traffic and attention. However in doing so, I violated my own principle of "always be respectful."

I was sloppy. I went too far. I implied that Andy Beal should know better and as an "expert" (yes, I put quotes around that implying he wasn't really an expert!), he was misleading new business bloggers by omitting important information.

Ouch. That was a bit harsh...

Of course Andy saw the post - nothing is private on the Web anymore. Fortunately, Andy Beal is a stand-up guy with more than a little bit of manners and patience.

He provided an explanation in the comments section, and in private email requested that I be a little more understanding (I believe he was actually calling me out on my disrespectful ways in the most polite way)...

So I happily changed a few things in the post to make it less negative and more respectful. But I still don't feel good about the post. (Do I leave it up for traffic reasons? Is my point of view more important than his reputation?)

I can ask readers if they have an opinion. And, I can write this post to let people know what a great guy Andy Beal really is. And apologize publicly. So sorry, Andy!

We hope to have Andy Beal on our radio show or on a teleseminar sometime soon to highlight his real expertise. Andy is the top guy at Marketing Pilgrim. Don't miss his post about online reputation:

47% Internet Users Check Their Google Reputation

Related Posts:
Expert Spreads Myths about Business Blogging
Web Results: Have you "Googled" yourself lately?

Comments

[Andy Beal]

Thanks for your follow up post.

I can certainly understand your reasons for your original post and it serves as a reminder to all of us that, in our quest to attract more readers, we shouldn't sacrifice our principles.

Personally, I think your edit was more than enough, but appreciate the kind words.

I look forward to being on your show.

[Jeanne May]

Hi...

Thanks for highlighting this topic. It's a wake-up call for us all. Using only written words, we do not have important cues e.g. body language to help us interpret what someone is saying, as we do with face-to-face conversation. And again it highlights the potency of words. And like you say, nothing is private on the web anymore.

Jeanne
http://aspirationsplus.typepad.com/uydayg

[Paul Bradish]

It sounds like the issue was handled correctly :). I say leave the post up - some of us still need to read it!

p.s. I saw Andy speak at PubCon, it was an excellent session.