Well if this isn’t a great example of the power of what Seth Godin calls “tribes” then I don’t know what is. If you don’t know what happened here’s a quick rundown:
I was invited to join businessexchange (a new platform on businessweek). I joined and created a group called “social media marketing” which was deleted because a group called “web 2.0 marketing” (and a few other related groups) already existed. I wrote a post about why I thought businessweek made a big mistake. I tweeted out the article and it spread, the next day I received an apology from the editor in chief at businessweek and was told that the group was reinstated!
Rather then write a detailed post on what happened I will refer you to this EXCELLENT post by Mel Aclaro over at the BusinessCasualBlog.
I just want to say that Businessweek did an excellent job in handling the “situation” and have turned this once upset user into an even bigger brand evangelist. I exchanged several emails with Ron, who is the director of user participation and he completely understood that the power of an impassioned user can really be used as an asset. Ron could have just said “sorry, we can’t help you,” but he didn’t.
Here is one of the quotes taken from Ron’s email:
“However, there is one more thing we look for that can be a determining factor – an impassioned user. One who will ensure that content remains fresh when the search engines return less than stellar items. One who can spread the word and get others to participate in the topic to work towards that critical mass where the community aggregated content has real value.
It appears that you can be that person, Jacob, and so if you’re willing to give us another chance, so are we. Let us know and we’ll get “Social Media Marketing” up and running by week’s end.”
Here is another quote from one of Ron’s emails, this is my favorite one:
“Finally, feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or problems going forward. I may not always be able to give you the answer you’re seeking, but I will always give you the one that truly reflects our abilities and intentions.”
I also received this message from Johna Byrne, the editor-in-chief at Businessweek
“@jacobm Jacob, I want to apologize for the dumb mistake. Thanks for raising hell about it and more importantly for creating a great topic.”
All I have to say is wow! The day my post went up about how I disagreed with their decision to eliminate the “social media marketing” group, was the day I was contacted by Ron and Johna.
Businessweek has proven to me that they understand the power and the value of their users and this is why they will succeed with their new businessexchange endeavor, because they listen AND act.
Excellent job Businessweek.
Thanks for reading and supporting the creation of the Social Media Marketing group!
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