Mena Trott defends spamming
Just when you think that Six Apart has really lost the plot when Anil Dash attacks SixApart TypePad users over their service failures, the plot thickens with SixApart founder Mena Trott coming out of her insular (occasionally gothic) shell to say the following in regards to SixApart’s PR firm that has allegedly been spamming people:
I usually try to stay out of these sort of debates, but since you mention Six Apart in this post and because I’m sick and tired of the mob mentality that blogging sometimes brings out, I’m taking the time to comment.,,,We’ve worked with KTA for almost three years and the principals and staff are professionals who have been involved in the Valley for twenty plus years. In the three years we have worked with them, they have never suggested anything that borders on spamming and have worked hard to understand how public relations works well with blogging. .
I know that some of my fellow Australian’s are saying that Mena’s response is good, but I can’t see it.
I’m sorry, but where in that quote does Mena defend spamming?
That’s something *I* can’t see (perhaps because I’m not Australian?). Maybe a less misleading headline would be in order?
Disclaimer: I work for Six Apart, and I think I hate spammers as much as Mena does.
Headline does seem a bit misleading, Duncan…
Your ugly little anti-Sixapart campaign reminds me of this wonderful little comic strip.
Wait, she hates “mob mentality that blogging sometimes brings out” .. lol. Welcome to the blogosphere. You would think someone as high in the sphere is Mena would know, when you do wrong, bloggers will bust your chops. lol. And when your on top, your a bigger target than ever.
Tom Murphy isn’t a fellow Australian, he’s Microsoft Ireland’s PR manager and he was responding to a post on my PR blog. Mena wasn’t defending spamming, she was politely (more politiely than me!) pointing out that Jeremy Zawodney was making extremely misleading statements on his blog which was defamatory to both Sixapart and its PR consultancy.
Once again, you show the ugliness of your blatant anti-SixApart crusade. I wonder what is behind it?
Also, exactly which sentence in Mena’s statement “defends spamming?” I don’t see it at all.
Um, defending the PR agency for one. How about something along the lines of “although we are unable to confirm the allegations SixApart views spamming seriously and will take action to stop using the company if the allegation is proven true” or the likes. But of course not, because SixApart would much rather blame their customers and suck up to their PR people wouldn’t they!
The Six Apart/TypePad bashing is getting tiring. Considering this site considers itself a “blog news” site I would split the site into two: a “blog news” section where you report objectivly on topics and a proper blog where you provide your own commentary and analysis of the news. This mix you currently provide is confusing and misleading.
I tell you what, I’ll behave if SixApart do the following:
1. Be honest with their clients, and stop accepting new business if they cant handle it
2. Stop blaming their clients for their problems
3. Starting condeming their PR company.
Seriously, SixApart is the company I relly, really want to love, I honestly do, I even tried to make things up a while back, but they weren’t interested (their bad). People are really, really pissed over TypePad, but all we get from SA is more spin and no substance.
Ah! At least you are admitting you are not behaving yourself. That’s a start.
I don’t see why Six Apart should condemn their PR company: KTA made one small goof by sending *one* e-mail to a blogger that didn’t want to receive it and apologized for it. That’s the decent thing to do, and it should end there.
I have a feeling you are trying to blow this way out of proportion, thus seriously damaging your credibility as a news source, as someone above pointed out.
Six Apart may have their faults (and they admit it, giving their customers a massive refund for bad service; what other company have you seen doing this lately without lawyers being involved?), but hiring a dodgy PR firm is not one of them.
I’m beginning to wonder, do you own shares in Six Apart’s competitors or something?
“People are really, really pissed over TypePad, but all we get from SA is more spin and no substance.”
Not me, and I’ve been using TypePad since their beta testing. Yes, it was kind of annoying when things were slow, but we’ve all been offered a free month of service as a result (or more, up to 45 days)…seems to me that’s substance over spin.
I agree with Greybeard: You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. SixApart have publicly apologized for the slowdown and have offered all of us free service, no questions asked. Just request the amount of free compensation you want and you got it. If people are still “really pissed” after that, then those people just enjoy griping.
Please move on from the SixApart stuff. The story is over.