Honestly, I do not trust everyone’s opinion. Online rants and criticism is even harder to swallow
To convince me to sway towards your opinion, there are many factors that I consider.
- If Trust You – My ears perk
- If you not a chronic complainer – A little more
- If I know you more than a casual chat – Ears Wide Open
- If you acknowledge that there are two sides – I’m yours
However, online rants should really be taken as a grain of salt simply because generally it is just that – A Rant.
Yes, I have ranted before about a specific product or service. For instance, last week, I received a batch of wings that had BLUE meat at a local grill in Cambridge, ON. Yuck. I complained about it. I was too sick to accept more wings. She didn’t give me a discount, however, I didn’t ask.
I don’t think my initial Twitter post indicated that I DIDN’T ASK, nor did I indicate that I didn’t put up a fuss. I accepted the bill and walked out.
I sincerely hope that that establishment didn’t lose business because of my impromptu rant because generally their wings are very good wings. They were very stupid to not write off my receipt because I won’t be back. But then again, I DIDN’T ASK.
As well, most of you don’t know me from Job (is that how you spell his name?). So why trust my opinion? You never know, it MAY NOT be business, but personal.
Today, I was on the opposite side of the fence in regards to an online rant. I had to make a choice – dispute it, ignore it, or look into it a little deeper. I’m professionally invested in this particular company who was negatively mentioned on one of the social networks. I was somewhat torn based on my trust in this company. Had I known this company for a long time, not seen previous complaints from the complainer prior to this, and knew, for certain, the other side of the two sides, then I probably would have asked more. I chose to ignore it.
I also asked myself how is this going to benefit me to get into an online discussion over a consumer complaint that really isn’t my business? Will others online really sense the trust I have for that company? Where was that company to defend their social media complaints? Basically, if I argued it, I could have lost online credibility.
Online rants have a face without the voice of trust. Our rants could certainly be professional, but it can also be personal. I honestly can say after thorough thought of both situations, I will pick my battles and rants wisely when confronted with negative feedback in the future.
I’m not out to bury any company that is trying to make a living to provide shelter and food for themselves and their families.
