Taking the High Road
I was just reading a post on Matt’s blog where he talks about Google copying Yahoo’s design for promoting the new Internet Explorer 7. Jeremy Zawondy takes a pretty aggressive stance against Google for this small infraction. Matt has decided that he’s taken the high road long enough. In his post Matt details Yahoo’s blatant copying of Google on AdWords color schemes, character specs, and usability changes. Interesting read, I’d encourage all to take a look at both sides of the argument and see where they land.
Another story popped up on my radar this morning regarding top Digg users being paid by PR Firms. As you might have guessed Netscape is taking this opportunity to point out the flaws of its competitor and has actually posted some interesting comments on their site regarding the story. One of the Netscape anchors had this to say:
C.K.: I want to weigh in here and note that if you work with a PR firm and are considering using such tactics here on Netscape, be forewarned: if we discover any evidence of this happening on Netscape, we will ban every member and every site associated with this type of action.
That means, if Generic PR FirmTM offers this “service” and you are considering using them, think again. If they get caught here on Netscape, we’ll ban them and all of their customers who we can track down.
First off, bad move by Netscape. I understand them wanting to take a stand and send a message, but you do this by using your paid staff to send the message on a constant basis by monitoring the site and purging unwanting activity. I do not believe, however, that you should threaten users (and potential users) about how and how not to use your site. This type of statement makes me less inclined to try Netscape’s new format.
So…with all this being said, when is it appropriate to stop taking the high road and point out the flaws of your competitors? Only once you’ve been directly attacked by your competitor? When the media or blogosphere points out your mistakes and not those of your competitors? When do you respond to negative comments regarding your views, strategies or tactics?
