#417 Accentuate the Positive and Quit Putting a Giant Spotlight on the Negative

Because lawyers make everything better!

Watch Repairer Goes Legal Over Tame Yelp Review, Streisand Effect Takes Over

For anyone who has forgotten what the Streisand Effect is, here's a quick refresher. Basically, if you want to keep something on the down low and not get massive publicity for it, don't jump off the metaphorical top ropes on something as limp as a bad review online.

In today's What Not To Do spotlight is a watch repair place that got a deserved poor review. And then lawyered up to try and force the guy to take it down which just brought a whole TON more attention to the bad watch repairer.

Thing is, he paid for the lawyer to do this and it is exploding in his stupid face and going viral. As it should. Bad reviews and disgruntled customers are part of the price of doing business. Try to make customers happy and let the rest of the shit sort itself out. And let the grumpy, whiny crap just go, it will never help you to be an asshole to your customers because any potential customers are potentially lost before you've even had a chance to win them.

Rule #417 is Accentuate the Positive and Quit Putting a Giant Spotlight on the Negative

#412 Don't Post It If You Don't Want It On the Internet

Chelsea holds it in for a pic with Snoop.

Administrator uses student’s bikini photo in Internet safety seminar which, of course, horrifies her because she only intended for her friends to see the photo.

This demonstrates a rather fundamental lack of understanding about how the internet and digital information actually works.

And, as a result, Chelsea Chaney, the blond sucking in her belly for the photo on the right there, is suing the administrator for $2 million. Yeah. Because a photo she put on her Facebook page and accessible by anyone with a computer was used without her permission or knowledge.

Chelsea, you posted the photo, you didn't restrict access to it and now you're upset because your own hubris caused you some discomfort (which the cynical voice in me thinks you're trying to parlay into a career through this national exposure).

Honestly, after watching part of the video on the link, I have less sympathy for her than I did before. Her whole attitude is lame and she's much better looking with her sunglasses on and her mouth closed or smiling. Listening to her talk made me want the judge to rule against her AND fine her $50,000 for wasting the court's time.

If you do not want a picture to be used on the internet then do not upload it to the internet. If this picture of her had been stolen and posted without her knowledge then she MIGHT have a case. But she posted it herself and without locking it down because she assumed good ol' Facebook had her back (pro tip, Facebook is not in business for you, just your data).

If you post it on the internet, it pretty much ceases to be your property to control. And complaining about it will NOT make it go away, it'll make your problems much worse, even more so if a site like 4Chan gloms on to it. Then mild embarrassment is the least of your problems, they'll photoshop you into a porn and send it to your dad's co-workers for the lulz.

Rule #412 is Don't Post It If You Don't Want It On the Internet