Headstand Media

16 people gathered at Headstand Media on Thursday, November 19, 2009 for a great time of networking, learning and sharing around a common interest in web 2.0 technology and applications. The training room here at Headstand Media was warm and lively as Nightstand 13 attenders ate Thai food from Star of Siam, and shared with one another about work, life and the web.

Presentation

Presenter Steve Tanner shared with the gathered group from his experience as creator of BevReview.com, a popular beverage review website. Steve shared an entertaining and unique story about his recent “altercations” with one corporate giant over a review he wrote of a Monster energy drink. Steve’s presentation covered the unfolding of this adventure and how social media played a unique role in accelerating his cause.

Summary

After receiving a baseless email from Continental Enterprises regarding his negative review and coming up short in attempts to contact the firm to get to the bottom of the problem, Steve decided to take his problem online and appeal to his readership via his personal blog, BevReview.com website, and Twitter. Steve also talked about how another “David vs. Goliath” controversy involving Monster and a Vermont microbrewery coincided with his own troubles. Namely through viral video on YouTube, the underdog brewer made headlines in popular news outlets all across the country, which ultimately led to the corporation’s “backing down.”

Interestingly enough, it seems that in both cases, social media may be responsible for a changing standard in corporate America regarding how quickly companies must respond to consumer complaints and issues. While precedents show that it takes most large corporations a rather long time to gather the data/authorization needed to respond, consumers who use social media are finding quick support online when they take their frustrations to the web.

Other questions raised dealt with how visible companies should handle using corporate social media accounts and if/how to get involved when consumers with negative stories hit the wire. In all, Steve’s presentation was an excellent conversation instigator!

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