As British Telecom used to say, “It’s good to talk.” Especially when people are listening. Yesterday I wrote a blog letter to my new internet boyfriend, LuckyOliver, and the very same day Oliver wrote back to me, in the person of founder Bryan Zmijewski:

“Jesus, fine, I’ll pay for the popcorn. Stop nagging me, woman!”

No, actually, it was a great email and he was very cheerful and receptive to what I’d had to say. People who are able to be positive about criticism, assess it rationally and use it as an impetus for change (either internal or external) deserve a lot of kudos.

The internet means people are going to talk about your company, out loud and in public. As the Cluetrain told us way back in the day: you can’t control the conversation, so you’re better off just being part of it. When you try to control the conversation or spin the message, the internet will point at you and laugh. Out loud.

It’s awesome.