It’s been the busiest few days this blog has seen, in its two years’ existence. Bizarre that it should be Barbra Streisand herself that should propel it to such activity (it’s so gay). At the time of writing this post, that page has been viewed by 1,736 people, two-thirds of whom found it via Google. Of the 54 comments posted so far in reaction to my piece on the concert, only one was by a declared blogger, with a link to a blog or website. The rest, it seems, are people who don’t ordinarily post to blogs, and certainly have never been to my blog before. That’s borne out by the fact that according to analytics, not one person used the page’s comments RSS feed to keep track of the discussion, a blogger’s knack.
Why should this be? While I find it fascinating that a blog can become the place for people to vent their frustrations over a particular event (and, indeed, I’m gratified, for the purpose of doing my theatre reviews is exactly to encourage debate), I would have thought that somewhere like boards.ie would be far more suitable for something that has affected so many people. But then, of course, MCD have the clout to prevent debate from happening on the internet, and the good folks in boards.ie have felt obliged to ban all mention of anything MCD related. This is so unhealthy it reeks. So unhappy consumers come here to comment. But with the Streisand Generation, perhaps that sort of bullying can’t be sustained.
Public Inquiry asks some very pertinent questions – why should MCD be allowed to set up its own committee to examine its own role in the fiasco? Why isn’t the National Consumer Agency leading the enquiry?
{ 4 } Comments
Congrats on hosting one of most interesting stream of complaints I’ve read for ages.
On the point about MCD setting up an inquiry, they obviously have some skilled PR people who have advised them to take charge of as much as possible of the fallout. The more they can host the complaints, the better for them. That’s what such companies do. They protect their reputation. It’s a freedom they are entitled to exercise.
I am perplexed by how MCD seem to have dampened down criticism. What exactly has been threatened at ‘boards.ie’?
You’re right of course Omaniblog, they are “allowed” to do what they like. That’s part of the problem.
This is what they managed to do when people on boards.ie were criticizing Oxegen 2006.
WOW!
but please don’t take that wrong- it’s what I’ve always liked about your space. Imagine me off on an investigative report about MCD otherwise!
This has been amazing to follow from my not so far off corner of the continent… I was really hoping that you would have a great time at the concert. Was looking forward to your review of the concert, looking forward to what connections you might find in the Streisss songbook to your own reality. It’s turned into an very odd Orwellian experience. Babs to George- kinda sums you up huh?
Bravo Dermod for this place!
Thanks Ronirokit! Babs to George, yes that’s me. A friend said in an email that I have become the Martin Luther King of easy listening. Ouch!
{ 1 } Trackback
[...] to park them for the weekend but I’m sure I’ve failed somewhere. Dermod has also had a very interesting and busy blogging week – his review of Barbara Streisand and the debacle in Celbridge has brought him centre [...]
Post a Comment