After writing about the Tom Brady Naked Baby Picture Controversy today, it all made sense to me. Boston Barstool Sports, even though they crossed the line, got a lot of media attention the last few days. Maybe that was what BBS wanted, and even though i think they handled it poorly (really, getting banned from WEEI?), it is clear when it comes to blogging and webpages: in the online world, people devour controversy.
Personally, a lot of my fellow bloggers like to avoid controversy, and if you think about it, it makes sense. I think it is cool. Because once you start taking stands on things and writing strong opinions about passionate topics (you can never go wrong with politics, sports, and religion), you might notice that those visitors who weren’t coming to your site, are now visiting it more and more.
When you start posting that kind of content, reader comments do come. Now, MOST of the people on the Internet who comment on blogs, Facebook, Twitter (and now Google+) GET IT. Even if you disagree with someone, you can still be respectful and civil. Ever since I started this blog in 2009, we learned that pretty quickly. You earn people’s respect by following those golden rules.
However, as Peter Parker’s uncle (btw, will new Afro-Latino Spiderman Miles Morales have a Tío?) once said, “with great power, comes great responsibility.” Ok, that is for superheroes and comic books, but I will say this: “with good content, comes great responsibility, and when you feel attacked, insulted, lied about, slandered, called bad names, or are just the recipient of general negativity, RESPOND and RESPOND QUICKLY.” And if you start getting trolls (those amazing bullies who hide behind computer screen and spew anger at the world, but if you ever saw them in person, they would never say those same things to your face), you deal with it just like Mom used to say about dealing with bullies: you call them out and you expose them.
Here at JRV.com, the bullies are alive and well. This week, we were proud to receive this lovely nugget:
Do your free ride is over….We don’t want to pay for you anymore.
Oh there are some of your people who are in my state because they
told me they suck all the benefits from two or three other states dry
and when me state go’s broken they will more on like the rats they are ….Sorry it’s not my fault you were born in that shit hole called
mexico.
Instead of blocking this person (not cool) or deleting this comment (this an open forum), I responded, like I always do. This is what I said:
Ok, last time I checked, I am an American citizen. Sorry you have me for life. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!! WOOT!!!!
In most of my dealings with the Bully Trolls of the Web, that is what I have done. When people starting ripping Alisa Valdes for her brilliant use of social media earlier this year, I answered the trolls. When we posted the TOP GEAR VIDEO that the BBC didn’t want you to see, I went right after them too. When the pro-Fortuño Puerto Ricans call me a “fake Puerto Rican,” you will get an answer from me. By the way, the Fortuñistas are alive and well on this blog ever since a new poll on the island said that the Governor is doing an awful job in running Puerto Rico.
And when people spread lies about your relationships to other Latino pages and other social media people, you make sure you make your case. Now mind you, I normally talk to people face to face, but when the attacks are so bad and so personal, I won’t. Simple as that. I find that writing is my defense shield.
This past week, I have been the recipient of some very salty and nasty language from a bully troll we will call Tomatito. Now Tomatito and I were part of a Latino-based page had some very cool and very engaging people. Long story short, people move on, they focus on other things, and you wish the people you leave the best of luck. He said I said something first, that I had taken advantage of others to further my web business (full disclosure: I have several businesses online and I do try a make a living out of them). Some people called me a hypocrite and a faker. Other people say WTF? And over, and over, and over. After a certain point, I remind myself that I don’t want to relive my junior high experience so I move on
Not Tomatito. Tomatito continues to spread rumors and lies about my relationships with mutual colleagues, he continues to make claims that I should be lucky to have been involved with this certain Latino-themed paged and that I would be a nobody without them. (BTW, that very large Latino-themed page got me 50 visits to my site. 50. I wrote four months for them. That is one visit every two days.)
Well, Tomatito, let me shed the light on a little bit of history:
- I started doing social media for my amazing brother Fernando. I was blessed to have met a lot of similar-minded individuals who wanted to help me and I wanted to help them. Ah, 2008, it was a heady time in social media, and it was awesome. So much so, that me and Fernando were able to build a nice little niche for his music, and because of that a certain Spanish-language television network hired me to help them out on their social media strategy. Yes, I got a job with Univision all because of some tweets and the desire to help others. Crazy. And that opened up more doors for me, and I am still amazed that you can make a living doing social media.
- In the meantime, I had always dreamt of forming my own Latino Daily Show, so around late last year I formed Latino Rebels, which will soon be on freakin cable TV (still can’t believe it) all over the country. Now Tomatito is saying that I couldn’t have achieved such success with the Rebels if it weren’t for the fact that I was associated with the larger Latino-theme page we both contributed to. Nope, that is not the case. Just like anything I do, I worked it and worked hard, and I am proud to say that the Rebeldes are doing just fine. And you know why the Rebeldes are having so much fun? Because we don’t care about who is better than others or who has the most followers or the least fans, we have a GREAT GROUP of talented performers and writers who all share the same vision as I do: to unite and entertain. And we treat ANY of our fans as if they were the most important person in the world, which is a lesson that Tomatito should take to heart.
- In the meantime, Tomatito, keep hating and keep spreading those lies. My web traffic appreciates it so much. And since you have called me and other great people such loving words such as “shameless self-promoters,” “cafeteria communist,” “loser,” “rejects,” and “crazed Napoleans,” I just want to say THANK YOU. Thank you for hating, for harassing, for cursing me out online, and for just being the awesome online bully troll that you are. In the end, hate gets you nowhere, and besides, my skin is thicker than Fort Knox.
This seems less like an analysis of whether interactions with trolls encourage or prevent traffic (it likely has both effects for different people in different circumstances), and more like the common observation that posting controversial stuff will make you more likely to encounter rude people and trolls. Perhaps you should alter the title?
Both.
Good point.
Hope the headline change is more accurate
Tomatito does not have the courage like you and me to make constructive criticism and backing it up with our reputations.
I guess it is easier for him to go about and act like a moron while hiding under different aliases to bad that the Internet is easily traceable and we can always see that although TOmatito makes comments from different names he is too much of a moron to realize that he is under the same IP…
I found it that Tomatito’s clan also brought traffic with supporters to my blog. What Tomatito does not realize is that many people around him don’t waste time in telling him they don’t agree with him.
If only Tomatito would find a job and stop living out of his Mom’s basement the world would be a better place.
It is sad and very hard of someone like Tomatito who loves to dish it out but when people couter his attacks, he has nothing. Typical online bully.
First of all I need to say everytime I read Tomatito I laughed as hell! The nick was hilarious!!
Although I am more of a pacifist and hate controversy; I also try to avoid confrontations, I have to say that I could care less about bullies online or offline. I think what you and Raul did was the right thing.
Who envies someone digs his own grave because it exposes his true being by acting like a bully.
I think the worst bully is the one that instead of at least saying moronadas like Tomatito and dig his own grave is the one that say all the crab behind you and you dont find out until someone else’s tell you or just takes you by surprise.
Bullies like this and Tomatito are envious people and haters by heart. I’ve lived it myself ALL this year in my biz, just because i had a great Aha! idea and they didnt, just like you with Latino Rebels and your style of engaging differently as the masses do it; genuine.
So I’m glad you took this situation and turn it for good, cuz at least you had a way to catch him and were able to respond quickly and take advantage of Tomatito’s expressions rather than keep it quite. Hopefully I’ll get lucky too! LOL! Regards!
I too don’t like confrontation but when someone attacks me, I defend myself and call out the bully. That helped me when I was 8 and it still helps me 34 years later.
Success breeds envy among the mediocre. Consider this a sign of your progress, mi hermano.
P’lante!
Raul
ha, Raúl! love it!