37Signals, from Groundbreaking Web 2.0 pioneers to Arrogant Bullies in 5 years flat (give or take 5 years)?
I used to read 37Signals SVN blog every day. I found (and still find) their approach to design and usability clever, creative and often inspiring. I even found the tone of their posts, which to some was cocky and bullish, to be refreshing in their vigilance to their ideas and ideals. Over time however, I've stopped checking out their thoughts, partly because I've found other equally interesting and thought-provoking reads, partly because their site almost renders my browser useless and page scrolling almost impossible, and partly because the general overtones from their posts (primarily the posts from founder Jason Fried) to be a little too self indulgent and self sufficient. But that's just me and they have a right to be as dogmatic and opinionated as they want. They have a loyal and large following and it is their soapbox - so I can't complain.
However, they made a post yesterday that really rubbed me the wrong way. I was drawn back to the site via a twitter RT on how Jamis Buck uses Git to share music - a pretty clever use of a tool designed for code. So I checked out the latest posts on their Signal vs. Noise blog. The most recent post wast titled, Get Satisfaction, Or Else.... Now I'm as prolific a fan of the elipsis as anyone else, but I just could not get behind a post with such public bullying of another company. And it's not necessarily that I disagree with the content of what was said (although not all of it sat well), but rather the manner in which this tongue lashing was delivered. Jason knows he has a massive audience and very loyal readers so airing opinions usually sparks a healthy (and often heated) debate. But this time it was different. It wasn't a general 37s altruism that was being preached, but rather the public bashing of another company because Jason felt that their tactics were unfair, extortionary and bordering on blackmail. Some pretty hefty allegations that seem almost libel (libelous? libelious? slanderous in a court of law?). If Jason felt that another company was infringing on his intellectual property and actively trying to make money off of his own efforts without permission, he should have contacted that company directly and privately. He should have asked to speak to the highest ranking person in the company and tell them what he felt and how he proposed they could change their tactics. Instead, he bullied them with a public airing of grievances, slander and accusations which he knew would incite anger and backlash from his loyal 37s following. Bad form Jason. In my opinion, very unprofessional. I was, however, very impressed with the comments made by the members of the accused company. Their corporate mantra, so it seems, is to proved great customer service and ensure every person is completely satisfied with their online experience. They took this to heart, even in the face of these barbed and ill placed accusations. They responded very quickly by acknowledging many of Jason's complaints, apologizing for any direct or indirect wrongdoing and made quick changes to their site. In doing so they proved that the new comers to the Interstage might have a thing or two to teach the neighbourhood godfathers. Confidence in your own direction is not license to bully those who tread in your path. Driving your red Ferrari in the fast lane is not a license to flip the bird to those who dare drive in front of you. Being the first to walk on the moon isn't a gold card to charge others to gaze at the stars. I could go on, and I should because those were really fun to write. There. Now that my dirty laundry is out in the open, I can get back to stealing their Highrise design and using Get Satisfaction to manage my user complaints. (37s Logo used without permission)
