Just Mike

I love this!  This is a tiny experiment in how people ingest information, take sides, and how they investigate.  I have watched with much fascination at how this all unfolded.

For both sides check out these links,
Kevin Smith’s account – SModcast 106 is an audio cast of him retelling what happened.

Southwest Airline’s apology #1 and #2.

Kevin Smith announced what happened on Twitter then everything went crazy.  Many people took Smith’s side.  Some took Southwest’s side.

Southwest came out and “apologized”. They say it was “heartfelt” but then they go on to give some personal information of his and then a slight retelling of their side followed by a paragraph about their policy.

I have always said there are three sides to a story but if Kevin could bring down the arm rest and wasn’t infringing then there is no story and no case.  So I don’t know if there is any room for truth stretching.

In his podcast, Kevin says that he thinks one guy is to blame for starting this.  When he is asked to leave they mention the pilot had requested it.  Kevin refutes that the pilot can see him which even Linda admits in the blog post #2 saying they were following orders to hurry up.  And like psychology has shown us many times, we follow authority even if it isn’t right.

So what is so fascinating?

1. Southwest Airlines had a public response on their site at “14:57 on Sunday”, about 18 hours later.
2. This apology was hollow and many commenters mentioned that. Much like customer service lines I get where they say, “I am sorry to hear that,” every 30 seconds.  It become insincere.
3. Being out and this transparent, Southwest had to say something but they weren’t prepared but felt they had to move quick.  In the second blog post Linda Rutherford said, “I have never dealt with a situation like what has been unfolding in the last 48 hours.” Also, their Twitter account has been silent for almost 24 hours.
4. Reading comments on Southwest’s blog and then on other sites where they had almost none of the story and had not heard Kevin Smith’s telling yet, people picked his side.  Even asking why a Hollywood guy is on Southwest Airlines.
5. Almost completely lost is the fact that Kevin says he could lower the arm rest which seems to be in line with the policy.
6. One thing proven over and over the longer I have been on the internet is that few people actually read everything but they are quick to jump to a conclusion.

Here’s what I think Southwest should have done.  They should have pulled everyone that was a part of that event aside and asked for their account of what happened AND what should have happened.  One person pulled the trigger to pull Kevin Smith off the plane. It most likely wasn’t the stewardess who had already recognized him as a the famed-director.  We do things for friends, it’s just the way it is.  If the other employees A) do not agree that Kevin Smith was too big or B) agree that someone else was on the plane of equal or bigger size, then the person who pulled the trigger should be suspended or fired.

Kevin said there was a guy larger than him on the plane that he made eye contact with as he was leaving.  I am assuming that guy was sitting next to someone or Kevin wouldn’t have pointed it out.   Southwest has to have a policy that is consistent and that doesn’t seem to be the case by the stories that I have found.

Lastily, Southwest should have gotten their people together to come up with a better first response. I think it should have happened a little faster but what did come out was pretty bad and I don’t think it involved talking to anyone that wasn’t covering their asses.

What should Kevin Smith have done? He’s done what many have done he just has a better platform.  The only thing that he could have done was instead of taking of his face, making a mockingly bloated face, he should have taken one of his seat and sides.  Irrefutable at that point.

UPDATE: Kevin just responded to Southwest’s #2 blog and tells about Linda Rutherford calling him.  The first call went well but I think when she ran everything through the filter, the story or mea culpa was changed.  Linda is in a tough spot and she will earn her paycheck this week.

The scary thing for Southwest is that Kevin Smith does not mind being the butt of jokes and he will retell this one for years. I don’t know how much it will damage Southwest in the end but they won’t have some of the good will they have spent millions trying to build.

There are many lessons for companies in this recent fracas and I think it will scare some from away from Social Media because nothing was gained and their misstep may have added fuel to the fire.

Edwin was out of town so when he came back 30+ cards were waiting in his mail. Thank you so much for the help. After he opened a couple he realized what was going on when envelopes were addressed to Mr. Tanedo and he saved them to open with us on New Year’s Eve. It was fantastic. Enjoy the videos.

I am not a fan of Follow Friday’s on Twitter because anyone you follow should be worthy of a shout out.  At least for me I don’t follow every single person who follows me.  Some are funny, some bring insight, while others are just interesting.  With that said, here is my shout out of people that I feel have impacted me in some way and my way of saying thanks to them.

In order of when I met them (to the best of my recollection),

Ron Ares – Ron is probably the first person that I really connected with online in the real estate world.  His website has great Portland market insights.  Some agents are so competitive that they are afraid to share information or helpful suggestions and he, like any other Realtor on this list, isn’t like that.  He’s been helpful and a great guy to get to know.

Nick Bostic – Nick is a King of all trades when it comes to tech, the web, and social media.  I first met Nick when he gave me an opportunity to be part of a collaboration of local real estate bloggers. The more I have gotten to know him the more I am honored that he would ask for my assistance with any project.   He has continued to impress me with his knowledge and creativity.  He has the ability to cut through the crap and figure out what is useful.

Dale Chumbley – Dale is the definition of social.  Social media was made to give him an outlet. You’ll find him on Facebook and Twitter with videos and pics of funny and interesting stuff.   He has been listed at least twice as a Top Influential in the Real Estate industry lists but the funny thing is that he rarely talks real estate.  He does social media right, just getting to know people and making friends.

Schnik – I have said it before and I will say it again, if Twitter starting charging I would pay for his account to keep him on there.  Though his job is with an MLS he could easily be a comedian.  He comes up with the best quips and comebacks on par with any top comedian.  I swear I almost spit milk out my nose once reading something he wrote.

IanWatt – Ian Watt was one of 20 agents given a digital camcorder to just play with and see what they could do.  He was the only one who did anything with it.  He went from being top 10% in his company of hundreds of agents to top 1%.  He showed me a way that real estate videos could be done which opened a new way for me to communicate and many have said that videos work better for me.

Luckily I have met everyone in real life which makes it even a richer experience.  Social media rocks.

UPDATE: What I couldn’t say before was that he was out of town so hopefully he when he comes back today he will have a pile of cards waiting for him at the post office. I will try to get photos or videos of it sometime this week.

I have a friend who doesn’t appreciate one of my fantasy basketball players, Chris Duhon. He was giving me a hard time about playing him while he was struggling and now Chris Duhon has turned it around. I am against my buddy this week and Chris Duhon is killing it for me.

So here’s the plan:
If you have one left over Christmas Card, even if it is mangled, ripped, or whatever, sign it “Merry Christmas, Chris Duhon” and mail it to

Mr. XXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX

Or just put your name on it and write something like, “Hey did you see Chris Duhon’s line last night? Wow! Merry Christmas”

Leave the top left of the envelope empty so he won’t know what’s going on until it’s too late.

If you are feeling very generous do as many Christmas Cards as you want. Draw little basketballs inside the card, write “3 points!” or “wow look at all of those assists or just have fun.

This has the potential to be awesome. I think I can get 40 cards to him but with the help of you and the power of the internet I can’t even guess the potential number of cards he could receive. And if the cards arrive after Christmas it will still be funny so don’t let that stop you.

When it is all over I will make him take a picture with all of the cards and put it on this site as an update. If there are a lot than it will be a video.

Thanks for thinking about it.

I only learned of Gary Vaynerchuk a few months ago but quickly realized that he is the real deal.  He has accomplished a ton in the business world. He has done it with passion and authenticity.

I have no doubt that Gary is authentic through and through. He drops F-bombs on the Jets quarterback on Twitter, chews dirt on The Ellen Show, and gives you his honest opinion every time.  He also reads his emails while answering many and replies on Twitter. (I have gotten a few replies in both media. He replied to one of my emails within two minutes with an emphatic “Yesss!”)

He has 850,000 followers on Twitter so I know it is like the lottery for him to see my tweets and he has replied.  What you see is what you get.  He admits that he loses new viewers at the beginning of his WineLibraryTv but he isn’t going to change that to try to appeal to more people. But he gets so many more followers by being himself and that is so much easier than trying to be someone else. He says it himself, “Don’t try to me or anyone else, be yourself.”

So what is up with his book Crush It! ?  He gives you what you need most – hope.  He tells you that your passion will lead to success.  We have heard that We see people who may have done it but thought they got lucky, like Keanu Reeves unreal success. In the book (and even more live at a book signing) you see the obvious passion, enthusiasm, and authenticity, and you believe.

As a kid I lived in a small town.  I didn’t know that runners made any money besides maybe marathon runners. All I knew was that you could run in college and possibly the Olympics then it ended.  I didn’t know you could make a living running, cycling, etc. Gary opens your eyes and shows you that it can be done, living a life of passion.

Gary gives you hope that if you aren’t happy with what you are doing for a living that there is way, and it isn’t expensive. But he doesn’t bullshit you into to thinking it is easy. It takes work and he does a ridiculous amount of work.

Are you bitching about your job?  Stop.  Find your passion, stop wasting time, and work your ass off to make a living at what you enjoy.
If you love what you do for a living, congratulations, you are so far ahead of the game.

The straight link to ted.com.