Remember when your mom told you to be nice to that weird kid that you had to ride the school bus with because he lived on your street? In the old days, when you picked on a nerd, they would get wedgies, get chased home and maybe wet the bed out of anxiety.

Nowadays when you piss off a nerd, it’s a totally different story. They get all fired up and assemble their friends to build wikis, web sites and podcasts to destroy their enemies and make the bullies look like fools.

I happen to think social media is changing corporate culture in exactly the same way. Today, companies who blog are considered early adopters, thought leaders and members of the "in" crowd. Blogging is cool and companies who blog are cool. You are one more voice to be heard and how powerful that voice is depends on how much interacting you do. If someone attacks your company, the ability to instantly retaliate is there. You can defend your position by having many conversations with many people at once - something nearly impossible in the brick and mortar world of traditional PR.

So, the obscure lesson here: Don’t piss off the blogosphere. They are nerds with skills, and they will come after you.

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