I never did it, was never arrested for it,was never tried for it, and never convicted of it.: March 2011

Friday, March 18, 2011

I'm over it (almost)

As readers of this blog know, last summer my mostly happy life turned upside-down when I was falsely accused of some terrible crimes by an anonymous and skilled online attacker.

Neither the police nor the FBI were able to identify the perp (but I'm pretty sure I know who he is).

My life was disrupted in many ways. Friends, family and strangers provided great comfort and support. (But one person whom I regarded as a friend deserted me because he was afraid of associating with me.)

I suspended publicity for one book and delayed publication of others.

It's now nearly nine months since the shit hit the fan. I can't change the past, but it's time to look ahead. I am starting to promote the book again. Of course, I highly recommend it -- and so do others. It has received excellent reviews and I hope there will be more.

The $15.95 print version is available at Amazon and B&N. A $4.99 "PDF" eBook is available from Lulu. There's even a $1.99 eBook sampler. $4.99 eBooks formatted for the Kindle and other readers will be available soon.

...

Something nice about me: "Just for the record -- my sister and I spent our childhood years with Michael and his amazing wife. I have left my children in the care of Michael and Marilyn. Michael and Marilyn have been true role models and have always seen that children get what they need, both financially and emotionally.... I can truly say that Michael would lay down and die before he would hurt anyone, especially a child. Check the websites. Call the police -- there's nothing there. " (D.R.)

An important lesson about cars, drinks & drugs: Several people who became aware of my sad situation early, advised me to keep quiet "until it blows over."

I decided to be more proactive, and quickly started this blog as a counterattack, hoping that anyone investigating the bogus claims would find my side of the story and believe me, or at least investigate further.

General Motors ignored reports ("Unsafe at any Speed") about the handling of the Corvair. Ford ignored reports about dangerous Pinto gas tanks. Both car brands are long gone.

Perrier delayed response to claims that benzine was in their bottled water, and people drank contaminated Perrier for months before Perrier issued a recall. The company's reputation was hurt greatly.

OTOH, in 1993 Pepsi immediately and boldly reacted to reports of product tampering and achieved strong media coverage and public support. The reports were hoaxes, and the trouble was over in two weeks.

In 1982, Johnson & Johnson was faced with a much bigger problem: seven people in Chicago died after taking poisoned Extra-Strength Tylenol. J&J responded immediately, and proved that the poison was added to the products in retail stores, and that there was nothing wrong with the manufacturing process. Several important media experts predicted that the Tylenol brand was dead, but J&J's rapid and proactive intervention saved the brand, which is an extremely popular painkiller today.

I drink Pepsi and use Extra-Strength Tylenol, and am following their examples in crisis management. I urge others to do the same. If you wait until the bad news blows over, you may blow over, too.

If you are portrayed as a perpetrator, it's important to show that you are a victim!

This blog is written and edited by Michael N. Marcus. I'm a first-year baby boomer and president of AbleComm, "the telecom department store." I'm also a journalist, author, publisher, advertising copywriter and amateur attorney.

EMAIL ME

MY BLOGS (some are on hiatus):

BookMakingBlog is where I discuss writing, editing and publishing, and other things that interest me or piss me off.

OH, how stupid! provides an occasional look at some of the stupidest things done by human beings.

DialZero provides a look at what's silly, stupid or surprising in telecom.

Gotta Get One recommends and criticizes electronics, food, cars, cameras, tools, movies and more.

For The First Time (or the last time) talks about changes in society and technology: first toilet paper, last convertible, first voice mail, last Automat, first female leader of Boy Scout troop, etc.

911 Wackos provides a look at the weird 911 calls and callers

book info & previews

WeLoveClams is for people who love clams

List of my websites

I never did it, was never arrested for it,
was never tried for it, and never convicted of it.

.

Friday, March 18, 2011

I'm over it (almost)

Blog Archive