Smalltalk Tidbits, Industry Rants

A couple of days ago, I noticed that Strumpette was going offline. I've never thought much of the supposedly satirical, relentlessly un-funny site - probably the best description would be "bullying" - what else to call someone who posts anonymously, and feels free to toss obnoxious invective around?

Taking note of this, I posted a short " so long, no one will miss that " thing up, and promptly forgot about it. Until last night, when I started getting email from "Amanda Chapel". The mails started off nasty, and quickly moved to incoherent and sophomoric. With the swear words "bleeped out", here's the entertaining sequence from this *cough* PR professional *cough*:

 


From: Amanda Chapel 
To: jrobertson@cincom.com 
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 8:32 PM
Subject: A Note from Amanda Chapel
 
Jim,

F*** you a******.

Sincerely,

- Amanda

From: James Robertson [mailto:jrobertson@cincom.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 8:15 PM
To: Amanda Chapel
Subject: Re: A Note from Amanda Chapel
 

Ah yes, not even able to express yourself without profanity.  The
mark of a true amateur in the PR game.


From: Amanda Chapel 
To: 'James Robertson' 
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 9:33 PM
Subject: RE: A Note from Amanda Chapel

And who the f*** are you?!

Like I said in my resignation: I seem to spend all my time
revisiting the same battles previously won. I spend all my time
trying to keep the Web's rising tide of small literal minds at bay.

I was referring to you Jimbo.

From: James Robertson [mailto:jrobertson@cincom.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 8:52 PM
To: Amanda Chapel
Subject: Re: A Note from Amanda Chapel
 

And you can't refer to me, or anyone else, without cursing.  Which
shows that you have poor communication skills.  I can insult you
from now to next year, and I won't have to swear once.  You?  You
can barely manage a full sentence without cutting loose.

From: Amanda Chapel 
To: 'James Robertson' 
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 8:13 AM
Subject: RE: A Note from Amanda Chapel

Raising one's voice to an idiot is a natural thing.  And
yes, I do agree, you will likely continue to be an insignificant
f*** from "now to next year," at the very least. 


From: James Robertson [mailto:jrobertson@cincom.com] 
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 7:37 AM
To: Amanda Chapel
Subject: Re: A Note from Amanda Chapel


Wow, it took you a whole day to compose another sentence that
includes an expletive.  So how does a middle aged guy masquerading
as a young woman manage to confuse himself with a PR professional? 
Are there powerful narcotics involved, or is the delusion something
you managed to bring on without extra help?


From: Amanda Chapel 
To: 'James Robertson' 
Cc: [ed: removed Cincom Marketing and Legal People's Email
Addresses] 
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 8:44 AM

Subject: RE: A Note from Amanda Chapel

You are exposing your company.


From: James Robertson [mailto:jrobertson@cincom.com] 
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 7:52 AM
To: Amanda Chapel
Subject: Re: A Note from Amanda Chapel

Here's the thing: I use this thing called transparency.  I post
under my own name, so that people can honestly evaluate what I say.
 As opposed to, say, you.


From: Amanda Chapel 
To: [ed: removed a fellow Cincomer's email]
Cc: 'James Robertson' ; [ed: Removed a fellow Cincomer's Email]
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 9:38 AM
Subject: RE: A Note from Amanda Chapel


[ed: Cincomer name removed],

Can you stifle this Cincom knucklehead please?
 
See

http://www.cincomsmalltalk.com/blog/blogView?showComments=true&printTitle=One_Outpost_of_Stupidity_Gone=3369395102

.  See below.

Thank you.

Regards,

- Amanda Chapel

From: James Robertson [mailto:jrobertson@cincom.com] 
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 8:49 AM
To: Amanda Chapel
Subject: Re: A Note from Amanda Chapel
 
Ooh, you've gone and called a lawyer now.  You could do what real
people do - post under your real name, and explain why I'm wrong.

That might require some courage though.


From: Amanda Chapel 
To: 'James Robertson' 
Cc: 
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 9:53 AM
Subject: RE: A Note from Amanda Chapel

YOU ARE NOW HARRASSING ME USING CINCOM PROPERTY.


From: James Robertson [mailto:jrobertson@cincom.com] 
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 9:07 AM
To: Amanda Chapel
Subject: Re: A Note from Amanda Chapel

Hmm.  I seem to recall that I'm the one who's being called names.

From: Amanda Chapel 
To: 'James Robertson' 
Cc: [ed: removed fellow Cincomer Email Addresses]
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 10:34 AM
Subject: RE: A Note from Amanda Chapel

IT'S NOT ABOUT NAME CALLING YOU F****** LOSER.  IT'S
ABOUT YOUR MISUSE OF CINOM PROPERTY.

STOP IT IMMEDIATELY!

This is what happens when you take a completely self-absorbed "PR" person who has come to believe that their audience is other PR people. Edgy is all that matters; never mind those actual prospects who might want to spend real money buying a product. When you take it too far - as this person has - you get an astonishingly thin skinned, can dish it out but can't take it bully. Go read through the archives at the Strumpette site - the author is all too willing to toss invective. Call BS though, and his/her spleen bursts.

Update: Apparently, Strumpette is not amused. Now he/she has taken to sending emails to Cincom's executives. I guess "can dish it out, but can't take it" really, really applies here.

Update 2: This truly is a molehill. I'm getting more referrals for this search than I am for Strumpette :)

Update 3: I guess I had no idea just how unhinged Brian Connolly (the man behind the anonymous troll) really is - check out this post from Robert French - the F-Bombs sent to fellow Cincomers and Cincom management are hardly all that this guy is capable of; more than one person has been harassed by phone as well. On a humorous note, I now see why Connoly went bats when I asked about the masquerade - check out the picture over at French's site :). Hat tip to Mike Krempasky for the link.

Update 4: Looks like the kind of nastygrams sent to my management are par for the course - check out this from 2006, at Media Orchard:

This is not a new tactic. Strumpette enjoys attacking people, but prefers opponents who are unable to defend themselves. Strumpette and/or Brian have approached the employers of several bloggers who have criticized the Strumpette blog, trying to shut them up. In general, Strumpette's intimidation tactics have worked like a charm.

Update 5: Look gang, the formerly anonymous troll has decided to graduate up to plain troll - he's put up a blog under his own name, but sadly, he still can't communicate without vulgar language. Maybe someday he'll leave 7th grade behind...

Update 6: This Connolly guy is something else. He posted what I suppose he thinks is clever (go ahead and visit futhermore.com if you wish - no Google juice from me :) ). Suffice to say, it was yet another 7th grade level, vulgarity laced post. So I sent this via his comment form:

Congratulations, Brian - you've graduated from being an anonymous troll to merely being a troll. Someday perhaps, you'll learn to express yourself without using vulgar language. Until then, enjoy being mostly ignored.

So, he sends the all too common response to a colleague in marketing, and cc's corporate management:

From: Brian Connolly <bconnolly@furthermore.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:48:07 -0500
To: [ed: Cincom Address Removed]
Cc: [ed: Cincom Address removed]
Subject: Furthermore

Steve,

Again, will you PLEASE stifle your employee!!!!

Thank you.

Brian Connolly 

Showing again, Brian sure can dish it out, but he goes crazy if you dare to criticize him. It goes on, as I responded to an email he sent one of my colleagues:

From: James Robertson [mailto:jrobertson@cincom.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 12:41 PM
To: bconnolly@furthermore.com
Cc: Kayser, Steve
Subject: Linkbaiting


It's a fine attempt at linkbaiting, Brian, but it's not going to work.  Try looking at:
 

link:http://furthermore.com
 

Which shows nothing for your site.  Now have a look at Rubel's numbers (who you tried linkbaiting in your post about me):


link:http://micropersuasion.com

Or even the results for my smaller niche blog:

link:http://www.cincomsmalltalk.com/blog/blogView

So no, I won't give you the satisfaction of a link. I very much doubt that Rubel will spend more than a second on you either. 

Again, predictably, he went nuts:

From: Brian Connolly    
To: [ed: removed Cincom employees' email addresses]
Cc: 'James Robertson'    
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 1:54  PM
Subject: LAST NOTICE: STOP  IMMEDIATELY

Steve,

FOR THE LAST TIME? CAN YOU STIFLE YOUR  EMPLOYEE!!!!!

Brian Connolly

I'd add commentary, but it speaks for itself...

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