Bitch Sites Tutorial
- 28 February, 2000 12:01
FRAMINGHAM (02/28/2000) - What are they? Web sites or message boards where workers post so-called real-life stories - usually complaints - about their companies, managers, career choices, working conditions and more.
Who starts and maintains them? Anyone, including competitors, activists, disgruntledemployees, whistle-blowers or self-appointed watchdogs. Their motives also run the gamut, from venting frustration and anger to getting revenge by spreading misinformation.
Who posts to them? Employees or ex-employees, usually. College seniors and other potential employees also frequently post questions soliciting specific information from current employees. They usually want to know what it's like to work at a particular company.
Who visits them? Everyone from IT managers, public relations agents, human resources managers, recruiters, potential employees, current workers, consumers, the curious and those that stumble in when a site pops up on a search engine query.
What if you or your company is mentioned at one? Choose your battles carefully, says Renu Aldrich, a spokeswoman at eWatch Inc., a Minneapolis-based company that scours sites for all references - good and bad - to its clients. Respond calmly and appropriately, perhaps by requesting proof of wrongdoing. Off-line, managers can point out errors on the sites plus admit when they're wrong, perhaps in an e-mail or company newsletter, to ensure credibility, says Aldrich.
What should you do if a potential employer is mentioned on one?Take the information with a grain of salt. Ask about it during the interview process.
What are some popular bitch sites?
-- www.vault.com
-- www.disgruntled.com
-- www.[companyname]sucks.com (Wal-Mart Stores Inc., America Online Inc., GTE Corp., Toys R Us Inc. and others).
There are so many consumer-oriented gripe sites (that may also contain worker information) that Yahoo Inc.'s Web portal has a special section for these sites at http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Consumer_Advocacy_and_Information/Consumer_Opinion.