"I won’t make any excuses for my actions even though it’s very challenging doing a startup and all I can say is I am still learning and it makes me hungry to try and do better."
Couldn't even make it a full sentence without contradicting himself. This is definitely not how to do an apology either.
Exactly what I was thinking. This is a classic foot-in-mouth case where he didn't understand the implications of his actions. Isn't pretty obvious that acting like a brat was going to blow up in his face? To a fairly regular YC member at that? Additionally, didn't this same guy say he wasn't going to apologize? Contradictions everywhere...
Ouch, Ross, you're getting a well deserved flogging. In case your apology was just a step in the direction of understanding that you are probably kind of an ass, I think you owe it to yourself to make more steps in that direction and then changing. I can only imagine what it must feel like to deal with such a public flogging among your peers, so I am even somewhat sympathetic, but I hope you take this experience as a humbling experience that makes you accept and internalize that it might just be that so many people might just not be wrong.
I look forward to you emerging as only having an asshole, and not you being it.
It is interesting to note how even the apology is more directed at discussing BetaPunch and learning rather than apologizing.
How does "Why I won't be closing down BetaPunch" have anything to do with the apology? Seems out of place and still shows a lack of understanding.
Leave off all discussion of why you won't be closing BetaPunch and just focus on admitting you screwed up (which was done) and detailing how you will make it right.
It's clearly a reference to Danielle's original blog post. He wanted to format his title "Why i won't be..." and "closing down betapunch" must have been the first thing that came to mind. I'm sure such an overwhelmingly negative (and popular) blog post calling out your company as kind of shitty makes you consider shutting down when you're a small operation.
I can't agree more, but I can also empathize with someone who has been programming their life with no real PR-type job, and runs their company as a one man show.
I don't get why do small startups screw up small apologies. Here is a simple guide.
1. Understand the problem. What/why/how/who/when did you do wrong ?
2.Contact said person and try to make things right by fixing the issue. Key word is try, but do it genuinely.
3. Write a good press release in the form of a blog post. Title it: Our apology for $problem.
4. In the press release include:
- We are sorry this happened.
- This is how we are fixing/going to fix it.
- If you have been wronged by this get in touch at $email.
- Thank everyone for their feedback.
5. Publish a second press release as a blog post stating what you are doing to prevent $problem.
6. With the gained attention, market a new product/service/special to show people you are focused on doing good busines. Call it the "We are sorry special pack" or whatever.
Make sure to post it on every social media site out there so that people know you are taking care of your customers.
No part of this addresses what he did wrong or what he will do differently in the future. The title alone tells me he's just trying to get the last word in, even if it's that he's sorry.
It would be better if he had specifically promised not to share user tests with the general public in future. This almost feels like, "now I know I have to apologize when I share my users' private data, and in future I will apologize when I do that".
You think someone purposely praised a competitor's service, brought up previous misdeeds by betapunch, and had a public argument as a scripted drama to promote...?
Perhaps "any publicity is good publicity" - at the end of the day, he's had two posts about Betapunch on the front page of HN as a result of all this, and I doubt people will remember this whole episode in a few weeks.
I'm not sure whether this was a marketing stunt or the betapunch guys didn't know how to act professionally. Honestly, someone at betapunch should have stepped in and indicated the problem. I'm not even sure why it took two days for a formal apology, it should have been done much sooner than that.
Betapunch guys need to hire the right employees to handle PR and interact with people because this post shows those interactive skills are not his strengths.
There's no betapunch "guys" - It's just him. There's no one to step in and there's no one to hire - this an app run by a single person. He doesn't have income to be able to hire people to take care of this for him. He got himself into this mess and he's trying to get himself out of it.
Danielle accepted his apologies and commented on his blog. Hopefully that gesture made him learn something - because by reading his apologies I feel he didn't fully understand what happened.
"I completely understand and respect your reasoning."
There are many things that I respect and understand but don't agree. I just hope this is not the case.
jetti|13 years ago
Couldn't even make it a full sentence without contradicting himself. This is definitely not how to do an apology either.
fourstar|13 years ago
wahsd|13 years ago
I look forward to you emerging as only having an asshole, and not you being it.
zdgman|13 years ago
How does "Why I won't be closing down BetaPunch" have anything to do with the apology? Seems out of place and still shows a lack of understanding.
Leave off all discussion of why you won't be closing BetaPunch and just focus on admitting you screwed up (which was done) and detailing how you will make it right.
notatoad|13 years ago
TallboyOne|13 years ago
smegel|13 years ago
orangethirty|13 years ago
1. Understand the problem. What/why/how/who/when did you do wrong ?
2.Contact said person and try to make things right by fixing the issue. Key word is try, but do it genuinely.
3. Write a good press release in the form of a blog post. Title it: Our apology for $problem.
4. In the press release include:
- We are sorry this happened.
- This is how we are fixing/going to fix it.
- If you have been wronged by this get in touch at $email.
- Thank everyone for their feedback.
5. Publish a second press release as a blog post stating what you are doing to prevent $problem.
6. With the gained attention, market a new product/service/special to show people you are focused on doing good busines. Call it the "We are sorry special pack" or whatever.
Make sure to post it on every social media site out there so that people know you are taking care of your customers.
noibl|13 years ago
> With the gained attention, market a new product
joshwayne|13 years ago
Cushman|13 years ago
joshdotsmith|13 years ago
[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_it_when_I_see_it
DenisM|13 years ago
Apologize unreservedly, or not at all.
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/customerservice.html from chapter 4 and further on.
jessaustin|13 years ago
shawn-butler|13 years ago
parfe|13 years ago
rhizome|13 years ago
mingpan|13 years ago
ralphos|13 years ago
ezl|13 years ago
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/publically
michaelhoffman|13 years ago
If you want to apologize, just apologize. It's not the time for more self-marketing.
rhizome|13 years ago
zopticity|13 years ago
Betapunch guys need to hire the right employees to handle PR and interact with people because this post shows those interactive skills are not his strengths.
MJR|13 years ago
rhizome|13 years ago
maskedinvader|13 years ago
matznerd|13 years ago
eduardordm|13 years ago
"I completely understand and respect your reasoning."
There are many things that I respect and understand but don't agree. I just hope this is not the case.
unknown|13 years ago
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thoughtcriminal|13 years ago
jblock|13 years ago
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SparrowOS|13 years ago
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