Do Yourself A Favor, Don’t Be A ****
Posted on October 23rd, 2007 by John Cow under Ramblings, The Net, Traffic TipsIf you are new here then you will want to CLICK HERE to enter to WIN an LCD TV, Ipod Touch, Flip Mino and More!
Update: It seems that some people feel that the C-word as they call it, was offensive. We’ve changed the title. We didn’t really see the problem as it gets used by everyone for anything here in Dublin. Guess it’s much like the F-word in the states. It doesn’t really mean that much here. Sorry folks.
Yesterday John Reese’s BlogRush finally did what it has been promising all of us, loads of targeted traffic. Our “Banned from Blogrush” article was referenced to on numerous blogs and we gained at least 20 new backlinks and a nice rush of traffic. The RSS subscribers list got a nice bump and reached over 650(!) and 88 people felt the urge to leave a comment. Thanks BlogRush!
This was an excellent example of how to make the most out of a bad situation. Admit it, most of us love a good slagging story, especially when the same thing has happened to us. Or if we can shout from the top of our lungs:”Told you so!”. We all like a bit of empathy and we sure love to gang up and stick it to the man!
It’s all good, no harm done and you’re all human after all.
So besides the expected traffic and attention, what other good came out of us questioning a semi online-legend like John Reese? He replied and agreed that a mistake was made, giving us the satisfaction we were looking for as a ‘customer’. We got to share our experience, writing off the frustration and Mr Reese got the opportunity to explain his actions in public.
Would he have done so if we’d have written a post that would drag blogrush through the mud? If we’d just write along the lines of ‘John Reese Sucks’ and ‘BlogRush is a Scam’? The answer would most likely be no. If you’re unhappy with how someone or a company has treated you, don’t give them a reason to ignore you by being a rude and obnoxious person. Sure, you can take the piss but try to do it in a subtle way that doesn’t come across as offensive.
Some people asked us how we got unbanned from Google Adsense in the comments. This happened on our first blog. For no apparent reason we got banned by Google. Instead of bombing them with hate mail, we went public but we kept it clean. Understand that Google is just a name, it’s real people you’re dealing with over the phone and in the emails. If you offer your full cooperation and stay polite and reasonable, they will treat you in the same regards.
Yes, that’s all there was to it. Patience and politeness. We apologize for those that were hoping we’d give you a secret, dirty trick that could get you unbanned from Google. Just think twice before you start yelling and cursing, in the end you won’t be doing yourself any favors!
Now, we’ve emailed John per his request on the email address he provided us with. Let’s see if he will reinstate us. If not, there’s always room for a rant post! 
I noticed that you still have the spot empty where the BlogRush was, funny. Yeah, that was a perfect example of how trash talking doesn’t always work. You kept you comments clean, and sited why you were upset. You did it all without being a real jerk.
Glad to see things worked out. Hopefully you’ll be reinstated soon. Nice work.
“Just think twice before you start yelling and cursing, in the end you won’t be doing yourself any favors!”
Ironically, the word you used in your post title is considered by a lot of people the most foul curse word you could possibly use!
Contest Blogger: It’d only be ironic if we’d use it on someone
How true!
I think your title is in bad taste! I think you could have found a much better word to use. I have always been a fan of yours but am very dissappointed in your choice of words.(not that you care)
It is amazing what people will say/type online. It is very interesting how people will say things online that they would never say to you in person. It is as if their brain disconnects from their hands when they are typing an email or a blog comment.
Never mind how it makes them look when they are nasty online. Then again, some people must enjoy being thought less of, because they certainly don’t monitor what they say online.
Treat the person on the other end like they are actually human and you might actually get somewhere. Treat them like scum and you will be getting nowhere fast!
Great post, cow!
Nice use of the power word Cow!
It’s funny, the “C” word is really only offensive to people in the states. In England and much of europe, they use the word like we use the F-bomb. Its just part of their vernacular. It does sound absolute and final doesn’t it? In regards to the post itself, in general if you are polite and nice you will usually get what you need/want.
well it seems you widget is back.. I bet those “validators” quickly came up with a strategy to get the job done faster, like 3 approved - 2 rejected [repeat].
Or just quickly check for words like, hack , lie, cheat, porn. and then if found reject if not on you go…
The Roof was on fire !!!
and get you back on track …. pretty fast 
Someone smells the fire
However will he be the same if your blog was http://www.nobody.com with a few traffic .. ?
I know everyone can make a mistake but …. it looks like a move to stop the fire?
anyway I hope for him , he will be able to improve his product
I wish him the best of luck …..
Blackysky
I work in retail cell phone sales currently and this is so true. I have customers come in all the time and they think if they yell and swear enough you will be intimidated and give them whatever they want. As soon as someone swears or yells at me I shut them out.
I notice your widget wasn’t their yesterday but its there today
nice use of the word cunt…didn’t know this was a gutter mouth blog.
I would like to add something. I’m not easily offended. In fact, living on ranches around cowboys for 15 years, you tend to hear potty mouths here and there. BUT, when a woman is present, there are no such comments made that are disrespectful. Cussing a bit is one thing but the use of that word is in VERY poor taste. I think it’s a word that shouldn’t even be said in the first place, but if it is going to be used, it should stay with the men. Get my drift? I found it to be disrespectful to your readers in general and your female audience in particular.
Have to say that I think your headline is in poor taste. In fact I suspect you’ll find that due to the word you used you’ve probably alienated quite a few readers and possibly stopped people from reading a post that could have engaged people in a worthwhile conversation.
I guess if you’re interested in getting links by polarizing people then it’s probably something you’ll see results from - but if you’re wanting to connect with and build community and engagement then you could well have lost some loyal readers with this one.
My personal response - my respect for you took a hit on this one.
i totally agree with darren, its very true that you alienated much of your crowd! not the smartest tool in the box.
I curse like a sailor, but this is one word I absolutely hate to see or hear. Bad move, my lovely little cow. You crossed over into being tacky and uncouth.
sorry john cow, you have pissed off many of your readers who find your post title not cunny! but at least now you know who are your target audience; definitely not the “fun and happening” lot you think you have.
well.. it was the C-word in the headline in my iGoogle RSS reader that got my attention and brought me here this evening.. but i could see how some people might be offended and stuff..
oh yeah, good post BTW, you attract more flies with sugar than with vinegar..actually though, now that i think of it, you’ll attract more flies with $hit than honey!
The title attract many people.. I can smell some controversy here… I don’t think it was a good idea to use that word in a long term drive…
Looks like you are back with blogrush…
I think the roof was on fire… And someone tries hard to stop this fire…If your blog wasn’t that popular like many of your readers’ blog; I’m not sure he will take the time to write a comment and then bring you back on track… I can smell some marketing strategies here (never hit a mainstream project that can give you more trouble) ..
Anyway I hope for Mr. Reese that his project will improve because he is loosing some members by what I can see and read around …
All eyes will be on the rss feed over the next few days, maybe the celebrated brakethrough 650 might be short lived.
Geewhiz, who would have thought we’d lose respect by using a word that’s quite common in our daily environment. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t curse or swear that much. The word obviously does not have the same impact on this side of the world. And, English isn’t our native language.
To whomever felt offended, it wasn’t done on purpose. We’ve changed the title and we’re sorry.
Guess you live and learn.
You may also like to ping your feedburner feed too
As a Brit, I do understand that “that” word is probably less harmful than in other places of the country, and always amazes me whenever Yanks and Aussies use a word like - say “wanker” that has no meaning in their language (I’ve seen it said on The Simpsons), but is quite offensive for Bits.
Incidentally - the c-word actually means “First” in Welsh. I do use it daily when speaking Welsh, so I had to giggle when a prominant blogger said “Do yourself a favour, don’t be first”
Good move on the change of title. I did wonder if it was a cultural difference. Here in Aus that is about the only word that I’ve never heard on TV (and we’ll let you say anything else in the right time slot). It is particularly seen as a vulgar and offensive word to many women. I guess there are different associations with it in different places.
Rhys, thanks for the feedburner tip.
oh did irish boy just censor me! hahahaha now thats lame!
Wow, so much fuss over the c*** word, nothing more than a cultural difference at the end of the day. If anybody is that offended then they really need to rule out Ireland as a place worth visiting cos you’ll be hearing it every minute.
But yet his RSS readers stay on, true the word may not be used globally as natural as it may come out in Ireland. Then again, I think Americans use more “derogatory” terms {aimed at the ethnic background or color of people} than anybody else, anywhere in the world.
I think that’s more offensive than the C word. Not saying it’s cool to say it on a blog though. But then again, it’s his blog. Read it if you want, leave if you don’t. Simple.
I guess people haven’t watched The Football Factory.
Well, good for you, this kind of situation sometimes get fixed, sometimes, don’t…
For a real taste of Ireland you can’t beat Sweary:-
http://arseendofireland.blogspot.com/
You’ve certainly got a knack for this publicity thing Cow, well done on attracting the attention of Mr ProBlogger Darren Rowse himself.
so should we call you a COWard just because some Down Under mate made a fuss over the CUNT word?
Kher Cheng Guan: By all means, if that’s how you see it and makes you feel better.
WOW! How can you use potentially the most disliked word in the English dictionary on a public forum read by people of all ages…. GEEZ, SHOCKED to say the least!!!
just want to add to my recent comment that maybe in fact, what we (australians) deem as a word said around guy mates only that you don’t want to be heard by females saying might be less ‘bad’ where you are from, so my response above was if an Australian or even American used that word. As Darren said:
“Here in Aus that is about the only word that I’ve never heard on TV (and we’ll let you say anything else in the right time slot). It is particularly seen as a vulgar and offensive word to many women. I guess there are different associations with it in different places.”
Be careful of what you write to John Reese… he’s got quite a temper.
And judging by the feedback I’m reading at my “BlogRush” mashup, you might be wasting your time to have the BlogRush widget installed.
Check it out at: http://www.marketing-ideas.org/BlogRush-Opinions.php
All this while when it comes to voicing your views and ideas here, you always take the bull by the horn and .that makes john cow different from the herd. but this time around, it looks like you go and hide behind the bull’s ass! bullshit!
I’m always amused by the American reaction to the C word….but I’m surprised that Aussies share that reaction - I’ve always found the only people who can really square up to me as a swearing Irishman were our antipodean brethren. Yeah, C*** is a foul word, but over this neck of the woods, there are more offensive things one can say….. Like Gee-bag for example. Now that’s offensive for many women here. Or Gash. Yeah, the C word isn’t so bad compared to that.
Kher Cheng: Do you use unprescribed medication? Just because we say what we wan’t doesn’t mean we intentionally try to offend people.
We editted the post because it was clear that some people took offense to it. Lesson learned — Try not to insult anyone if that’s not your goal.
I guess it might be a cultural difference or something. But the “c” word is probably the only unforgivable curse word left in the USA. It’s considered to be like ten times worse than the “f” word. It’s such a social taboo that a lot of people in the USA get mildly sick to their stomach just seeing it written out!
Nice to see things are working out for you!
Good post - glad you found resolution with BlogRush.
As for the C-word thing…I had to come and read after seeing the title pop up in my email; it was an innocent (cultural) mistake; glad to see you owned up to it. Seems like it might be time to move on from it now…
Hey, nice post. Glad to see you resolved the misunderstanding with Blogrush.
WoW hot topic. I was pretty surprised when I saw the C-word also.
Yeah! If we want people to be nice to us, we have to be nice to them in the first place!
Don’t have the energy to read the other 50 or so comments above mine but the word cunt is not used enough.
Ah google listens to reason as well. You know emailing them works just as well. I tried it and it worked for me. Going public doesnt always work. I know that from experience. It really sucks that Google tend to dictate your traffic more often than not. Organic traffic has no meaning anymore.
Why is it offensive to say Cunt but not dick, prick, willy, Johnson, dong etc. Most swear words are just euphemisms for other euphemisms which later became offensive in “polite” society.
The very same polite society who were shagging around and spreading syphilis all over the place oh! and oppressing the masses.
So I say fuck ‘em all and say what you want but ah there’s the kicker, you can’t because you want to make money and not offend all of those numb nuts who are stupid enough to click the ad’s etc.
p.s.Who put the Cunt in Scunthorpe
Well, Darren beat me to the punch, but I’m going to tell you this anyway . . .
Even though you have changed your title to “****” the original word came up in Bloglines when I signed on this morning. And my eyes popped out of my head.
So I decided to let you know why I am unsubscribing and will refrain from EVER reading this blog again:
I am a woman, a civil rights attorney, and a feminist. In particular, I provide sexual harassment prevention training all over the state of California. I have no words adequate enough to describe just HOW OFFENSIVE that word is. And it is one that should never, ever, ever be used anywhere on this planet. There is NO situation where that word is acceptable.
That words is gender-specific and connotes not just misogyny, sexism, and disdain for women, but it is also frequently used in connection with other language connoting VIOLENCE against women.
You crossed a line, buddy.
I allow NO profanity or vulgarity of any kind on any of my sites. PERIOD.
As a professional writer, my guideline is simple: If you can’t make your readers understand your thoughts without that kind of language, you’re a lousy writer and you should take some classes to improve your skills.
Buh bye.
oooh get her!
Wow. its pretty frowned upon in england, but still….no need to go crazy over a swear word….bush swears plenty:D
Its cool that you changed your title if people were offended but honestly i don’t understand what the big deal is. He wrote a cuss word on his blog title. big deal. No fans of late night stand-up comedy here? Ever watch an episode of South Park? Bunch of Ned Flanders. Scoodoolio doolio doo if you don’t like what cow said.
People are pussies sometimes.. They pretend to be offended, maybe some really believe it, but they should remove the stick from their asses!
@James
That sounds like 18 year old talk to me. It’s very immature and disrespectful. Maybe you should grab a dictionary and learn a new set of vocabulary terms, preferrably, ones that don’t make you sound like a disgusting idiot.
Doesn’t offend this aussie ,
Your url is still very offensive, I think you just did it to increase hits, I would personally recommend re-posting a copy paste version of the post and trash this one, instead of “keeping up” with the stats
Lets see how well you REALLY take to public opinion, because to me it looks like you just insulated the word with asterisks, whilst the actual word is still there. I hate to curse and label, but you are self-centered!
C*** Douche and Asshole are in my daily vocabulary. i.e. “Cow, why are you such a c***?”