January 8, 2009
Spite marketing
I’m on a mailing list where one particular member is so abusive of those who disagree with him — which includes most of the people on the list — that reading his latest post reminded me to donate to the ACLU.
In fact, I’d like the ACLU to send this guy a message saying that “A donation in your name has been made as a response to your behavior on the ______ list.” It wouldn’t change his behavior, but such an option on non-profits’ sites might spur some more giving. (Citing the venue where the obnoxious behavior occurred would be optional.)
Of course, you can already make a donation in someone’s name at many sites. I’m not suggesting a new facility. I’m suggesting a way to market it.
(During the Howard Dean campaign, some contributor to the blog’s comment thread started the practice of responding to trolls by kicking in another few dollars to the Dean campaign, and thanking the troll for the spur. I loved that idea.)
