I just got home from work and I was signing into my blog so that I could nominate Kat Coble as one of ‘Thinking Blogger Awards‘ deal because she always makes me think, when I ran into a firestorm.
My friend Kat and her husband visited one of those ‘headhunter’ executive job search places (J.L. Kirk) back in February.. It was not a happy experience. Kat ably conveyed her frustration at the pressure tactics deployed by the firm along with incredulity that they were asked to pay more than $4,000 freaking dollars UP FRONT. The more common practise is for the company that hires the job seeker to pay the fees to the headhunter.
Someone from JL Kirk posted a comment on Kat’s blog defending Kirk and its practices. Kat posts the response on her blog as a post. Soon afterwards, the it-shay hit the an-fay. Via high falutin’ powerful attorneys, Kat is being asked* to pull remove all posts referring to JL Kirk.
One incredibly ironic item here is that one of the posts (see above) WAS WRITTEN BY JL KIRK. Kat posted the response in its entirety without ANY editing.. Kat certainly didn’t have to extend JL Kirk the courtesy of publishing their rejoinder.
The bullying did not go un-noticed. Bloggers far and wide picked up the trail. Glen Reynolds (Instapundit) linked to the story, thus ensuring that thousands upon thousands of folks now know about JL Kirk. Nice going!
Kat is a reasonable and thoughtful person. If she chooses to take down the posts to avoid the hassle, more power…it’s her blog. And there are some awfully powerful names on those cease and desist letters. If she wants to keep the posts up, she already knows that hundreds, if not thousands of people are going to support her and further propagate the true story of how one headhunter firm handles its unhappy customers. And, I’m just taking a wild guess here, I’m guessing that there may be one or two or one hundred unhappy customers who may have a chance to re-kindle their own ire.
Way to go, J.L. Kirk!!
Brittney at NIT is tracking the developing story HERE.
Others commenting (and I’m sure this section will grow)
Say Uncle with a GREAT subject line.
Rachel from Women’s Health News
Bill Hobbs rocks this one.
My neighbor S-townMike
My buddy GingerSnaps (you don’t want her snappin’ at YOU)
Rob Robinson’s ThinkTrain
Feline Formal Shorts (the mighty magniloquence)
The women of HomeEc101 clean UP
Krumm absolutely kills – brilliant!
Better Business Bureau opines..
Rex the master blogger speaks up
The Zero Boss zeroes in
QandO weighs in.
My Memphis buddy, the Lynnster
Pink Kitty – claws OUT
Postscripts (Charleston, SC)
I love Glen Dean’s take on this
Bridgett’s Beautiful Wickedness
Space for Commerce – Wisconsin heard from
Our Louisville friend – Lee
No Silence here
Anne witnesses
Smalltalk Tidbits, Industry Rants
Alphecca – New Verb in Town!
SaucyGirl – The Cats Demand Answers
This fine write-up from TheRipoffReport (not specific to Kat’s case, but evidence that the ‘Kat-play’ isn’t isolated.
*if the definition of ask includes the DEMAND
Salem's Lots 
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I swear this is the kind of thing that happens to other people in like, Chicago or something…
I’m utterly bemused.
Who thinks it’s a good idea to respond to accusations of intimidating behaviour with more intimidating behaviour? I do not get it at all.
But thanks for sticking up for me. And for the whole “thinking blogger” thing. I tell you what, I’m doing plenty of thinking NOW!
Don’t mess with a blogger. We are like a family, left, right, middle, whatever.
Glen, you’re absolutely dead on.
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