Who’s The “Big Bad Blogger”? Does it Really Matter?

Posted on January 24th, 2011. Written by Rico.

So local bloggers are buzzing over Margaux Salcedo’s article “Please Don’t Give Blogging a Bad Name”, narrating the plight of restaurateur “Georgia” facing extortion by “The [PR] Firm” and its agent, the “Big Bad Blogger” (BBB).

Here are the salient points of the story:

• The Firm proposes that Georgia hire them for “word-of-mouth generation” promising trebled sales through the magic of “social media”, in the form of positive reviews by food bloggers. Georgia declines.
• BBB eats at Georgia’s restaurant, takes pictures of the food, and writes a good review.
• The Firm approaches Georgia again, saying that they can ensure more positive reviews online if Georgia pays them ₱120,000 a month for a year. The Firm claims it has an “arrangement” with BBB. Georgia declines even The Firm’s lowered offer of ₱80,000 a month.
• A “year later”, Georgia opens a new restaurant. BBB eats at her new restaurant, takes pictures of the food, and writes a “scathing” review.

Salcedo refuses to name Georgia: “she pleaded not to be named, afraid that the blogger might retaliate”. But here’s what Ms. Salcedo should tell the anonymous restaurateur: the identity of the Big Bad Blogger and The Firm do matter. If Salcedo’s blind item is true, backed up by concrete evidence, how else can establishments, other PR firms, and other bloggers make sure that both BBB and The Firm never extort anyone else again?

A friend who works in the PR industry was curious about the identity of BBB. “If the incident can be sufficiently proven, I’d like to remove said person from certain invite lists. Thanks!”