Let people stand on a soapbox for long enough and they’ll run out of useful things to say and start whinging instead. It’s human nature, and while it goes without saying that companies should be monitoring what is said about them on the Internet, in reality, the ‘loudest’ customers aren’t neccessarily the ones you should heed.

Peter Moore is a well-respected travel writer (and, I should disclose, a client of ours). He has published more than half a dozen great books, he has a column in the Guardian and keen travellers love reading what he has to say. If an airline company came to me and asked for a list of influentual bloggers they should be trying to reach, he would be near the top of the list. If Peter recommends a destination, an airline, a hotel, or an experience, people listen. By the same token, if he has something negative to say, the implications are far-reaching. Peter rarely whinges about anything, which is why his blog is so good. If he does, it’s well thought out, nicely presented and without the faintest whiff of ‘I’m important so you’d better listen to me’.

The moral to the story?

Companies: Listen to the Peter Moore’s of this world, don’t worry too much about the rest
Bloggers: Be more like Peter Moore