Remember my rant about meeting Seth Godin? Maybe some of you remember it as my “red shoe tirade”. But here it is one month later and I finally received an e-mail response from Seth Godin himself. I’ve got to tell you, he certainly has a way of winning people (me) over. My husband says it’s only because he started the letter by acknowledging the cute red shoes!
Anyway, here is the e-mail from Mr. Godin, in response to my blog post:
Hi Jessica,
I just saw your blog post. First, forgive me for not noticing your very cool red shoes. I am so sorry that I came off as cold at the event… that certainly wasn’t my intent, and I wasn’t trying to blow you off. I really have no excuse. There were 100 people waiting, but my job is to engage with the folks who took the time to talk. So, I’m sorry.As for my signature, that’s my real signature. I sign my checks the same way.
As for Facebook, the math is simple. I have more than 1000 friend requests. If I approve them, then I’m inviting you to engage in this medium. And I won’t be able to keep up my end of the bargain. It’s just too overwhelming. If I say “no”, then I’ve offended you. So, my policy is that if I don’t know you, I just don’t do anything. I can’t imagine an alternative that could work.
I could quit facebook or work under an alias, but I never use aliases and I don’t want to quit because I need, now and then, to keep an eye on what’s up.
In this case, in your case, I’ve clearly failed miserably. All I can do is say I’m sorry. Thanks for reading.
I was shocked when I received this e-mail. For someone who came across as so impersonal all of a sudden became so personal. Nice recovery. Thank you, Seth Godin, for your apology.
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Pretty smooth! Yes, comes across as very sincere. I only wish that I am half as smooth the next time I stick my foot in my mouth!