A response to a Chicago woman’s Tweet was not what she expected. She works (think it’s safe to say worked) for an apartment management company and allegedly posted “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? [XYZ] Realty thinks it’s okay.” on her public account back in May.
The woman lives in one of the company’s buildings. And regardless of whether she saw evidence of the mold as a resident, the company is suing her for $50,000 on the grounds that she defamed their reputation.
Although free speech is welcomed in 140-character bursts, you still have to be careful about what you type and where you type it. Tools like Twitter Search and Google Alerts put businesses and brands on their own e-neighborhood watches. And as more companies get on board the social media wagon, it’s best advised to use a good chunk of common sense whenever you post anything with a proper noun. Remember that you might be followed by someone you may not want following you.
– Natasha Dorsainvil