Roanoke Times suing former Va Tech beat writer for access to Twitter account

[da man]

This seems kind of petty but is educational. What we have learned here is the owners/suits think the writer's Twitter account is valuable enough to sue. This is kind of bizarre to me. Anybody with common sense would at best think the verdict is still out on Twitter being an asset to newspapers. It is very very bizarre that newspaper suits think it's important to break news on another company's Website. I maintain the exposure individual writers receive on Twitter makes no money to speak of for the newspaper. Use of Twitter saves no jobs. Use of Twitter is very very inconsequential. I maintain newspaper execs concerning themselves with this case are incompetent boobs so to speak. Geez, suits, it's time for you to re-invent if you want to save your business. That means ... FIRING ALL SALESPEOPLE AND BRINGING IN REAL SALESPEOPLE to sell the print product again. It means immediately moving your printing operations back to your local newspaper and not some hub; adding 10 pages to the newspaper immediately; start covering high schools again and go out and sell newspapers to all the grannies and grandpas and mammas and daddies who will buy your product and get it delivered to read about such Johnnies and Julies in their families. Thanks for educating us, suits. You think suing this person over TWITTER is important. My gosh, no wonder we're all either getting fired this week or soon to be fired. Thanks for reading, folks. Fredrick doesn't mean to be an ass; I just have passionate feelings about the suits and their lack of knowledge.

What I really think this is about is the paper getting pissed off at Bitter for using a Twitter account they see as theirs to promote his new job with a direct competitor on the VT beat to the paper's readers.

 

[Fredrick]

Don't apologize my friend. You're right on the money. Sometimes a bit extreme because of your passion, but the basis of your stance is valid.

Thank you Doc. I didn't know you were a non-hater of Fredrick. Thanks again.

 

[Fredrick]

What I really think this is about is the paper getting pissed off at Bitter for using a Twitter account they see as theirs to promote his new job with a direct competitor on the VT beat to the paper's readers.

Valid point, but cmon. The newspaper can overcome some former employee having a few Twitter followers. Once the word is out, the new VT writer will get lots of Twitter followers. The newspaper suits and boat/vacation homeowners have more important things to worry about, such as copying The Athletic. From all I can tell, the Athletic simply is returning to good coverage with many of its reporters veteran experts. The Athletic isn't trying to be radio and TV along with print. IT IS old school PRINT and the newspapers need to return to print ASAP. The suits don't need to be in courts over Twitter. They need to for once not attack their low paid reporters and instead examine their sales staffs: i.e. a.) who is working in sales for the newspapers and b.) what the heck they are doing from 8 to 4 p.m. each day. Nah that will NEVER EVER HAPPEN. Too late. The suits think the new wave analysts and click-counters have all the answers. LOL. See you in the unemployment line, soon.

 

[Fred siegle]

If they win, there likely won't be lawyer fees. That's how it works.

Sure you're not Fredrick?

I'm seriously considering changing my handle.

 

[cjericho]

Thank you Doc. I didn't know you were a non-hater of Fredrick. Thanks again.

Fredrick, Doc is not a suit. Why would Doc be a hater of Fredrick.

 

[Fredrick]

Fredrick, Doc is not a suit. Why would Doc be a hater of Fredrick.

It seems 85 percent of the people on here despise Fredrick, but that may just be me being excessively thin skinned.

 

[da man]

It seems 85 percent of the people on here despise Fredrick, but that may just be me being excessively thin skinned.

You're slipping. You used a first-person pronoun.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Thank you Doc. I didn't know you were a non-hater of Fredrick. Thanks again.

Definitely a non-hater. I like to poke or prod you sometimes, but I enjoy your passion, although a bit extreme it may often be.

 

[LanceyHoward]

It seems 85 percent of the people on here despise Fredrick, but that may just be me being excessively thin skinned.

You are excessively thin skinned.

 

[Cosmo]

Andy's fighting back:

Former Roanoke Times reporter countersues for more than $150,000 in Twitter case

 

[Double Down]

I don't understand why anyone here would side with management in this case.

 

[thizzellewashington]

This is why I've never put my outlet/affiliation in my Twitter handle. My Twitter account is mine.