The story is now famous. A blogger pens a negative review of a job placement agency (J.L. Kirk and Associates). The agency responds with a mean-spirited comment and then threatens legal action. A national media outlet picks up the story, and now “to kirk” has a new meaning. In particular, “kirking” means to damage one’s own reputation by the incompetent use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPS).
One way to measure this is to look at the first three pages of google results for the phrase j.l. kirk. This is the term a potential client or business partner of JL Kirk Associates would most likely use to find out information about the company. As of now, these are the first three pages worth of google results for that term:
- job search site, executive recruiter, outplacement services
- JL Kirk Associates executive recruiter
- Rip Off Report:JL Kirk formerly Bernard Haldane Stay away from …
- SayUncle » Is calling JL Kirk & Associates a bunch of asshats …
- Nashville is Talking » A Play-By-Play: The JL Kirk & Associates Saga
- JL Kirk Responds « Just Another Pretty Farce
- JL Kirk Associates job search
- Just Another Pretty Farce: J.L. Kirk & Associates: My Story
- The Jawa Report: JL Kirk Associates Accuses Blogger of Libel
- JL Kirk Associates job search secrets
- Digg – JL Kirk & Associates Threatens to Sue a Blogger
- JL Kirk & Associates: My Story « Just Another Pretty Farce
- BillHobbs.com – “News Offsets” from Nashville.
- BillHobbs.com – “News Offsets” from Nashville.
- Tailrank – Posts for ‘http://mycropht.blogspot.com’
- Just Another Pretty Farce
- Smalltalk Tidbits, Industry Rants
- Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures
- KnoxNews | No Silence Here
- JL Kirk Associates job hunting and career tips
- J L Kirk Associates – Brentwood, TN, 37027 – Citysearch
- JL Kirk Associates resumes, references and business cards
- JL Kirk Associates finding the right company for you
- JL Kirk Associates Tennessee’s largest career fair
- TrueAdvantage – J.L. Kirk Associates
- Talking Turkey at the TurkeyBlog
- Iowa web design portfolio at Captain Jack Communications
- JL Kirk Associates finding hidden jobs
- Bob Krumm
- JL Kirk Associates job search and resume tips
(The hyperlinked entries go to negative reviews of the company for its attempted use of the law-courts to silence a critic.)
If the kirking becomes complete, and all but the J.L. Kirk & Associates homepage drops off the first three pages of google links, then (as things stand now) the following 9 pages must move up:
- Pink Kitty’s Scratching Post
- StlRecruiting
- Comments on: A Play-By-Play: The JL Kirk & Associates Saga
- tdaxp
- Yeah, This Is Lame « Just Another Pretty Farce
- Salem’s Lots
- Tiny Cat Pants
- Time for me to steal someone’s joy
- Instapundit
And to round out the top 11, let’s remember Jim River Report‘s first announcement, and the tdaxp SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) category, which also contain information on lawfarite thugs such as Active Holdings, Jim Abourezk, and NationMaster.
And we need one more, so why not the fark summary?