We were called “shills”.  We were verbally attacked and blocked on Twitter. Our recap posts were riddled with trolls and haters.

Why?

Because we attended a Nestle event in Los Angeles.

For the most part, it didn’t matter what our opinions actually were, because in the eyes of the haters and some boycotters, just being at the event made us guilty.  We had the opportunity to question the Nestle USA CEO with the boycotter’s questions, which seemed like the perfect opportunity to bridge the people with the company, but it still wasn’t good enough.  We were  judged and done so quite harshly.

Some of us were even interviewed by the LA Times regarding the Twitter bullying we experienced, and even that went down the toilet.

To put it mildly, I am annoyed and hurt with the treatment we received, still.  I feared that writing this post would open a whole new can of worms and potentially conjure up old issues, but questions must be asked.

Do Nestle boycotters have a problem with Stouffer’s, a Nestle Family brand, sponsoring BlogHer 2010?

For the record, I support Nestle products AND BlogHer.  I am no way offended that one is supporting the other, and I will eat the Stouffer’s lunch at the conference if there is one.  I do not want BlogHer to be attacked for its sponsors and I do not want to ignite drama.  I am simply making a point.

If we were judged for simply being at the Nestle event in LA, will all BlogHer attendees be judged as Nestle supporters as well? [Read more...]