[TSteven]

Sorority Girl Email Writer 'Resigns' from Delta Gamma

This is one of the banner stories on Yahoo today. I find the last part of the article an interesting observation.

So why has Martinson’s screed been such popular online fodder? Many reasons, according to Michael Ferric, founder and CEO of Reputation.com, who told CNN it was because of the "mean girls" stereotype, the surprise factor of "something so vulgar and crude being spouted by someone who looks fairly angelic,” and the fact that a quick search of her social media accounts revealed other less-than-politic moments. And, he added, the email could follow the college junior for years.

“The Internet is forever,” Ferric added. “Unfortunately for her, her ‘online tattoo’ will stick with her for a long, long time—and it will likely color how peers, future employers, grad school admissions officers, etc., regard her as a person. She’s going to have to work very hard to show that she's taken this experience and used it to grow into a more mature, thoughtful, tolerant and compassionate person.”