The power of the web
If you think your opinion won’t count or will never be heard amid the mass of communication on the web, you’re wrong.
A Starbucks coffee shop that occupies a corner of the Forbidden City in China could soon close following a backlash by bloggers.
Rui Chenggang began a blog ‘Why Starbucks needs to get out of the Forbidden City’ and since then over 500,000 Chinese internet users have rushed to agree with him.
Chenggang argued that a Starbucks was obscenely out of place amid the 178-acre complex of throne rooms, pavilion and gardens that was home to 24 emperors before the end of imperial rule in 1911.
The Palace Museum, which administers the Forbidden City, initially defended the coffee shop, but has had a change of heart. A spokesman said: “The museum is working with Starbucks to find a solution by June in response to the protests. Whether or not Starbucks remains depends on the entire design plan that will be released in the first half of the year.”
That sounds like PR spin for ‘we’re going to bow to public pressure’.
Guest Article by
Jeremy Skidmore
Wednesday, January 31st, 2007
My name is Alan Potts and I'm the Editor of the UK Ferry Tickets web site and Managing Director of BUYability Limited. You can connect with me or keep up to date with new posts on this blog via the following social media sites: 
