This kind of thing was bound to happen, when blogs either get it wrong, or an email is fired off too quickly, only to be retracted. With social media, however, it’s almost impossible to undo something said.

Steve Rubel posted comment on Twitter that said something not so nice about PC Magazine (that it is just another magazine, and it goes into the trash) but soon apologized to the Editor in chief of PC magazine, when they threatened to boycott Edelman, his employer.

"I learned a valuable lesson. Post too fast without providing context and it can elicit an unintended response.

Perhaps the incident will give Twitter users something to consider, about always using it with the broader audience in mind, even though it’s a targeted communications channel.

Rather than condemning the technology, let’s make sure we learn the lesson and move on. We all make mistakes, Steve. Your Open Letter was the right thing to do.