Posted by Christopher Stevenson
Do you ever get the urge to try and control consumer conversation? To keep tight reins on how consumers view and use your products or services? It's one of the main reasons many companies don't get into blogging or social media. It's understandable; it's scary to release control. And typically what happens when a consumer tries to wrestle a bit of customization away from a company that maintains tight control is a lawsuit. Think about the music industry's insistence on suing college students for sharing music files. (Before anyone sends me a nasty note about the illegal nature of swapping files, let me state that I know it's wrong, but multi-million dollar companies beating on broke college students doesn't get to the crux of the issue.) Recently though, PopCap, the software company behind the popular video game Bejeweled, demonstrated how allowing your customers a little free rein can pay off in spades. 
Here's the scoop. Apparently Bernie Peng, a software programmer in New Jersey, hacked Bejeweled so when his girlfriend reached a certain score in the game it would display a ring and a marriage proposal. (I would prefer Jumbotron proposals, personally.) Peng detailed his efforts on his personal blog and PopCap caught wind of his work.
The Associated Press reports that instead of sending Bernie a cease and desist order, PopCap decided to give Bernie and his bride a wedding gift:
The couple plan to marry over Labor Day weekend, and PopCap, the Seattle company that makes "Bejeweled," will fly the couple to Seattle as part of their honeymoon.
"Most video game companies would frown on people manipulating their games," said Garth Chouteau, a spokesman for PopCap.
"But it won him a woman. As a bunch of geeks we have to say, 'Bernie, hats off to you.'"
The company is also supplying copies of "Bejeweled" to hand out as favors to the wedding guests.
Huh, go figure. PopCap could have made a stink, rifled off a C&D, and positioned themselves forever as enemies of romance (right up there with the Montegue and Capulet families). Instead, they've blessed brilliant Bernie's romantic (albeit geeky) escapades and have generated a huge amount of positive press for the company and its trademark game.
Is there risk to opening up and releasing a bit of control? Absolutely, but it's clear from PopCap's example that there is a huge upside potential as well. It's not right for every credit union, but maybe it's right for yours.
