"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1236966.a9mEsgBA2u@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Bribing Bloggers
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | This is the most frustrating thing about the practice of giving
> | bloggers free stuff: it pisses in the well, reducing the credibility
> | of all blogs. I'm upset that people trust me less because of the
> | behavior of other bloggers. Don't even get me started about PayPerPost.
[...]
To address the other half of Roy's post, I think this Ars Technica
article adds a bit of much needed perspective into the whole issue:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061228-8514.html
<quote>
Microsoft is neither the first nor the best at the fine art of influencing
the influencers. You might be surprised to learn this, but this fine art
sees thousands and thousands of people employed in its service. It's an
industry!
[...]
This practice is not uncommon. Product developers and manufacturers are
often itching to give out freebies to tech influencers because it's smart
marketing. Do you really think Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal goes
to some secret underground Apple Store to buy his hot new iPod to review a
month before it's even announced? Do you think hardware review sites sneak
into processor fabs late at night to gain access to hardware samples that
won't be on retail shelves for months? Do you really think they're sending
all of that stuff back? Some are, some aren't, and to be honest, I have no
idea if Mossberg keeps the top-secret stuff he's sent or not. For someone
like Mossberg or someone like me, keeping the stuff isn't one-fifth as
important as just having access to it in a timely fashion. That whole angle
has been largely lost in this discussion, and it's a shame.
[...]
In fact, let me suggest where the real concern should be directed: at
publications that aren't giving full disclosure when relying completely on
PR-provided goods. In this situation with Microsoft, the only faux pas I see
would be one wherein a hypothetical author wrote a glowing review without
admitting that their access was completely provided by Microsoft. But I ask
you, when's the last time you've seen a WSJ or CNET review prefaced with:
"this review unit was accompanied by an NDA from Company X"? An editor at a
big publication might roll their eyes at the idea of disclosing such things,
but I can tell you as someone who has done the "tiny site with no
recognition" thing, access can make or break you in a way that any benefits
from keeping a review unit simply cannot.
</quote>
- Oliver
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