Why Are A-Listers Blogically Correct?
Being blogically correct is a tricky thing. The MS Scandal is still fresh and although I respect the opinions from many A-Listers, I don’t want to condemn any blogger/community leader who decided to keep his laptop.
From the earliest days of the (public) internet its users have been trend setters. Trend setters in new technology, but also trend setters in mentality.
The internet was a place to help people. The USENet was a huge helping domain. The interenet has grown to become THE place to ask/search for advice, help in no matter what topic.
The users have made out of the internet a helping community. eBusiness only came later.
Is it a surprise that bloggers with A-List status react vehement on bribes?
No, because A-Listers don’t want to use their status to obtain freebies. If they manage to market themselves over their blog… perfect. But they don’t want to become objects of traditional policies. A-Listers actively try to install a new way of thinking, based on old ethics.
Yesterday Jason Calacanis joined the Laptop debate with a vehement and very idealistic entry.
There you have it folks. You don’t accept free products, and if you need a product for review you give it back as quick as you can. If for some reason they don’t accept it back you can give it away (but not to your spouse or something).
But the problem here is different. Many bloggers have suddenly reached fame. And have become a serious object for companies such as Edelman. Those traditional institutions have learned to play with the public. And they are that highly ranked in their business because they play well.
Microsoft’s/Edelman’s email in the case of the laptop scandal was an example piece of perfect play.
I’m working on getting some review PCs out to community bloggers, and wanted to include you.
... Are you interested?
Full disclosure, while I hope you will blog about your experience with the pc, you don’t have to. Also, you are welcome to send the machine back to us after you are done playing with it, or you can give it away to your community, or you can hold onto it for as long as you’d like.
Anyone who has had a tech community and ever written reviews of software, hardware knows the review item policy very well. A review item is supposed to be send back. In some cases it can be used to serve the community (or be sold to cover expenses for your online community).
Never is a journalist allowed to keep the item, not if the journalist wants to respect ethics1.
But then again I wonder if it is totally wrong to keep any gift. Did Weblogs.Inc not receive any gifts from Google Adwords/Adsense? Have they all been send back or did one digital photo frame stay on a desk?
Personally I truly respect the deontology that A-listers preach and we should adhere to it. Not only as blogger, but also companies should adhere to this new, so much hated, Wild West of blogically correct-ness2.
Still I do not see why this became SUCH a scandal.
Why does anyone have to lose his/her integrity because she/he has been played by a very tactical company?
Or because a company organizes a conference and pays you the flight and accommodation? Does every journalist have to pay those expenses out of her/his own pockets, just to cover some lines?
Don’t independent writers invest much of their time when writing a review already?
Jason, remember many bloggers are independent writers and don’t have a budget behind them… nor VC capital. Would you refuse an invite to Google’s Party Plane for a meeting between you and the Google boys?
The question : Would I keep the laptop?
No, all my hardware I have bought. I even do not use the hardware/notebook my job provides me. But I have software installed I have reviewed. And my MS Office 2003 version is the present I got from MS when my former XP-community reached CLIP status for MS Germany.
Windows XP? Yup, freebie as well for having alpha tested.
Now shoot me because I accepted those for having DONE free work
1This can be very tricky though. What if Adobe sends a full version of Creative Suite 3 to you with serial to activate it because you might need more than 3 days to entirely test the system.
Or does anyone think that Paul Thurott did send back his Windows Vista version he got from MS and formatted his installation? Lets be honest please.
2 I am against globalism, but then again realize sometimes it is hard to escape the system. Yes I use Windows, but I would never go to Starbucks or Target/Walmart. 
Hmm. You’re right. Review items should be sent back once you’re through playing with the item.
Of course, if someone were to send me an Acer Ferrari laptop (or a MacBook Pro, for that matter), that would be another story altogether.
The Sheriff said this on December 31, 2006 11:14 am
Sheriff, you reckon?
I have never kept hardware, even not if it were just a power unit. But I haven’t always deinstalled software, and I would have no problem accepting hotel accomodation, unless someone (boss) would pay the accomodation for me.
Franky said this on December 31, 2006 11:26 am