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Microsoft's attempt to reach out to bloggers by giving them pricey laptops loaded with Vista generates controversy.
The New York Times
The story "Costly gift from Microsoft becomes invite to blog" published January 1, 2007 at 9:54 AM is no longer available on CNET News.
Content from The New York Times expires after 7 days.
Vista, they could have just sent the copy of the OS without a top of
the line laptop with it. They did this with XP. I understand giving
away evalutation copys of Vista, they are trying to show thier
product. It's the third party hardware and lack of a return policy
that makes it not right.
I didn't receive my laptop - must have been some oversight.
Please come to rightonblog.com soon after you send it to me, to receive a hopefully favorable review of your new Vista.
MS is just making sure that the eval environment meets a high standard. I don't think I would have selected the Ferrari notebook, but I sure as hell would have sent out machines that could run full Aero with no glitches. I might have even sent out the Laptops without the OS loaded, so the reviewers could provide feedback on the install process too.
And, it's Vista, few people have a machine at home currently that can push the damn thing. It's an OS that takes more computing power than the applications it runs with the exception of games.
Evil Microsoft, as always.
Yeah.. Yeah.. So are the new 2007 and 2008 cars. But you just [u]KNOW[/u] that some parents out there somewhere will be giving 'em to their deserving teens who will go out and will have accidents. Any less dangerous? Nope.
So what's your point? Life isn't ever going to be 100% safe. There's always a risk somewhere.
Well, it seems to me we've just seen the where the line could be drawn.
No ethical journalist would EVER accept a free laptop from Microsoft. Simple as that.
To try and claim it is an evaluation laptop from Acer is a cop out since the return address on the package is not Acer's address, but Microsoft's address,
I say it's high time bloggers became regulated. If you're a blogger, and you want to claim you are a journalist, you should be held up to the same standards as journalists.
An association should be created for bloggers. Anyone who joins the association should have the same protections as journalists so long as they agree to a set of ethical standards.
Anyone who is not a member of this association would not be considered a journalist, and not afforded the protections of a journalist.
The way it stands now, any criminal who writes in a blog regarding crimes he knows about can claim to be a journalist, and that he should be afforded the same protection as any menber of the press.
We all know this is BS. Just because you write about something in a public forum doesn't make you a journalist. Along the same lines of thought, just because I design and build something, does not make me an engineer.
A bribe by any other name smells just as bad.
One of the many negative things about the Internet. Anytime some tells me "You should read so-n-so's blog".....I stop them right there with a NO THANKS.
http://morewally.com/cs/blogs/wallym/archive/2006/12/29/626.aspx
http://morewally.com/cs/blogs/wallym/archive/2006/12/28/624.aspx
Hell, If I were a pro-MSFT blogger, I'd immediately send it back just so that my readers (if I had any) wouldn't immediately scream that my opinions were bought and paid-for.
In the case of Vista/Office 2007, you can't expect MS to just send the OS and Apps. Since that's the case, one also wouldn't expect them to send out a preloaded machine at the lower end of the spectrum.
I'm sure MS is open to any alternative suggestions you might have.
respond. Microsoft also has "been monking around with stock
options" in the past, so get off your high horse. Microsoft gets
flamed for very good reasons all the time, like when they do
something truly stupid or wrong, or when they try to BS people.
Have a nice day!
Microsoft receives machines from all the top OEM companies all the time for testing. Before you can get that "Made for XP /Vista" sticker, you have to submit your machines for testing. Those OEM's don't want the machines back, so... yeah. Is that favortism? No, it's just the standard way of doing things.
The only time you'll find that OEM's want their products back is if it's such a high end product or expensive item that it can be sent out to multiple reviewers (automobiles for example).
This is not a Microsoft issue. This is just the way industries operate. This is not unusual.
"Those OEM's don't want their products back..."
...so MSFT should keep them for internal use, not use them to buy blogger opinions.
And yes, this IS unusual. Even for them.
/P
PR department expire?
Traditionally costly samples such as these are expected to be
returned. This is what is "normal."
Enjoy Vista. I'll certainly enjoy testing Applications on it --
Applictaions that I develop in OS X.
Dante
an Acer Ferrari = a bribe
Besides, they had to choose some maker of laptop and no matter who they choose, someone will accuse them of playing favorites.
I'm really surprised the obvious isn't so... well, obvious.
I am no Microsoft lover, but these complaints of bribery are stupid. There are no strings attached, you can write what you want, how you want on a brand new system. You can keep, give away or give back...hardly forcing anything on anyone.
Microsoft is one of the few companies that has the resources to do this, good for them to put out a no strings promotion like this. To the complainers, get a life!
Alt
We must punish the success of business! Break them up! Force them out of business! Close them down! Let's shut it all down now!
Or.... we could just have a reality check and realize that product reviews require products to review. You can't test an OS without a machine. Funny how that is.
But please do go ahead keep spouting gibberish. It is entertaining.
If you think they were taken to court over something they did to Netscape then you're not seeing the true picture.
The problem with the whole free laptop fiasco has to do with how it
was handled, not what was done. I don't think it is all that unusual
for a company to send out samples, but normally the things don't
just show up out of the blue.
Have a nice day!
It's standard industry procedure.
Now if people want to get upset because THEY personally didn't get chosen to review the products, then they have other issues beyond that of the product itself.
It's standard industry procedure.
Now if people want to get upset because THEY personally didn't get chosen to review the products, then they have other issues beyond that of the product itself.
Bloggers only want the priviledges of journalists and not the responsibilities. They don't want to reveal their sources, but they don't want to go to jail for not revealing them, like a journalist would. I don't work as a journalist, so of course I would spend 15 minutes registering a domain name and writing a glowing review for a free laptop. But no reputable journalist would. People who think bloggers are journalists don't have any idea what it takes to be a journalist.
This is only an issue because Microsoft is in the headline.
I am sure if the headline was AMD gave these computers out there wouldn't be a big deal.
I recieved the Velocity Micro Media Center PC.
Thank you Both Microsoft and AMD for the review unit.
It's common practice to let reviewers keep the review units. 9 out of 10 reviews were given to the reviewer.
Sometimes companies especially small ones want it back but most let you keep them.
It is certainly not common practice to give anything of the sort to a professional journalist without extensive instructions on where and when to return the item.
Cripes - the Astroturfers are getting desperate these days...
10 blogs = 1 NY times article
A blogger isn't a journalist. However, a group of bloggers are. Their piece"s" do carry weights equivalent to mainstream media. That's how Web 2.0 works.
P.S. In no way am I stating this phenomenon as a desirable trend for journalism.
- On the contrary
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by jrhmobile
January 4, 2007 4:54 AM PST
- Anyone who "just writes about something", by definition, IS a journalist.
-
Reply to this comment
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (62 Comments)As someone who's been in the business as a working journalist for 30 years now, first working in daily newspapers and now as a consultant serving the trade, I can affirm that the definition of "journalist" is broad and inclusive.
We don't license or certify journalists in this country, beyond what news sources "certify" as "real jounalists" with press passes or grants of access. And I can personally attest to the fact that the only "self-policing" that is consistently done in the trade exists between individual writers' ears. And you better believe that's the same standard for New York Times reporters and Fox News talking heads as it is for the stereotypical blogger relaying information from the basement bedroom in mom's house.
Bloggers are by any reasonable definition already journalists. You can be too, if you pick up a pen or tap into a keyboard to relate information. In spite of what those traditionally calling themselves "journalists" maintain.