[GLLUG] Is MS bribing bloggers?

Alec Warner warnera6 at egr.msu.edu
Fri Dec 29 05:51:26 EST 2006


Michael Rudas (computer) wrote:
> Here are a couple of interesting articles. Though
> Microsoft's house bloggers (Scoble, et al.) claim
> differently, this certainly seems a rather naked grab
> for positive press:
> 
> <http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2077596,00.asp>
> <http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/12/28.html>
> 
> Hmmmm... when record companies did this with radio
> stations in the '50s, it was called "payola".  People
> lost jobs and went to jail.  Why should it be any
> different for a convicted monopolist?  Wishful
> thinking, I know, but SOMEBODY has to cry foul over
> this kind of malodorous heap.
> 
> -- Michael Rudas

Well I don't have a high opinion of 'bloggers' so I guess my take is a 
bit..amusing.  Sun did a similar thing where they offered up a T1000 
machine for testing and said they might let you keep it if you wrote up 
  a blog entry about it (wink, wink).

However if you think this is some kind of 'news' then you are quite 
naive.  It's just like the doctors taking 'free samples' or 'dinner' 
from the drug rep or the sales guy buying you lunch, it happens *all the 
time*.  Now if you want to call that ethically wrong, go ahead, but it 
isn't stopping any time soon.

I'm sure many people have no problem taking a free laptop though, and I 
tend to disagree with Joel's opinion on the matter.  Then again I could 
care less what random people on the Internet feel about Vista or most 
other products.  If I want to know I'll try it myself, or ask someone 
who has (and by someone I mean someone I know personally.)  Then again I 
don't trust bloggers much :)



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