[mdlug] Is MS bribing bloggers?

[allen]

Bruce Smith wrote:
> I understand that for journalists and places that do "official"
> reviews of products.  i.e. That's the reasons Consumer Reports doesn't
> accept any free products for review.
>   
Then you understand incorrectly. Consumer Reports doesn't accept free 
products or advertising so as to avoid even the question of bias. That's 
so Consumer Reports can lay claim to objective journalism which is what 
they're really selling and all they really have to sell. That's all any 
journalist has to offer which is why Microsoft, or whoever else, is 
willing to pay for favorable treatment.

Who'd believe stories about Vista's fabulousness coming from 
Microsoft's  advertising company? You know why they're singing rhyming 
couplets about Vista, it pays the rent. But that's not what you're 
interested in. You want to know if Vista is wonderful or a steaming pile 
and the suspicion is warranted that you won't get that information from 
Microsoft's paid shills which is what you might be if you accept a 
present from MS.
> My problem is I don't consider bloggers to be journalists.  If I'm
> blogging, I'm just writing my own opinions and I don't really care if
> anyone is reading my blog or if anyone takes me serious (like my
> postings on this mailing list).  :-)
>   
That's your point of view but if Microsoft thinks you've got enough of a 
following to make your noodling worth paying for then you *were* a 
journalist and became an ad agency when you signed for the laptop.
> If M$ wants see this post and wants to send me a laptop in the hopes
> that I'll post my opinion of Vista back here, let them, I'm not giving
> it back!  I'll even post my "review" here ("thoughts" is probably a
> better word).  My thoughts will be honest as far as my opinion goes,
> and I'll probably have good and bad things to say about Vista.  I'll
> give the specs of the laptop and say where I got it so people can
> choose if they want to believe my review or not.  I'll also include my
> findings on what is required to dual boot Vista with Linux, so I'm
> somewhat on topic and don't get flamed off this list.  (no laptop on
> my front porch yet, so you probably don't need to worry)  ;-)
>   
Except that MS isn't likely to confer a laptop on you unless they figure 
to get more then they give. Unless a few tens of thousands of people 
read your reviews - thoughts if you prefer - those thoughts won't be of 
much value to MS and you probably won't be seeing a laptop. But the 
value of those thoughts resides in your honesty and objectivity. When 
you sell that off for the price of a laptop you've put a value on those 
qualities and if you're OK with it so am I but you won't be able to go 
to the well again. Any thoughts you have to offer after receipt of the 
laptop will have an assumed price-tag attached to them.

Allen