Various companies are now offering me a chance to try out their equipment. In the past week I’ve received:
1) Lenovo X41 Tablet PC. I lent that to Jeff Sandquist so that he could try it out since he’s looking for a new Tablet PC.
2) OQO Tablet PC edition. I wish I could afford one of these. It is so cool to use this in the plane. Gets lots of looks since it’s so tiny.
I hear that Nokia is sending me a cell phone — the 90 (very brave of them) so that I can try that out. I also hear that Motion has a Tablet on its way to me. And I picked up various things at CES.
Does getting free stuff change my opinions? Of course! For one, I now have real-world experiences with these products.
Am I less likely to say something bad about them? Probably. If I can’t say something nice I probably won’t say anything at all.
But, I don’t like it when writers don’t disclose that they get stuff for free and I later find out about it. It feels dirty.
You know, you’re supposed to disclose this before you start whoring out a product, not after. How can we tell if you’re giving us an unbiased opinion or you’re in a freebie euphoria?
You know, you’re supposed to disclose this before you start whoring out a product, not after. How can we tell if you’re giving us an unbiased opinion or you’re in a freebie euphoria?
Hey Robert, you should look at Jeremy Clarckson as an example on how to deal with this. He’s the host of Top Gear, a non-sponsored TV show about cars.
He has absolutely no qualms about giving his unbiased opinion.
Perhaps this show also runs in the US, it is extrmely popular across the US. He also run’s a column in the UK, The Times on sunday,
Hey Robert, you should look at Jeremy Clarckson as an example on how to deal with this. He’s the host of Top Gear, a non-sponsored TV show about cars.
He has absolutely no qualms about giving his unbiased opinion.
Perhaps this show also runs in the US, it is extrmely popular across the US. He also run’s a column in the UK, The Times on sunday,
Robert, what is the etiquette here? Are these freebies yours to keep, or do you return them when finished?
Robert, what is the etiquette here? Are these freebies yours to keep, or do you return them when finished?
Just remember your neighbor down the street when you are ready to let someone else try the OQO!
That thing looks very cool, I dumped a Toshiba Tablet because I could not live without a DVD drive in it for plane trips. But for that size I’d give it another try and just download movies from some service onto it.
Just remember your neighbor down the street when you are ready to let someone else try the OQO!
That thing looks very cool, I dumped a Toshiba Tablet because I could not live without a DVD drive in it for plane trips. But for that size I’d give it another try and just download movies from some service onto it.
You aren’t a qualified reviewer, you are just a blog talker and small but high circle blabbermouth, so even bad press is good to them, because (as you know) so many people disagree with your every point (case in point here). 😉
Good quality reviews are done anonymously, (ie. Consumer Reports style) and with you toking on Microsoft Smartphones and having a sheer mental block to install Opera on said device, yet slamming all Smartphones on the account of the failings of Internet Explorer, well your reviews are mush. And I am sure you have followed the in’s and out’s of the Symbian scene for years upon years (that was sarcasm).
Amazing how you have become a swarmy freebie MVP all over again. Not that you ever changed. Feel dirty? You are advertising the fact beforehand to GET more stuff. I know the game. Your false humility fools no one, ok maybe people like Hugh, but not ‘most everyone’. Flinging up ‘full disclosure’ as a come-on is the oldest trick in the book. I wasn’t born yesterday.
Plus amazing how Lenovo can get a X41 to a connected Softie pretty fast, whereas mere mortals have to wait months.
You aren’t a qualified reviewer, you are just a blog talker and small but high circle blabbermouth, so even bad press is good to them, because (as you know) so many people disagree with your every point (case in point here). 😉
Good quality reviews are done anonymously, (ie. Consumer Reports style) and with you toking on Microsoft Smartphones and having a sheer mental block to install Opera on said device, yet slamming all Smartphones on the account of the failings of Internet Explorer, well your reviews are mush. And I am sure you have followed the in’s and out’s of the Symbian scene for years upon years (that was sarcasm).
Amazing how you have become a swarmy freebie MVP all over again. Not that you ever changed. Feel dirty? You are advertising the fact beforehand to GET more stuff. I know the game. Your false humility fools no one, ok maybe people like Hugh, but not ‘most everyone’. Flinging up ‘full disclosure’ as a come-on is the oldest trick in the book. I wasn’t born yesterday.
Plus amazing how Lenovo can get a X41 to a connected Softie pretty fast, whereas mere mortals have to wait months.
Screw the X41 Tablet, I want the X60 Tablet that will be coming out by end of calender year 😉
Screw the X41 Tablet, I want the X60 Tablet that will be coming out by end of calender year 😉
“…with you toking on Microsoft Smartphones”
Yeah, but Robert disclosed from day one his position as a Microsoft employee. That’s how disclosure should work, especially considering the relative anonymity of the blogosphere versus, say, print or television media.
There’s been a huge amount of focus lately on “tech guys” that go on CNN or The Today Show or write for relatively large national newspaper and magazines who are featuring and recommending products that they get for free on a regular basis without any disclosure whatsoever.
If you want your opinion to be taken seriously as a professional, you MUST be diligent to disclose any conflicts of interest like this. I have a great amount of respect for people who keep that in mind.
“…with you toking on Microsoft Smartphones”
Yeah, but Robert disclosed from day one his position as a Microsoft employee. That’s how disclosure should work, especially considering the relative anonymity of the blogosphere versus, say, print or television media.
There’s been a huge amount of focus lately on “tech guys” that go on CNN or The Today Show or write for relatively large national newspaper and magazines who are featuring and recommending products that they get for free on a regular basis without any disclosure whatsoever.
If you want your opinion to be taken seriously as a professional, you MUST be diligent to disclose any conflicts of interest like this. I have a great amount of respect for people who keep that in mind.
“And I picked up various things at CES.”
I thought you didn’t pick up free stuff at tradeshows?:
“You walk over, and get pitched. Then they try to give you stuff. I have a rule, that I told Patrick “I don’t take anything from anyone.” Why? Cause then you have to carry it around.”
“Does getting free stuff change my opinions? Of course! For one, I now have real-world experiences with these products.”
In other words, you would talk about and have personal opinions of products withOUT using them? Not very reputable.
“And I picked up various things at CES.”
I thought you didn’t pick up free stuff at tradeshows?:
“You walk over, and get pitched. Then they try to give you stuff. I have a rule, that I told Patrick “I don’t take anything from anyone.” Why? Cause then you have to carry it around.”
“Does getting free stuff change my opinions? Of course! For one, I now have real-world experiences with these products.”
In other words, you would talk about and have personal opinions of products withOUT using them? Not very reputable.
Good of you to let us know upfront!
Love to hear how the Nokia compares to Windows Mobile 5.0 devices.
Good of you to let us know upfront!
Love to hear how the Nokia compares to Windows Mobile 5.0 devices.
Hi Robert. If you need volunteers to help ‘test’, you know where to find me
-Vinny
http://www.j2eegeek.com/blog/
Hi Robert. If you need volunteers to help ‘test’, you know where to find me
-Vinny
http://www.j2eegeek.com/blog/
I’m with Vinny. If you ever start feeling dirty about accepting all the insanely wonderful toys for free, I’d be more than happy to suffer through the moral delima for you… while playing with them in my living room after jumping the UPS guy at the door.
I’m with Vinny. If you ever start feeling dirty about accepting all the insanely wonderful toys for free, I’d be more than happy to suffer through the moral delima for you… while playing with them in my living room after jumping the UPS guy at the door.
Any word from the folks at Gulfstrean Jet?
Any word from the folks at Gulfstrean Jet?
Bill: they didn’t ask for them back. But Microsoft policy states I’m not allowed to take gifts so I haven’t yet decided how I’m going to handle that. Probably send them back after done testing them out. That way they can be sent to another blogger to try out.
Goebbels: I had some stuff sent to me. I’ll disclose that this weekend when I write about that (it’s an iPod to stereo dock).
Tetra: I just received these in the past few days. So, I have properly disclosed that and I haven’t whored any of this stuff in the past week since I knew I was getting samples to try out.
Bill: they didn’t ask for them back. But Microsoft policy states I’m not allowed to take gifts so I haven’t yet decided how I’m going to handle that. Probably send them back after done testing them out. That way they can be sent to another blogger to try out.
Goebbels: I had some stuff sent to me. I’ll disclose that this weekend when I write about that (it’s an iPod to stereo dock).
Tetra: I just received these in the past few days. So, I have properly disclosed that and I haven’t whored any of this stuff in the past week since I knew I was getting samples to try out.
boy… sounds like a little sour grapes going on around here. if you come to this site and don’t know who the man works for and what he is likely to be keen on, then *you’re* the dope!
to the contrary, i think this site is a very interesting experiment requiring a fair level of courage on a number of fronts. as an experiment, i’m sure that scoble has to make interesting decisions every day about content and bias. frankly, i read some apple freaks out there who display way more bias than this site does, so i just figure if you can’t filter what you read intelligently then you should stay home.
asides from that, if you were marketing a tech product out there, wouldn’t you want to get it into the hands of all the key influencers you could? scoble is in the fortunate position of being such a person for a variety of reasons, so it seems obvious that people are going to flood him with stuff to look at. they’d be stupid for not sending it, and he’d be stupid for not checking it out.
having said that, i shall retreat to my small corner of the globe where i also wish someone would send me a tablet pc… if they could find me… woe is me…
boy… sounds like a little sour grapes going on around here. if you come to this site and don’t know who the man works for and what he is likely to be keen on, then *you’re* the dope!
to the contrary, i think this site is a very interesting experiment requiring a fair level of courage on a number of fronts. as an experiment, i’m sure that scoble has to make interesting decisions every day about content and bias. frankly, i read some apple freaks out there who display way more bias than this site does, so i just figure if you can’t filter what you read intelligently then you should stay home.
asides from that, if you were marketing a tech product out there, wouldn’t you want to get it into the hands of all the key influencers you could? scoble is in the fortunate position of being such a person for a variety of reasons, so it seems obvious that people are going to flood him with stuff to look at. they’d be stupid for not sending it, and he’d be stupid for not checking it out.
having said that, i shall retreat to my small corner of the globe where i also wish someone would send me a tablet pc… if they could find me… woe is me…
Paul: no. I think Gates gets those kinds of trials!
Paul: no. I think Gates gets those kinds of trials!
“Off to Macworld we go. Watch the Flickr feed for fun photos (no, not now, later!). Oh, there’s my new Lenovo Tablet PC.”
‘Hmm. A Tablet PC evangelist getting free Tablets.’
If I wasn’t familiar with your heartfelt praise of tablets post after post and I was new to the site, that’s the first thing that would cross my mind.
I’m just saying that you need to disclose stuff like this when you first mention something, not after the fact. Journalistic Ethics 101.
“Off to Macworld we go. Watch the Flickr feed for fun photos (no, not now, later!). Oh, there’s my new Lenovo Tablet PC.”
‘Hmm. A Tablet PC evangelist getting free Tablets.’
If I wasn’t familiar with your heartfelt praise of tablets post after post and I was new to the site, that’s the first thing that would cross my mind.
I’m just saying that you need to disclose stuff like this when you first mention something, not after the fact. Journalistic Ethics 101.
Tetra: saying “there’s my new Lenovo” is a LONG way from whoring, though. I didn’t say anything good about it. And, anyway, now the disclosure is done.
I’ve been a Tablet enthusiast for long before I worked at Microsoft, by the way.
Tetra: saying “there’s my new Lenovo” is a LONG way from whoring, though. I didn’t say anything good about it. And, anyway, now the disclosure is done.
I’ve been a Tablet enthusiast for long before I worked at Microsoft, by the way.
Well I can honestly no one offers me free equipment just because I am a blogger (or any other reason). The closest I’ve gotten are free books, in fact a galley copy of Naked Conversations sits at home 😉
I did try to get some equipment (better camera, MP3 recorder, etc) for this Tsunami Anniversary blogging trek but with absolutely no success. I did contact OQO for a loaner as I could have used a lightweight PC while traveling (they declined).
Kudos on disclosing what is given to you by companies. Blogger’s credibility erodes when they don’t mention things like that.
Overall, I think it turned out to be a good thing that I am having to make do without fancy equipment and use what locals have to contend with. It gives me much better insight into what blogging is actually like for most of the world whom could never afford an OQO nor be able to sweet-talk their way into getting one either. I wrote a recent post on low-cost, low-bandwidth blogging after I gave a workshop to tsunami-affected students using Mac minis in a vocational training program that teaches them to be certified divemasters, English, and computer skills.
Well I can honestly no one offers me free equipment just because I am a blogger (or any other reason). The closest I’ve gotten are free books, in fact a galley copy of Naked Conversations sits at home 😉
I did try to get some equipment (better camera, MP3 recorder, etc) for this Tsunami Anniversary blogging trek but with absolutely no success. I did contact OQO for a loaner as I could have used a lightweight PC while traveling (they declined).
Kudos on disclosing what is given to you by companies. Blogger’s credibility erodes when they don’t mention things like that.
Overall, I think it turned out to be a good thing that I am having to make do without fancy equipment and use what locals have to contend with. It gives me much better insight into what blogging is actually like for most of the world whom could never afford an OQO nor be able to sweet-talk their way into getting one either. I wrote a recent post on low-cost, low-bandwidth blogging after I gave a workshop to tsunami-affected students using Mac minis in a vocational training program that teaches them to be certified divemasters, English, and computer skills.
Evelyn: I just started getting these kinds of offers. Too bad I didn’t get them a few months earlier cause I would have given you this stuff to take over there.
Personally, for most of the world a cell phone with a decent camera and a keyboard is probably a better blogging device than even an OQO.
The OQO is a sexy toy for executives and for rich people in areas where there’s good wifi coverage. I think I’d rather have a phone like a Treo in most areas though, where I just wanted to report on what I was seeing.
Evelyn: I just started getting these kinds of offers. Too bad I didn’t get them a few months earlier cause I would have given you this stuff to take over there.
Personally, for most of the world a cell phone with a decent camera and a keyboard is probably a better blogging device than even an OQO.
The OQO is a sexy toy for executives and for rich people in areas where there’s good wifi coverage. I think I’d rather have a phone like a Treo in most areas though, where I just wanted to report on what I was seeing.
Hi Robert
Like many journalists, I suspect blogger’s heads will easily be turned by an increasing number of freebies and highly-covetable loans. We’ve been having some discussion over on my blog about how the travel industry can include bloggers in what have been, up until now, journalist-only press trips and on the subject of discount travel for bloggers.
http://www.reputationplus.com/2006/01/hugh_over_at_bl.html
How would you feel if you were offered a family vacation/ short break on the basis you would link to the resort each day (but with no requirement to be nice)? That might be hard to resist. But also that might not be a bad thing. I would love to know what you think or how you think you would react.
Hi Robert
Like many journalists, I suspect blogger’s heads will easily be turned by an increasing number of freebies and highly-covetable loans. We’ve been having some discussion over on my blog about how the travel industry can include bloggers in what have been, up until now, journalist-only press trips and on the subject of discount travel for bloggers.
http://www.reputationplus.com/2006/01/hugh_over_at_bl.html
How would you feel if you were offered a family vacation/ short break on the basis you would link to the resort each day (but with no requirement to be nice)? That might be hard to resist. But also that might not be a bad thing. I would love to know what you think or how you think you would react.
Full circle, once a “conversation”, and a new journalism, now a whoring just like the rest. Hugh with Wine and Tailorisms, Scoble with tech toys and gawd knows what else.
PS - Travel writing, is more of the advertising sort, very few mag and newspapers, ever approach the word ‘journalism’; corrupt as all out. Good travel writing exists in book form however and some rare exceptions to the norm. Interesting blog tho, Neil. Subscribed.
Full circle, once a “conversation”, and a new journalism, now a whoring just like the rest. Hugh with Wine and Tailorisms, Scoble with tech toys and gawd knows what else.
PS - Travel writing, is more of the advertising sort, very few mag and newspapers, ever approach the word ‘journalism’; corrupt as all out. Good travel writing exists in book form however and some rare exceptions to the norm. Interesting blog tho, Neil. Subscribed.
I still think disclosure is unnecessary and whether you do it or not, your integrity still rests on your shoulders, not whether you purchased something or not. If you can’t review something objectively when you get it for free, I doubt you’d do so from purchasing it either. There is just as much a psychology about purchasing something as getting it for free. People tend to go two ways with purchasing:
1) They feel the need to justify their purchase. After all, let’s say I spent $1500 on a new laptop and I can only afford one laptop and I’m reviewing that. Guess what, I’m likely to look past its flaws.
2) That doesn’t mean things don’t go the other way. Sometimes you are MAD that you wasted money on a product and may bash it beyond what is called for.
Look at amazon reviews for a popular product, be it low to high cost, doesn’t matter. There are some truly excellent reviews on there, but mainly you see people saying how awesome something they got was or how sucky.
Like I said above, your objectivity is something you decide and something you are held accountable for. If you got something for free, said it was great, 10,000 people bought it and also thought it was great, and you later disclosed you got it for free, what has changed? Do those 10,000 no longer think it’s great? Are you a “shill” now, as is so commonly used in the comments here? Hardly.
In my short years reviewing products, I’ve received hundreds of freebies and reviewed many of them. In the beginning, I was surely affected by freebie euphoria, but it wears off FAST. Why? Most of what you get is crap. And most of my favorite things in the fields I review in I purchased.
I’m equally harsh on purchases and freebies. I’m not sure why people don’t see the reason that this is. What’s far more valuable than money? TIME. We don’t have that much of it. If I’m reviewing a crappy product, I have WASTED life on it, so you bet your ass I’m not going to care if it’s free 😉
And also, on a sidenote, reviews aren’t a service to the company. They’re meant to be a service to your readers. If you have compassion for your readers, you won’t sugarcoat your reviews to make a product sound better.
I still think disclosure is unnecessary and whether you do it or not, your integrity still rests on your shoulders, not whether you purchased something or not. If you can’t review something objectively when you get it for free, I doubt you’d do so from purchasing it either. There is just as much a psychology about purchasing something as getting it for free. People tend to go two ways with purchasing:
1) They feel the need to justify their purchase. After all, let’s say I spent $1500 on a new laptop and I can only afford one laptop and I’m reviewing that. Guess what, I’m likely to look past its flaws.
2) That doesn’t mean things don’t go the other way. Sometimes you are MAD that you wasted money on a product and may bash it beyond what is called for.
Look at amazon reviews for a popular product, be it low to high cost, doesn’t matter. There are some truly excellent reviews on there, but mainly you see people saying how awesome something they got was or how sucky.
Like I said above, your objectivity is something you decide and something you are held accountable for. If you got something for free, said it was great, 10,000 people bought it and also thought it was great, and you later disclosed you got it for free, what has changed? Do those 10,000 no longer think it’s great? Are you a “shill” now, as is so commonly used in the comments here? Hardly.
In my short years reviewing products, I’ve received hundreds of freebies and reviewed many of them. In the beginning, I was surely affected by freebie euphoria, but it wears off FAST. Why? Most of what you get is crap. And most of my favorite things in the fields I review in I purchased.
I’m equally harsh on purchases and freebies. I’m not sure why people don’t see the reason that this is. What’s far more valuable than money? TIME. We don’t have that much of it. If I’m reviewing a crappy product, I have WASTED life on it, so you bet your ass I’m not going to care if it’s free 😉
And also, on a sidenote, reviews aren’t a service to the company. They’re meant to be a service to your readers. If you have compassion for your readers, you won’t sugarcoat your reviews to make a product sound better.
Someone else you should lend your Tablet PC too!
http://www.edbrill.com/ebrill/edbrill.nsf/dx/wheres-his-tabletpc
Someone else you should lend your Tablet PC too!
http://www.edbrill.com/ebrill/edbrill.nsf/dx/wheres-his-tabletpc
Can’t wait to read about Bobby Scoble getting charged by the IRS with tax evasion. Check the IRS tax laws re: receiving certain valuable gifts.
Can’t wait to read about Bobby Scoble getting charged by the IRS with tax evasion. Check the IRS tax laws re: receiving certain valuable gifts.
By the way: none of the companies involved have asked me to write in return for these loans/gifts and none have expected positive coverage in return.
Jay: that’s another reason I’m not going to accept them, but rather are going to return them.
By the way: none of the companies involved have asked me to write in return for these loans/gifts and none have expected positive coverage in return.
Jay: that’s another reason I’m not going to accept them, but rather are going to return them.
Ben: heheh! Bill still eats McDonalds. That’s cool. I hear when Microsoft was first starting up the team used to eat at Dennys. Personally, if I were Bill, I’d pay for an In-N-Out to open in Medina. 😉
Ben: heheh! Bill still eats McDonalds. That’s cool. I hear when Microsoft was first starting up the team used to eat at Dennys. Personally, if I were Bill, I’d pay for an In-N-Out to open in Medina. 😉
I don’t need to see big DISCLOSURES all the time, I think it is enough to write down in such posts that you receive that as testing gear.
But the interesting question stays - will it change the way you feel about it; and that is something you have to decide for yourself.
I don’t need to see big DISCLOSURES all the time, I think it is enough to write down in such posts that you receive that as testing gear.
But the interesting question stays - will it change the way you feel about it; and that is something you have to decide for yourself.
Robert,
I’ve emailed you my personal address for you to “send the items back” when you get done with them. I’ll make sure they get to their respective manufacturers as I’m sure you have better things to do with your time than to sort out what address Nokia vs. OQO is.
Just trying to help.
Robert,
I’ve emailed you my personal address for you to “send the items back” when you get done with them. I’ll make sure they get to their respective manufacturers as I’m sure you have better things to do with your time than to sort out what address Nokia vs. OQO is.
Just trying to help.