Scoble’s a shill … more details

Aaron: >>You can insist your work is unbiased until the cows come home, but as long as that financial incentive is there

Did I say my work is unbiased? I think the whole point of what I’ve been doing here for six years is telling you I +am+ biased.

Would Intel invite me back if I just made it look bad? Probably not. But that’s not what I do. If I think something is really bad I just don’t go. I knew this was going to be an interesting story from the first time I heard of it.

Whatever Intel paid you they got ripped off. That is one excruciatingly boring video.

Robert, I think you are experiencing tension created by a winter depression. I’ve been a feed reader of your for quite a long long time and I’ve never seen you get like this. Here’s my advice, leave all of your gadgets at home (maybe even your cell phone) get on a plane and find some place to wiggle your toes in the sand. Before you get back, get on the phone and order your self a nice 30″ monitor from Dell (I just got one) and get some nice 2560×1600 rez beach photos to use as wallpaper. You can even bring your camera and then take them yourself.

You seem to have lost touch with why everyone enjoys reading you, it’s the excitement that you have about technology, the bickering is best left for the old unhappy people of the Nytimes and WSJ. Get back to your roots man. Maybe reinvent yourself or something.

Well as long as we are on the subject of disclosure I’d like people’s opinions. i was invited to the Detroit Auto Show courtesy of GM and received complimentary airfare, rooms and meals and was given access to high level execs to interview. I put in the write up a disclosure to that effect on all GM pieces I prodcued from the show. Was what I wrote enough? They didn’t pay me any money, just provided transportation, rooms and meals. They were impressed enough with the GM podcasts to invite me back to the Chicago show. I take them up on their offer so I can get that access to GM execs, but also be able to do podcasts on other companies while there, and to then pass them on to my audience. I hope for feedback and then pass it on to those with whom I’ve established a realtionship with to help get an answer.

Well as long as we are on the subject of disclosure I’d like people’s opinions. i was invited to the Detroit Auto Show courtesy of GM and received complimentary airfare, rooms and meals and was given access to high level execs to interview. I put in the write up a disclosure to that effect on all GM pieces I prodcued from the show. Was what I wrote enough? They didn’t pay me any money, just provided transportation, rooms and meals. They were impressed enough with the GM podcasts to invite me back to the Chicago show. I take them up on their offer so I can get that access to GM execs, but also be able to do podcasts on other companies while there, and to then pass them on to my audience. I hope for feedback and then pass it on to those with whom I’ve established a realtionship with to help get an answer.

It was pretty obvious from the first few seconds of the 9min video, that Intel had paid for it – 2 cameras, a microphone for the interviewer…

Those in the community that look at online video regularly could clearly see this.

Matt,

Doesn’t worry me if you disclose. Perhaps just add that no one from the company was involved in the editing.

Of course, a lot depends on the nature of the content. If it’s a piece that could be construed as propaganda — like GM getting you to document all the great things they’re doing for the environment — then maybe you would be better off paying your own way and getting the other side of the story as well.

One of the reasons there is still a place for journalists is not because of any inherent superiority to bloggers, but because there is a clear set of behaviors that are standard for every journalist. If you are covering a sponsor, you disclose. It’s not a topic for argument. If you don’t disclose, you’re breaking trust with the reader.

If you’re maintaining that you were not obliged to disclose, then you are not a journalist, nor are you “journalistic” in any real sense. The wall between news and ads is one of the things that makes journalism what it is, when it’s at its best.

If you’re kicking back against people’s apparent demands that you disclose, that’s cool. I disagree with Shel about what makes a blogger “ethical.” I think anyone can do any f/cking thing they want on their blog. (Or podcast.) But each action has an equal and opposite reaction. You can’t claim exemption from disclosure and then insist you be taken seriously as a credible source for information.

Thanks for the feedback Dom!

Goebbels:

From your comments it seems that you are fairly emotional about this incident. How about coming clean and stating your affiliation/bias so we can put the proper “filter” on your comments.

Do I think it sucks that Robert failed to be 100% transparent? Sure. Do I care? Not really. Will I keep reading him? Of course. I don’t form my opinion based off one source. Do you? It would be careless to take things for face value that you find on the web. That goes for blogs, websites, wikis, and online rags like Valleywag.

Don’t think different. Just think critically and you’ll be fine and won’t have to get so worked up about someone else’s mistakes.

I agree with “MadTechie” – is this really that big of an issue? What’s the motive? As a general reader and no affiliation, I have no reason to be pissed off or emotional – what’s yours, Goebbels?

Considering everything going on in this country and the world it sure seems like some people are getting very upset about something very small in the scheme of things. Personally I’ve really enjoyed most of the videos you’ve done since joining Podtech and will continue to do so.

Cheers!
Kirk

“I have enough credibility, reach, and impact to keep pulling you in here every day. That’s enough for me.”

What should me more concerning to you is do you have enough credibility, reach, and impact to be puling people into PodTech after this.

@54. Doesn’t matter if they paid you directly. They compensated you, and PodTech by comping your travel. So, I gotta believe GM expected some “pro” coverage for their investment. Are Road and Track, Car and Driver, Automobile reporters and editors compensated by automakers in the way of airfare, hotel and meals for coverage of the auto shows? I think not, but I could be wrong. It all depends on how impartial you want to be perceived. If you want to be used as an extension of the marketing arm of GM, that’s fine. The viewer should know there is the potential of partiality in your coverage.

For those who said “who watched the whole thing?”, I did. It was very interesting.

It goes without saying that Intel invited Robert for their own purposes–why else would they invite someone to video their fab which has no camera signs posted everywhere? However, that does not mean that Robert towed the company line. I watched Jason Lopez’s video on Podtech afterwards, and boy was it boring! That’s paid-for advertising and it shows.

I like the ScobleShow cos it’s goofy. You get unedited views of companies, which gives you far more insight into the company than some slickly edited advertisement. That’s the appeal of Scoble, at Microsoft, and now at Podtech. Your goofiness lends credibility to your videos.

As to the length, I think on the whole you get it about right. For the casual techie, they may be a bit long, but for someone who’s really interested, the length is about right.

I don’t want to get into the whole linking business, because IMHO the blogosphere is way too up itself. Just keep producing good content and you’ll keep getting viewers. It’s a simple as that.

MadTechie speaks with reason. There is way too much heat in these comments; very little light. It’s not a huge big hairy deal. Valleywag be damned.

As much as you may not want to admit it, you’ve lost all credibility and respect.

Your way was paid by Intel

Your videos, which no one care about anyway, were not “paid” by them, but you were only there in the first place because they are your company’s sponsor.

Pathetic. If I were you I’d quit spinning and just tell the truth.

Naked conversations. HAH!

I’ve threatened it many times before, but now I’m really unsubscribing from your feed. Scoble, you have long demonstrated that you are immature and have a very false sense of your own importance, but I at least respected you. Your John Kerry-like equivocating on this issue has cost you that respect. If you say something important, I’ll see it on TechMeme or one of my other feeds, but as for continuing to listen to your whining on a daily basis, you can count me out. How stupid do you have to be to cry about how other, more successful blogs don’t link to what turns out to be an undisclosed paid commercial? And then to add insult to injury by complaining that Engadget then linked to a real article about an Xbox stolen from a cancer patient? You may not think it’s as newsworthy as your commercial, but why Engadget would give a damn about your opinion I have no idea. I’m done with you.

G.

Ted;

“Your videos, which no one care about anyway”

It’s not good to start a conversation off with invalid “facts”. I enjoyed the videos, as did other (tech) members of my family. In fact, if you even read some of the posts, you would see others also enjoyed the video(s).

Sorry Ted, I quit reading your post after that statement… Anyone who starts off with an ignorant statement doesn’t deserve the time of day…

^^ another unsubscriber? or is this unsubscriber number one trolling around again??

Could every shill commenter please include a full financial disclosure with every comment.

There are so many twists and turns in things like this, and often there are things you are not allowed to disclose.

There are things I have done with Intel in the past that I could only recently talk about, as they normally have 5 year NDAs on everything.

I am sure the same is true for lots of VC related items, not just who invested, but who else they invested in, and the contacts such connections provide, such as exclusive content.

@Robert – get the Podtech guys to install my Disclosure Policy Plugin. That way they can have a context related disclosure within the content and not forget about it.

I don’t see any other bloggers being as open as Scoble. Everyone has hidden agendas and biases, but you will rarely see them admit as much. Sure, Robert knows how to create a buzz. He does it deliberately sometimes. But I don’t know of many bloggers who are as honest as he is.

And, yes, his interviews are boring if you’re not interested in the content. But if he covers something you really have an interest in, 41 minutes will feel like it’s not enough. I’ve gotten that feeling after a couple of videos I’ve watched.

Om Malik said in his video that Robert is a real blogger, while he (Om) is just a reporter trying to be a blogger. He’s right.

This is crazy stuff! Sure, disclosure is nice and all, but really… do you have to attach a PDF of your income tax filing to every blog post?

I can think of issues I would want full disclosure for; like maybe why and who benefits from us being in a war. But disclosing who pays for what on a video technology site seems excessive. Or maybe I just don’t take all of this seriously enough. What do I know, I just make media. And yes, some people pay for me to make it.

Two words: “Whoopdie” and “Doo”

But you know as well as anyone, Robert; just keep on keepin’ on and the audience will follow. Just like the backchannel will constantly complain.

I have to come to Robert’s aid here, not just because I like and respect him but because in all the years I spent in computer journalism, this issue always came up. As long as advertisers pay the bills, readers will always suspect the reviewers are biased in their favor. Hey folks, welcome to the real world, it’s not ideal but it works pretty well. Have things gotten a little fuzzier in the age of new media? Maybe a little but I have to say Robert got his start by telling it like was despite what his employer (Microsoft) might have wanted him to say – he’s got my vote!

Robert Dewey, I didn’t say the videos weren’t entertaining or watchable, I just said no one cares about them. Which may be hyperbole but is different from saying they are not well-made, interesting etc.

My reason in saying that is to say that the videos themselves are not the point.

You have a blogger asking people to remember blogging is all about by linking and reminding people where your links come from.

Well, another facet of blogging is being 100% on the level. This is not a tech magazine, this is not “computer journalism”. It’s a blog, it should be outspoken and it should remind us what the circumstances of the content’s creation are. Robert has admitted he failed to disclose, but he’s still trying to spin this as it looks bad. I say he has lost credibility and will have to work hard to get it back.