Federated Media stepped in it with their latest campaign, getting some of its bloggers to issue not so bon mots on behalf of a not so bon advertiser, Microsoft.
I tried to warn Federated when I adamantly turned down two prior similar campaigns, telling them that this would reflect poorly on the bloggers who do it, possibly on bloggers as a whole, on the network itself, and in the end on the advertisers. But they kept trying to push the boundaries, because that’s what advertisers and thus sales people do.
So ultimately, this is a cautionary tale for all bloggers who take ads: You must set your own boundaries and not let them be pushed. When you do — whatever those boundaries are — that is the very definition of selling out.
In each of these cases, the advertiser’s effort is to get more closely associated with us, our content, our reputations, our brands. They’d like get into our pants mouths. They want us to speak their names. Nicely. Or at least be near them, associated with them. This happens at every editorial product I know and it becomes incumbent upon their editors to resist and to protect their integrity from integration — if, indeed, that matters to them (and in many cases, such as entertainment shows — Coke glasses on the American Idol desk — it doesn’t). Advertisers can’t get us to endorse their products directly — unless we’re PayPerPosties or actors — and so they try to find some way that we can say something nice somewhere else. That’s what happened in this case, after much Talmudic wrestling that still strikes me as the congregant asking the rabbi for permission to have an affair… with a shiksa… on a pig farm… on a Saturday… for money.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now: The rules are obvious. Our readers should not be confused about the source of what they read. If it is paid for, that should be labeled as advertising. In editorial environments, our voice and our space cannot be bought — or it is not editorial; it is, by definition, advertising. Not every media property needs to follow these rules; entertainment, for example, is not editorial. But this is the essential rule that allows us to accept advertising to support publications without losing our credibility.
First, I’ll give the background of the current case to those who, having taken a weekend day off, had not seen it on Techmeme. And then (at the three asterisks below) I will give you my history and the emails I sent to Federated on this last year.
The current case: On Friday, Nick Denton at Valleywag gave proper a tongue-lashing to Federated and the prominent bloggers in the ad network — Om Malik, Michael Arrington, Fred Wilson, Paul Kedrosky, Matt Marshall (plus Richard MacManus, Mike Davidson, and Federated founder John Battelle) — who agreed to give pappy quotes over their names for a platitudinous campaign about business that is “people-ready,” said quotes appearing on a minisite Federated made for Microsoft and on banner ads. We, the public, are supposed to become so engaged in this fit of interactivity that we vote for our favorite cant (does the winner go on a bumper sticker? a t-shirt? a blimp?) and submit our own people-ready stories. If this felt any more stretched, it’d be taffy. But note how they try to get the bloggers to lend their names and voices even if not on their sites and not about the product but still under the advertiser’s brand. Didn’t fool Denton:
I can’t blame Battelle’s team for latching on to this idea. The campaign is slick; and Microsoft is a deep-pocketed client. But it’s disappointing that so many of his most reputable writers have signed on as spokespeople. One would have thought that tech opinion-leaders as influential as Om Malik and Paul Kedrosky would ration their credibility more carefully, and reserve it for companies and products for which they felt real enthusiasm.
This is why I love the Brits: understatement.
Om Malik, to his considerable credit, back-pedaled quickly:
So without making any excuses, to my readers, if participation in Microsoft’s advertising campaign has made you doubt my integrity even for a second, then I apologize.I have requested Federated Media, our sales partners, suspend the campaign on our network of sites, and they have. We are turning off any such campaigns that might be running on our network. Would I participate in a similar campaign again? Nothing is worth gambling the readers’ trust. Conversational marketing is a developing format, and clearly the rules are not fully defined. If the readers feel a line was crossed, I’ll will defer to their better judgement.
The fact of the matter is that the original premise of the campaign was to give my thoughts by what People Ready meant to me – it wasn’t an endorsement of a specific Microsoft product. (You can read it here, and judge for yourself.) Nor did my words run in any portion of our editorial space. Microsoft asked us to join a conversation, and we did. I wasn’t paid to participate in the conversation, but Microsoft ran an ad-campaign that paid us on the basis of CPM.
But today the campaign, which has been running for close to two months, brought up doubt about my editorial integrity for some of you.
In the future I shall focus on what I know best – reporting and writing.
Good on Om. He was clearly seduced by some silver-tongued ad sales guy but has thought better of it. So has Paul Kedrosky: “…I still should have taken more time and said “No” to an ad whose style could so easily be misconstrued.” Fred Wilson has not thought better of it and called Nick so old school for sticking to these rules (Fred, some rules are worth keeping). Ditto Michael Arrington, who tells critics to “pound sand” and argues that it’s clearly an ad. Absolutely right, but it’s still an ad with your words in it. Except then Mike reveals these aren’t necessarily their words: “…generally FM suggests some language and we approve or tweak it to make it less lame. The ads go up, we get paid.”
Clearly, Federated has not thought better of it. Their new VP of author relations, Neil Chase, a topnotch editor who just left the New York Times for this gig, responded to Denton trying to justify this self-delusion by taking lipstick and writing the label “conversational marketing” on the pig:
ValleyWag today suggests that one of FM’s conversational marketing campaigns is hurting the editorial integrity of our authors. It says that Microsoft paid them to write, which is simply not true. They were invited to join a conversation with readers about Microsoft’s new theme, and they did so, but they didn’t write about it on their blogs. The only money they get from Microsoft is from ads running on their sites, for which they’re paid by the page view.
Well, but they were paid. Mike Arrington’s laudably candid on that point. They were paid for the media rather than the creative, as we say. In publishing, we call this “value added.” Some media companies insist that they won’t negotiate their rates but then they throw in extra stuff — parties, goodies, extra ads elsewhere — to essentially lower the price. The value-added in this case was the bloggers’ words. Neil continues in his comment to Nick:
Welcome to the birth of conversational marketing.It’s making people like you and me, who came from the world of traditional newspapers, have to learn about three-way conversations. We have already witnessed the evolution of the two-way conversation among authors and readers that is replacing old-fashioned one-way journalism. Even our old employers (yours at the Financial Times, mine at The New York Times) are now actively bringing their readers into two-way conversations.
So the next step, naturally, is for marketers to want to join the conversation. It can be done in ethical, responsible ways, and FM’s authors are among the first to figure out how to do it.
Uh, Neil, I think you’re jumping to a conclusion there and if you listen to the conversation about this “conversation,” you might think otherwise. Hear Charles Cooper at CNet: “Why would ostensibly independent voices come across as Microsoft shills?” Here’s Ashkan Karbasfrooshan joining the discussion: “Frankly, it makes me distance from MSFT, dislike Battelle’s tactic (note singular John) and distrust what the bloggers have to say.” Neil continues:
We’re carefully expanding conversational marketing based on all kinds of new ideas that are coming from authors, marketers and our sales reps. We’re drafting a set of principles for conversational marketing that will help everyone, inside FM and across the industry, frame the discussion about how we do this the right way. And we’re taking care at every step of the process to make sure we don’t compromise the editorial integrity of our authors.
I’d say it should have been drafted long ago.
I pulled out email from September 11, 2006, from a Federated rep trying to get me into a similar program, this one with Cisco trying to get such bromides from bloggers for its effort to associate itself with the phrase “human network.” Worse, in this case, they wanted to write a Wikipedia article about the network to get their brand in there. I call that knowledge spam. I was told that if I chose to participate, my definition of “human network” — which I would deliver after they gave me a “seed definition” — would appear in an ad on Buzzmachine. The net to me for this opportunity would have been $559. I said no. And I gave them some free advice:
This will get them KILLED in the net. It is wikipedia spam. It is not transparent. It is wrong for them and wrong for me and I would say for FM.
I was told in email that the client decided to change how the Wikipedia entry was made, but they still made it. The original is here; the latest here. [*See note below.] I pressed on in a subsequent email:
I’m afraid they are still on the dark side. You just can’t put something with commercial motive into Wikipedia. Admitting it is hardly better; it is still a crime. The Wikipedians and bloggers will attack hard and they will deserve what they get.And I cannot stand behind an advertiser getting me to write something for pay. In most quarters — in quality, reliable, editorial, credible blogs — that is equally a crime. You cannot buy my editorial voice or space; that is the very essence of church/state in any journalistic context; that is what I have told everyone who has ever worked for me whether on a newspaper, on a magazine, or online. . . .
I want to stay as far away from this as possible. And I will still counsel that FM should also. If you’re going to sell your soul, I suggest doing it for a fuck of a lot more than $559! Not that someone cannot choose PR and press-release writing as a career, but I would hope that is not what FM stands for.
This tactic came up again in a campaign for a gadget (I don’t know whether the campaign ever ran, so I’ll keep the brand confidential). This time, we were expected to write directly about the product with positive sentiment. I’d say that’s the definition of a product endorsement. I turned it down and responded: “This is pay-for-post and I will not do it and condemned it today on my blog.” They came back and said, well, it’s not an endorsement but a personal anecdote of a time when I appreciated the kind of ability this device afforded — if I owned that brand of device. I came back and said: “I fear that this could blow up in Federated’s face.” I laid out the same rules I repeated above and added: “It’s one matter for an advertiser to pick up something we say as a blurb; happens to movie critics all the time. It’s another to assign and pay for a blogger to write something about the product. You can say that’s not endorsement but I’d say it sure smells like it.”
My real advice to them, relevant today:
I suggest that Federated have a policy on the relationship of its bloggers with advertisers. I would argue that in the church-v-state of this media and journalism world, you need to be the state and create a wall that allows us to be the church. You have the contact with the advertisers; we don’t. And I would further suggest that the editorial voice and space of Federated bloggers is not for sale. Whether you want that policy is up to you and the FM bloggers; but that will remain my policy. I think there is an opportunity to pull up above others and work on a higher plain. I also think that having such a policy makes it easier with advertisers: You have something to point to. I’d be happy to help with brainstorming such a policy. . . . My two cents. Just trying to be helpful. . .
Never had that brainstorming.
So now I’m disagreeing with myself. In that last email, I put the onus on Federated to come up with that policy. And though I still think that would be principled and wise, I shift at the top of this too-long post when I say that I now believe it’s the bloggers who must make these calls. That’s because advertisers will be advertisers; they will try to push for more integration with us (and we should beware taking that as flattery). And sales people will be sales people; they will try hard to get the sale. So we bloggers are left, inevitably, with the need to say no. I also generally oppose efforts to create omnibus codes. I can wish others would operate in a certain way and I can judge them accordingly. But I’ll just speak for myself with my advertising policy in greater detail:
1. My voice is not for sale. No one can pay me to say what they want me to say.
2. My editorial space is not for sale. I accept advertising and it must be clearly labeled.
3. When I am paid to write (as in a freelance article) or to speak, I will still determine what I say and I will disclose that relationship.
4. I will attempt to disclose relevant financial relationships so you are free to judge me and my words accordingly.
5. In some cases, such a relationship will prevent me from speaking on a subject (as in talking in detail about an employer). However, I will not be compelled to speak because of such a relationship.
6. If I say something openly and freely here, it may be quoted by a commercial entity (the blurb) but I will not be compensated for that.
7. My acceptance of advertising here does not constitute an endorsement of the advertiser. However, I will at times turn down advertising I find unacceptable.
8. I recognize that many blog, vlogs, etc. do not pretend to live by editorial standards and that is their right and freedom. But when they say some things, I will need to take when they say with appropriate salt.
9. I have financial relationships with others who do not follow these rules and in many cases I do not believe these rules apply to them (e.g., entertainment). I enjoy and respect many sites and products that do not follow these rules, but I expect to be able to find out what rules they operate by. I believe one’s rules and relationships should be disclosed.
10. I do not believe I have a price at which I would sell out. But if I did, I can say I certainly haven’t seen it yet.
Some more blog comment on this. From Sam Harrelson:
And here’s the lesson to be learned from all of this, whether you’re in the Technorati 100 or Technorati 100,000…Pay Per Post, Review Me, or accepting money in exchange for some sort of content production (whether a full post or a small block of text) comes across as slimy to your readers, hurts your credibility and does more long term brand damage to your blog and your brand than short term (monetary) good.
The only reason to engage in these sorts of schemes is to make a few quick bucks… but it’s not worth your blog’s soul. . . .
In our post-modern world, ideas such as “trust,†“objectivity,†“disclosure,†and “reliability†have been turned over and rendered subjective. That doesn’t mean that these terms are meaningless, it means that things like trust are now subjective in the eyes of the beholders. Authorial (or editorial), on the other hand, is meaningless. How I perceive you means everything.
He said it better — and briefer — than I did.
Kent Newsome:
t’s about whether or not you want to be the blogosphere equivalent of Suzanne Somers hawking a ThighMaster. It’s about the crossroads between cash and credibility.All we have as bloggers is our reputation and our track record. No ad campaign is worth risking that, regardless of whether it crosses any ethical line. This is more about common sense than ethics.
Dave Winer says:
… But to imply that everyone knows they’re doing it is wrong. I didn’t. I’m sure others didn’t as well.Second, and this is the really important one. It’s one thing to let Microsoft buy space on your site (it’s called advertising) and quite another to accept Microsoft money for words coming out of your mouth. Next month when we read something positive on these sites about Microsoft, how are we supposed to know if it’s an opinion, or just another example of being paid to say something supportive of Microsoft.
The only one of the people involved who showed any interest in what others think is Om Malik, and even his interest was conditional. In public writing, what people think of your writing is very important. They may not agree with you, they may not like what you say, they may not like you, but you want to be sure they know where you’re coming from. Any doubt about that removes value from your work. Do it often enough and it removes all value.
Mike says that this discussion cost him money that he needs to make payroll. I encourage him to look at a bigger picture. Any cloud over his integrity with readers will have a much bigger impact, imho.
: * LATER: John Battelle left this comment, which he also sent in email:
Jeff -
In fact, on the Cisco campaign, in now way did Cisco spam Wikipedia. They wanted to post a wiki version of their definition, and naturally their first thought was Wikipedia. Thanks to input like yours and many others, they did it on Wikia, the commercial cousin to Wikipedia. In fact, they sought out Jimmy Wales’ advice on the matter. The entry was later put up on Wikipedia by one it its editors, independently. Why? Because Cisco sponsored an honest conversation. Is it somehow illegal for companies to be part of a conversation? I really find that presumption offensive. Why can’t companies, which as the Cluetrain reminds us are just made up of people, be part of a conversation, and invite leader into that conversation? I’ll be posting more on this later, but I wanted to clear that up.
I never said “illegal.” I’m also taken aback by Battelle’s effort to be the offended party. I don’t know who posted the “article” and how it got there, yet it got there and the end result is the same. But there is Battelle’s stand.
: See also Fred Wilson’s response in the comments and my two responses, in turn.
: And here is Battelle’s post defending what he sees as “conversational marketing.” He says it’s new. I think it’s very old: It’s advertorial. I, for one, won’t contribute to advertorials. He also says that advertisers have a right to be part of the conversation. Of course; I don’t hear anyone arguing with that. The question is how they get there.
: THE NEXT DAY: Jackie Danicki asks why I didn’t write about this at the time. I did here. As I explain in the comments on Jackie’s post, I didn’t reveal the parties involved because this was business; they were just pitches at the time; I didn’t think the campaigns had actually gone through (my bad assumption); and I think discussing the issues is what matters here. This isn’t an expose. It’s a necessary discussion for bloggers. See also my response to Scoble on that point in the comments below.
[...] roundup from Jeff [...]
“10. I do not believe I have a price at which I would sell out. But if I did, I can say I certainly haven’t seen it yet. ”
Now that’s full disclosure if I’ve ever seen it
[...] Jeff Jarvis — whose blog is repped by Federated Media — weighs in at length, concluding: It’s the bloggers who must make these calls. That’s because advertisers will [...]
Is this campaign from Edelman PR’s Me2Revolution team?
Another Edelman Me2Revolution stupidity?
[...] Jarvis has a very insightful write up. It also outlines how Federated Media previously approached him to help get Cisco’s name onto [...]
[...] Additional Reading: Jeff Jarvis [...]
Well said Jeff, I really think the conversation needs to occur. Bravo.
jeff,
microsoft didn’t pay me to say what i said.
i wrote the words and they are great words and i love that they pulled them out of me.
this is the best campaign that i’ve been associated with since i joined FM with the exception of the sonos campaign that i helped to create
i reject the old skool notions that you and nick stick to.
fred
[...] with bloggers. It all seems to have started with this Valleywag post, and was further fueled by Jeff Jarvis, and a series of responses from some of the accused: Michael Arrington, Om Malik, and Fred [...]
Jeff -
In fact, on the Cisco campaign, in now way did Cisco spam Wikipedia. They wanted to post a wiki version of their definition, and naturally their first thought was Wikipedia. Thanks to input like yours and many others, they did it on Wikia, the commercial cousin to Wikipedia. In fact, they sought out Jimmy Wales’ advice on the matter. The entry was later put up on Wikipedia by one it its editors, independently. Why? Because Cisco sponsored an honest conversation. Is it somehow illegal for companies to be part of a conversation? I really find that presumption offensive. Why can’t companies, which as the Cluetrain reminds us are just made up of people, be part of a conversation, and invite leader into that conversation?
I’ll be posting more on this later, but I wanted to clear that up.
[...] BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Buying their voices: I’ve been sitting this one out, but having actually worked in newspapers, I’m siding with Jarvis on this one. Advertorials always made me feel slightly dirty and annoyed, and this does the same thing. It has a few things wrong with it, in my eyes: Its lame. Pure and simple. All the bloggers think its “new school,” but its about as new school as Brad Pitt going to Japan to do beer commercials. Its trying to leverage micro-celebrity status to pimp a product from a multi-national, hidden under the guise of “transparent” endorsement. What it amounts to is a payment for endorsement and attaching ones brand to a product for unidirectional gain (fiscal profit is not a gain in my eyes in terms of the development of a brand). [...]
Fred,
What’s so old-school about credibility?
Well said Jeff. The fact that Battelle, Wilson and Arrington don’t see a problem with it really reads to their character while others involved chose their integrity over money. Reading Arrington’s post on CrunchNotes really takes the crunch out of TechCrunch. After reading that post I don’t understand why anyone gives a crap about what that rude person thinks.
The word is integrity. Its about preserving the integrity of your editorial voices. Obviously there are people who don’t care. These are the people that are going to spoil blogging for everyone. These are the people that are going to keep blogging from being considered a serious form of journalism.
Good job guys and Arrington keep lighting those cigars with $100 bills.
John,
I never said “illegal.” That is your escalation.
Offensive. I find these campaigns offensive.
John:
“The entry was later put up on Wikipedia by one of its editors, independently. Why? Because Cisco sponsored an honest conversation.”
Did the Wikipedia entry carry the label:
“This conversation is sponsored by Cisco.”
?
OK, sorry Jeff. But to presume that any company can spam wikipedia at will, as Nick intones, is, as you pointed out, silly. I suppose instead of illegal, I meant “immoral” or somehow out of bounds.
And I hear you. You find the campaign offensive. I think the mistake we all made was that authors who joined and then, on second thought, wished they had not. If they claim to play by the rules of traditional journalism, they should not join a campaign like this one. I agree, that was a mistake. I posted on that on the FM blog.
I disagree, however, that being part of a commercial conversation means you have no integrity. I think the key is to do it right, with proper context, disclosures, understanding by all parties involved. We’re all learning. I’m sorry that we made this mistake.
John,
And what is the definition of “doing it right” when it comes to commissioning editorial voices to speak in a commercial context? In many news organizations, no editorial employee is ever permitted to write advertorials. That is their definition of doing it right. What is yours? And how does this enhance the stature and credibility of these bloggers? Isn’t that their real value to these advertisers, in the end?
[...] a comment posted on Jeff Jarvis’s blog, Battelle elaborates: Is it somehow illegal for companies to be part of a conversation? I really [...]
Fred,
Let me expand on that.
In journalism education, I talk a lot about the need to rewrite and break rules, to end old assumptions, to work with new realities. I talk about it far too much for the taste of some (many, actually).
But I also talk about the values that are worth maintaining and preserving. Credibility is the essence of that. Not selling your voice is the key to credibility. It is the foundation of independence. There are other worthy values I talk about, too: fairness, accuracy, completeness. And this week on Newshour, I included in the discussion the ethics I have learned from the blogosphere: the ethic of the correction, of the link, and of transparency.
In the professional arena, I also talk a lot about the need to reexamine the wall between church and state, the need for journalists themselves to take responsibility for the sustainability of journalism.
But that makes is all the more important that we understand how to maintain independence and credibility. That makes these selected “old-school” values all the more critical.
It doesn’t matter whether one considers oneself a journalist, though. Credibility is the same for all of us. Our readers expect us to speak with them directly, as trusted friends. My neighbors aren’t paid to speak to me. No one is (yet) trying to buy their voices. I expect the same here.
I don’t want to tear down all the old schools. I want to update them.
And I clearly believe in the importance of advertiser support for media, including the media of the people. But that, too, is why I think it is important to have these discussions openly and in detail, so that bloggers will build and maintain their credibility. For if they lose their credibility, they lose their value both to their readers and to their advertisers. That much has not changed: Advertisers, including Microsoft, want to be associated with people of who have the respect of their shared public.
[...] Jeff Jarvis wisely states: You must set your own boundaries and not let them be pushed. When you do — [...]
It all comes down to individual integrity and whether or not you have a conscience that you listen to when you are tempted to rationalize your personal motives to accept dishonest behavior in yourself.
I just see this as another example of American hypocrisy, especially in Fred Wilson’s, Mike Arrington’s and John Battelle’s responses.
and thank you for your very insightful coverage of this blogosphere blowout Jeff.
Battelle has an interest in getting this by, he’s working hard on damage control. It seems his business model will lean on this type of campaign for needed revenue.
I do feel this has tarnished the FM image and may cast a negative light on all bloggers. Sad day really.
Shame on JB.
Really surprised Arrington doesn’t get it.
[...] Jarvis has detailed coverage that sums up the problems pretty well. Federated Media sells the ad space on his blog, and he is [...]
Jeff, thanks for background details and a thoughtful analysis.
John Battelle:
“…If they claim to play by the rules of traditional journalism, they should not join a campaign like this one.”
A good point John and a key reason so many are questioning this approach.
[...] an opinion, or just another example of being paid to say something supportive of Microsoft. Jeff Jarvis: So ultimately, this is a cautionary tale for all bloggers who take ads: You must set your own [...]
[...] the other hand, Jeff Jarvis has a major problem with these kinds of advertisements. I respect Jeff’s stance but don’t think [...]
[...] web 2.0 cred showdown news has broken since I wrote on the front page about this advertising controversy involving and blogs using Federated Media. Now crunchnotes.com is sounding this [...]
[...] inca un scandal marca Microsoft: cum sa platesti bloggeri celebri, cu venituri de mii de $ pe luna sa foloseasca fraze cheie. 600$ [...]
Joe Duck: “A good point John and a key reason so many are questioning this approach”
I think the thing is that so many people have claimed that bloggers have more credibility than journalists that to suddenly find bloggers doing something which would be unethical under traditional journalists rules is shocking. You can’t have it both ways: if you want more credibility than mainstream media, you’d better be whiter-than-white when it comes to how you relate to advertisers.
[...] 3: The best post on the Federated Media debacle comes from Jeff Jarvis, who picks apart the various positions to come to a simple conclusion: the rules are clear, and [...]
Here is my response to Scoble in his comments:
Robt:
It has long been the case that radio people voiced commercials. I don’t like it. But the conventions make it clear in most cases that this is not an endorsement; it’s a read. When the copy makes it seem like a persona endorsement, I don’t like it; I do think it’s unfcomfortable albeit traditional.
Note that TV people used to do the same thing. Go watch 60 Minutes guys telling you to smoke a cigarette, or live reads on Today. That ended. Why? Because it reduced the credibility of the journalists and hosts reading the ads. That was an improvement. Sadly, radio never caught up. Especially when radio ended up with one person in the studio — because it was suddenly less profitable thanks to TV and because technology allowed this — that person had to do everything.
I have to say I think it’s a cheap shot to dismiss this entire discussion as link bait: cheap and unproductive. This is an important discussion. We need to establish whether we are at least as good as TV — let that notion sink in — or as bad as crappy local radio — let that sink in, too. We need to decide what our individual standards are and what our relationship with our publics must be.
This is a complex discussion. So it does no good to dismiss it as if it were just a stunt. I didn’t spend all day Saturday researching and writing my book-length post to get links. I did it because I believe this is important and I hope we all think through the implications of our decisions.
That, after all, is the real lesson of the Federated case, as acknowledged by everything from Malik to Battelle: They wish they’d had their standards in place and thought it through.
So I wish you’d encourage this discussion rather than try to snuff it. I think your analogy to radio is very helpful and the further analogy to TV is also helpful. so I’m glad you contributed to the discussion. I hope more join in.
Here’s my response to your response:
Jeff: good point. You’re right, of course, that I shouldn’t have tainted your more serious conversation with the snuff that I aimed elsewhere. There were more than 40 blog posts on this topic and very few got close to the kind of consideration you gave it here.
I won’t elevate TV to that high a position or use it as some sort of moral “credibility bar†that bloggers need to ascend to. Last time I watched the national news channels CNN and Fox they were showing Paris Hilton being transported to jail in full five-helicopter wall-to-wall coverage. Almost around the clock it was Paris, Paris, Paris. Before that it was some other blonde bimbo who died and the TV stations spent an entire week talking about that.
Given a choice between superficial pop-culture coverage of Paris and a little incredulity due to blogs doing lame advertisements, I’ll take the blogs every day of the week. Especially given that TV is a one-way medium where normal everyday people can’t get regular access to the medium the way that people can get access to my comment area. Not to mention that blogs don’t force a complex issue to be discussed in two to five minutes the way most TV does (60 Minutes being one exception, but even there you’re limited to, what, 45 minutes a week split up into several topics?).
I guess I took the conversation down the path I did because most of the commentary seemed to have some axe to grind. Your piece being an excellent exception.
And if you think KGO Radio is “crappy local radio†I think you really need to come and listen again. KGO is one of the best talk show stations in the world and has had high ratings for at least 30 years.
I’d better make clear I wasn’t thinking specificially of KGO or I’ll piss off my old friend Ronn Owens. I was thinking crappy New Jersey radio stations — and, boy, do we have a crappy one.
Jeff: I love Ronn Owens too, but he reads TONS of commercials and endorses products on air for compensation too. Most noteably Sleep Train. He even has guests read the commercials as well. But anyone who listens knows that they are commercials and paid spots.
[...] publishing micro-site for Microsoft — developed by the advertising network Federated Media. Jeff Jarvis has the long version of the controversy. Jeff, who is a client of Federated Media, did not participate in the program and was adamently [...]
[...] – and openly mocked – Tim O’Reilly’s suggestion of a blogging code of conduct – are now criticizing Mike and Om and Paul and Fred (Abbey Blog?), as well as FM, with such abandon and [...]
[...] buzzmachine [...]
Of course advertisers have a right to be part of the conversation. It’s just that paying people to act as mouthpieces without disclosing that isn’t a conversation, it’s a manipulation.
If it’s conversation Cisco wants, John Chambers should start a blog. If he could manage to write authentically rather than in PR-speak, I’d sure read it.
What’s missing in this geek-fight – and who doesn’t love a good geek-fight??!! – is the discussion of money.
And how short it is.
Let’s take a step back and look at the people who took the dough here: it clearly wasn’t about the $500 or $1,000 or whatever small sum was involved in advertising. Their decision was wrapped up in trying to test and prove new models for sponsorship.
And blogs need it. They don’t make money, at least 99% of ‘em – and I’m talking about the regular posters to, plenty of good writers, high and dry on the blog beach. Blogging has made lots of good journalists and critics into hobbyists.
That’s why some big names would experiment with taking short money from one of the world’s largest companies. It’s about the economic model. So often, when journalistic ethics are discussed, economics is left out. I’d love to here what Jeff and his critics think about that.
[...] BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Buying their voices “In editorial environments, our voice and our space cannot be bought — or it is not editorial; it is, by definition, advertising.” (tags: advertising blogging) [...]
I am somewhat on the fence on this issue. On one side I understand why people are so pissed off. On the other hand, if the campaign had not been a Microsoft campaign, I am sure people would not have noticed (if it had been an Apple one, they might even have called it innovative).
Are the bloggers endorsing microsoft’s campaign? Yes
Are they endorsing microsoft product products and services? Not really
Can they carry that ad campaign on their sites? Why not?
Perhaps the only mistake that was made was not disclosing the day the campaign started that they were participating in it, just to remove any confusion. Other than that, heck, it’s an ad campaign, and not too bad a one at that.
Deepak,
As I said, I had the exact same problem when this was done with two other brands.
Jeff
Completely respect your consistency and opinion. I do still think that others are not quite the same. I don’t think this is the last of the discussion on the boundaries between blogging, marketing and monetization.
What a bunch of doublespeak! Om’s bit said “Commerce […] is business†(seriously)
To me, the “people ready†slogan brings to mind an image of an empty failing shop, with the owner pacing around wondering why they don’t have any customers anymore despite their obvious readiness for people… kind of like Micros~1, come to think of it
[...] BuzzMachine » Buying their voices – I don’t always agree with Jeff Jarvis, but this comment on the Federated Media “People ready” mess is spot on. June 25th, 2007 [...]
[...] BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Buying their voices Jeff Jarvis on the Federated Media advertising kerfuffle: “I’ll just speak for myself with my advertising policy in greater detail” (tags: internet blogging journalism advertising federatedmedia) [...]
I am disappointed that these bloggers have sold out like this and I will no longer be subscribing to them. There are many other voices — authentic voices — on the web that are much more deserving of my time.
[...] (most recently, Microsoft’s “People Ready†campaign). This doesn’t sit well with many bloggers, and for good [...]
[...] Jeff Jarvis [...]
[...] who review technical products can participate in manufacturers’ advertising campaigns (see Jeff Jarvis’ summary). Recently there was a similarly heated debate over whether bloggers have the right to refuse [...]
[...] human network is the paradigm and the infrastructure which supports social [...]
Where is Mark Bunting when you need him?
[...] up, Jeff Jarvis, who gives a detailed, sober account of some background to these types of campaigns I tried to warn [...]
[...] post asked why these guys would inexplicably pimp a Microsoft catchphrase. In a similar vein, Jeff Jarvis had it right when he headlined his comment on the situation "Buying their voices." [...]
[...] BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Buying their voices Jeff Jarvis analyses the whole situation on Federated Media and Microsoft. (tags: advertising blogging ethics) [...]
On Blogging, Having An Opinion, and the Quality and Trustworthiness of Your Voice…
…
“I’m disagreeing with myself.”
Don’t believe everything you think.
Is ‘transparency’ a genuine value or corporate platitude?…
A story not really covered by UK bloggers was the big hoo-har over Federated Media paying US A-list bloggers to put their names to advertising content. I won’t recount the affair as Jeff Jarvis has a comprehensive write-up. But one…
[...] the details in a passionate and succinct analysis of the debate. Check out the comments, some of the top [...]
[...] 更新：FMçš„John Battelleè¯´ç»´åŸºç™¾ç§‘é‚£ç¯‡æ–‡ç« çš„å†™ä½œèƒŒæ™¯è·ŸNick Denton写的ä¸ä¸€æ ·ï¼Œä»–告诉Jeff Jarvis：“æ€ç§‘想è¦è´´ä¸€ä¸ªä»–ä»¬å®šä¹‰çš„ç»´åŸºç‰ˆæœ¬ï¼Œè‡ªç„¶è€Œç„¶åœ°ä»–ä»¬é¦–å…ˆæƒ³åˆ°äº†ç»´åŸºç™¾ç§‘ã€‚æ„Ÿè°¢ä½ å’Œå…¶ä»–äººçš„è¾“å…¥ï¼Œä»–ä»¬åœ¨ç»´åŸºç™¾ç§‘çš„å‹ç«™Wikia上åšåˆ°äº†ã€‚事实上，他们找出了Jimmy Wales的建议。è¯æ¡åœ¨æ™šäº›æ—¶å€™è¢«ä¸€ä¸ªç¼–辑独立地放到了维基百科上。†[...]
[...] it comes to traffic. Federated also went down a road they called conversational marketing, where I didn’t want to go. So I decided to shift. I wish FM the best of luck; I’m rooting for them to make [...]
[...] 2007 in Advertising, Blogs, Marketing, Web 2.0 Prominent blogger Jeff Jarvis has a comprehensive post that nicely summarizes the latest online polemic about the evolving rules of the game for [...]
If a business is desperate enough to pay others for lying about their real opinions on blogs, then it reflects on just how horrible that business has become. How far will they fall?
[...] series. Same for Cisco. The Human Network is kind of a cool idea. But a stealth Wikipedia entry? Paid bloggers? We expect more from the firm whose hardware basically runs the Internet. advertising Under poor [...]
[...] When the two met, it could only end in one way, and it did: a total fiasco. [...]
[...] Way too long: the essential point is that bloggers were paid to not merely run ads, but promote the …I feel sorry for Jeff Jarvis, because he’s fighting the good fight, and I’m not sure how this war is to be waged. Can we tell people that getting paid to promote stuff is bad for blogging? That the promotion of stuff requires a credibility with one’s readers that is established independent of an ad campaign, if not opposed to the very concept of being an ad?The deep problem Jarvis is running up against is that blogging does have to become profitable in some way to the people blogging. This blog you’re reading now is partly the result of years of education, and I still do research, check sources, and ask people questions before I sit down to write anything.The idea that quality blogging can just emerge out of nowhere at no cost to anyone is preposterous. But many of us who do blog well are putting up with minimal rewards because we recognize how new the medium is, and how much potential it has.We also recognize that the medium has inherently found a way of exploiting the labor that makes it worthwhile, and that this state of affairs cannot last. Web search companies that drive traffic to my site get something far more valuable than mere money from my writing: they get the credibility that comes from my knowledge, openness, and ability.Jarvis can see this issue a mile away, to his enormous credit. If we want diverse, quality voices on the Net, we need to reward people substantially at some point. Intangible rewards aren’t going to cut it – the money needs to get to the writers at some point. The main reason for this isn’t elitist, but rather democratic.We can’t expect people who have seriously busy lives to be on here reading and responding well for little or no reward. I mean, we need to consider why pay-per-post programs “work” – why so many people flock to them. They’re not selling their voice because they’re evil, or even because they’re wrong. They figure, quite rightly, that the only reward that can be had is one that is guaranteed and that they shouldn’t lose out.Not everyone is going to have a voice as powerful as the WSJ’s editorial board. And why should one labor in the delusion that hearts and minds can be changed when there is money to do things like “eat” readily available?It’s at this point I need to bring up a related issue. Gracchi has written on the concept of “public reason” in Kant: roughly, the idea is that everyone can discuss legislation/policy in their capacity as a scholar, as someone willing to commit his views to writing.I urge all of you to read at least the first paragraph of Kant’s “What is Enlightenment?” I’ve written out a bunch of notes on Kant’s article that will become a longer piece, and the key to that first paragraph is essential for our considerations here. Notice that Kant isn’t really talking about “reason.” He’s talking about being willing to use one’s understanding. In classical terms, that’s more “spiritedness” than “reason,” and note the irony of the words “public reason.” One man alone doesn’t get things entirely correct.I bring this up because the central task of democratic life is for those who know better to teach those who don’t – see Lincoln’s “Temperance Speech” for this teaching. That doesn’t mean we who may know better dominate, but it also means that all bloggers are not created equal. Even in Kant’s gushing over a “will” to “reason,” one’s capacity as a scholar is what allows one to argue one position or another. A soldier is much better at talking about military issues than another, a pastor on religious issues, etc. are examples Kant uses in “What Is Enlightenment?”Of course, Kant flirts with relativism and perhaps too much accountability for those who do know. Those who are willing to write are going to be condemned – that’s probably the deepest lesson I’ve learned on the Internet. And Kant does imply that a citizen will be able to say whatever he wants about taxes, since he’s a “scholar” in the sense he pays them.In the face of these dual concerns – people needing to be paid while not selling their voices, but also a type of expertise being required and respected by a mass audience generally – I wonder if this medium will ever be something more than a mere chaos. Something tells me blogging is a stepping-stone, and nothing more than that. Make friends here, enjoy yourself and learn, but don’t think this can ever be genuinely new media in the sense of “media” being “stable.” The entry costs, ironically enough, are too high to sustain for long, and the ability to think about issues at the highest level leads directly to solipsism here: people will literally see what you write, and then move on, like nothing has been said. Don’t sell your voice because this medium needs you as dispassionate; rather, don’t sell your voice because you need the credibility in all other endeavors you’ll have beyond this. [...]
[...] Jarvis (June 23, 2007). “Buying their voices”. BuzzMachine. HostingMatters. Retrieved on [...]