![]() ![]() I would never have bought the 802.11g MS router because of the problems with the first one. Did receiving the free router influence me? You bet, when I had thoroughly tested and debugged it, I recommended it to friends, and I moved a few SKUs. One day I came home from work to find an 802.11g beta wireless router from MS for my "time" debugging, which I used and upgraded to retail code until I got my first Airport Express (for the streaming, my first Mac worked fine with the MS router). I got into the newsgroups and provided logs, traffic captures, and general debugging to MS and the few other people that where in the San Francisco Bay Area having the same problems with Pacific Bell. It didn't work with the Pacific Bell DSL I had because of some bugs with PPP dialing. Back when MS was launching their Broadband Networking hardware, I bought one of the 802.11b wireless routers. Have I ever received something for my time in online community work that influenced me? Yes I have. In the MS MVP case, you were compensated for you time with gifts and a title. Somewhat stunning that MS does not equate software and benefits here with monetary compensation, when software handouts have been using to settle antitrust lawsuits, which is obviously compensation. The Microsoft MVP Program does provide a small award of software and other benefits in its core program offering, but MVPs do not receive any monetary payment from the Microsoft MVP Program. Q6: Do Microsoft MVPs receive any payment from Microsoft?Ī6: No. To even mention the Holocaust as passingly relevant to the giveaway discussion is disgusting. You get SWAG for going to a conference, why is this any different? I was a Microsoft MVP for 3 years, which was a reward for past efforts with Microsoft software, trips, and buttloads of NDA information. Some people think the Holocaust didn't happen, too. Being the selfish greedy that I am, and having dealt with the crappiest Tecra M4 in the world, I decided to keep mine. When I got the e-mail giving me a choice betwen a couple systems, I was told that I could either give the system away, or keep it for myself. What really prompted me to post though was the unrepentant post by Robert McLaws on this situation. Paying for Vista and your own hardware to review it is not impractical. ![]() Look at the "Accepting Hospitality from Sources" section for guidance on receiving gifts, in short don't unless completely impractical to the situation. ![]() Here is a link to The New York Times Ethics Guide (PDF) from 2004. Bloggers can't have it both ways, you can't be journalist when it suits your needs, but bloggers when your getting gifts. Handouts of any kind cloud your judgement, it really is that simple, which is why Ed Bott's stand against gifts is the only sensible option, but he's wrong that bloggers shouldn't be held to that standard just because they don't have journalism training. Just because the "bribe" would be better since it would be a MacBook Pro instead of the Acer Ferrari doesn't mean you compromise your integrity. What would I have done if Apple had sent me a MacBook Pro for "review" and to keep it if I liked as MS has done? You have to disclose, and then you can't keep the machine. If I had, I would have immediately disclosed that I had, any communication received from Microsoft, and what my intention was to do with the laptop (charity sounds like a great idea). Since then Scoble posted again saying he thought this was a great PR move, but the key question from a blogger ethical point of view was did you disclose? People are calling the "gift" a bribe.įull Disclosure: I did not receive a laptop :-). I think this story started to explode when Scoble linked to Scott Beale, called it PayPerPost. Not clear how recipients got "on the list", but here is a sampling: Laughing Squid - Scott Beale Notgartner - Mitch Denny Ed Bott Marshall Kirkpatrick - Now MS wants he laptop back Robert McLaws I am talking about the Christmas gift that Microsoft and AMD put together for a bunch of bloggers and influencers. No, not the movie, I just liked the title for this post. ![]()
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