“It’s tough being a journalist, especially if you’re covering technology and living in Silicon Valley, because it seems as if everyone around you is getting fabulously rich while you’re stuck in a job that will never, ever make you wealthy. What’s worse is that all these people who are getting rich don’t seem to be any brighter than you are and in fact many of them don’t seem very bright at all. So of course you get jealous. And then you start thinking maybe you could find a way to cash in on this gold rush. But how do you make gobs of money when your only marketable skill involves writing blog posts?” Absolutely brilliant down to the last letter. Coincidentally, I hold no shares, interests, or anything, in any company whatsoever. I’m a freelance translator by day. Not that anyone cares, but hey, full disclosure and all.
If you run a tech blog and you need to get more page views, just write some shit about the next iPad being able to do your dishes, and site ‘sources close to the matter’. There’s so many bullshit rumors flying around that by the time your made up story doesn’t come to pass, nobody will notice anyway.
I have thought on more than one occasion about starting up a website called ‘techrumorbs’ and start holding these sites accountable for the blatant false information that they’re routinely putting up. Remember the one where BGR said the last revision of the iPhone would be a Sprint exclusive?
As for MG Siegler, I’m not a big fan of his, but he is shagging Sarah Lane, so I can’t help but be a bit envious
wow… just wow…
Actually, Siegler has already responded to this by denying everything. But honestly, the way he handled the Path fiasco I doubt he will ever be taken serious again.
Sieger was taken seriously?
Damn, bad choice of wording…
Actually, he is (… really trying to find the right words here… ) mildly tolerated in some iStuff circles.
Edited 2012-02-14 12:17 UTC
Ha! I had exactly the same reaction! This was my exact comment when I +1’ed the article, lol.
It’s mind blowing the amount of sleaze, utter misinterpretation of facts, and downright lying that happens on so-called ‘journalism’ sites.
In a very twisted way, though, it can be good if it makes you question everything written on blogs, the authors bias, and the motives involved in writing said posts.
I think the problem is that almost no one (at least in the US) is taught to actively question anything that’s written, no matter what the source. Then again, I might have just made that up, but it must be true because it’s written on teh interwebs.
🙂
http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/12/twitter-facebook-and-apps-scam…
if the TL;DR summary is too long for you, here is an even shorter summary in graphical form:
http://ragingthunderbolt.tumblr.com/post/17592951993/public-service
<3 Raging Thunderbolt.
Seriously.
That’s a nice blog you’ve found there. Justified, concise, and funny rants that admit the possibility that a company can build both good and bad products at the same time… Love that
…So, this is what’s like to be a tech writer in Silicon Valley?
So guys who merely write about what’s going on around them, think they need to be getting as rich as the people who actually make real-world products?
And they actually think they are just as bright, or brighter by becoming a scam artist vs. a value producer? 😀
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the work good journalists do, but talk about illusions of grandeur!
Edited 2012-02-15 05:57 UTC
The sad things is that it is apparently working.
Until the stock market stops being a speculative baboon fest that is scared of a few leaves falling off a tree, we will not get away from these “gatekeepers”.
That’s funny, I kinda thought that’s what Gartner’s niche was.
It has long been the norm in tech writing in the U.S. that opinions are influenced by money, one way or the other. Perhaps it’s that you have a financial interest in the product you “review,” or perhaps you’re only getting “early access” to the products to review them, since you’re considered a “friendly” by the vendor involved. Or perhaps you’re editor prohibits you from writing a negative review because then that vendor won’t advertise on your site or in your magazine.
The average reader needs to be aware that there are few truly objective product reviews out there.
In the financial press, “Disclosure” is required. In the tech press, you’d be considered an idiot to do a “Disclosure” in your article.