Ferrarigate
Microsoft is offering some bloggers a free laptop to help promote Vista. This site gives an interesting perspective on the issue.
I checked the blog’s stats and his site doesn’t get very much in the way of traffic. But, it is interesting that a large company, like Microsoft, is using the blogosphere and providing incentives to bloggers as a way to generate hype for Vista.
Funny, have been reading blogs on this topic, with most people discussing the ethics of this. Interesting blog here: http://markevanstech.com/?p=2002
I wonder if the people at PC Magazine or Engadget go through such a fuss when they get laptops, software, TVs and a host of other products to try out and (probably) keep in the office or even give to staff to take home.
What all the blogs seem to miss is the real point: blogging is becoming a viable media. Most of these people are analysts, developers, influencers of opinions (just like magazines, TV and others are), not just people blogging for fun. So why the shock? Most of these blogs make revenue from advertising, and reality is that blogging is no longer just a group of random people out there.
For many, blogging is an extension of their profession. The move simply validates that large companies are starting to pay attention to the impact that bloggers have on the market, and therefore marketing engines are starting move them into the mix.
I would wager we will see much more of this.