peter.roj.as

I’ve been blogging for a long time now — going on nine years now, even if I’m not doing it professionally anymore — and if there’s one thing that bugs me is the contention that blogs can’t live up to, or even exceed, the editorial standards of newspapers and magazines. In fact, I’ve written for magazines, newspapers, and blogs, and I can say that I’ve seen far more ethical lapses at magazines than I’ve ever seen at any of the blogs I’ve written for.

Which is why I think that Arrington did the right thing by going public about a TechCrunch intern’s acceptance of — and apparently demand for — compensation from companies seeking coverage on the site. It was important to draw a very clear line in the sand there and make it clear that this sort of thing is unacceptable and not business-as-usual.

And to me that’s the crucial thing here, that this sort of quid pro quo is not common in the tech blogosphere. There’s a lot of cynicism out there about blogs, but I think that a lot of us forget that the core quality that defines any publication is credibility. It takes time to accrue it, and the way you keep it is by being honest with your readers and transparent about your relationships. And part of being credible means going beyond transparency and recognizing that there are things you simply don’t do. My basic rule when I was running Engadget was: Don’t do anything you wouldn’t feel comfortable disclosing any blog post, but also don’t pretend that simply disclosing something absolves you of all responsibility not to have an inappropriate relationship with the companies you’re writing about.

What frustrates me is that stories like today’s are only going to fuel the cynicism that’s out there, and widen this belief that everyone is on the take or has compromised their integrity. I can tell you that almost every single technology blogger I know (and there are always some exceptions) takes what they do very seriously and has a clear understanding of what their ethical boundaries are. And I can also tell you that people who level accusations like “Oh, I bet Apple paid them to write this” has absolutely zero understanding of how media companies work or even of how technology companies do their advertising, marketing, and PR.

I think it’s always a good idea to read things with a critical eye, but constantly asserting that every time someone on a tech blog writes something you disagree with does so because they’re on the take does nothing to improve the quality of journalism out there and actually does harm because it makes things like today’s incident seem less important and more common than it really is.

UPDATE: I put this up and then five minutes later see that Jason has some thoughts posted as well.

I’d like to think that CES was the most interesting thing to happen to me so far this year, but more than a few people have emailed/IM’d/tweeted asking to find out what happened after I posted that pitch Ogilvy sent on behalf of AmEx’s Zync card, so I figured I’d post an update.

It actually didn’t take long for representatives from both Ogilvy and AmEx to call after my post — it was maybe half an hour before my phone started ringing — and over the past week I’ve had some really good conversations with people from both companies. Everyone I spoke with was apologetic and made it clear that this was a deviation from their usual way of doing things, and I accept both their apologies and that this isn’t usually how they operate (in fact the reason I posted this email is because it seemed so out there).

Anyway, I wasn’t looking for an apology, but it was nice to get one and I sincerely hope they understand that my intention wasn’t to cause anyone any grief as much as it was to try in some very small way to reduce the amount of dumb marketing being done these days. It was pretty encouraging to hear from a lot of people working in marketing and PR who told me they agreed with what I’d written and also felt that there were smarter ways to do this stuff.

Yesterday I got an email from a social media marketer at Ogilvy about a new card that American Express is introducing and how they’d like to strike up an “exclusive relationship” with me. I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant by that, but I’d done some work for AmEx in the past — I spoke to some of their executives about the future of mobile a few years ago — and so I figured I’d at least see what was up. I wrote back (and this is all I wrote back), “Could you give me an overview of what you’re describing?”

The email below is what I received in return. If you can get past all the buzzwords (“for 20somethings by 20somethings”, seriously?), basically the deal is that in exchange for the “privilege” of signing up for the Zync card I get to give AmEx free consulting (because paying me would make me lie to them, apparently) and then host a party where I can market the Zync card to my “network”.

So let me get this straight: I get to sign up for a product where they make money (in terms of card fees), where I give them advice and insight that AmEx used to think was worth paying for (but now is not because that would make me dishonest), and then to wrap it all up I get to pimp out all my closest friends? I can’t believe AmEx would be stupid enough to give Ogilvy money for this program, I hope they convinced them to accept payment in Zync card accounts and tweet-ups.

UPDATE: I should make it clear that it’s not about getting paid or not getting paid — I’m happy to contribute to all sorts of things for free, even things for big companies like AmEx — this is about it being a very one-sided arrangement where one side seems be asking for a lot and not delivering any discernible value in return. Value can come in lots of different forms. I’ve beta tested products before and given my honest, unpaid feedback to those companies, but I did so because I felt like I got some value out of being able to use the product and learn more about it. There isn’t much offered here — I already have an AmEx card, so it’s not like I need to gain some experience using. The value only moves one way, from me to them. They’re asking to leverage my usage, my knowledge, and my network.

Hey Peter,

Not a problem! So, here is the deal: If you don’t know Zync…

Zync is the new American Express Charge card for 20somethings. This card is created for 20somethings by 20somethings that is all about customization: consumers can choose packs of benefits. So if you like buying say tech products, you can specifically choose the tech pack tailored to your needs to give you extra membership rewards. It’s all about you and what you want.

Another important thing to know is that the card is currently in beta testing – that is where you come in. As a person who is in the tech world and is out and about in the New York City scene we felt that you would be an awesome person to test out the card and be part of the ongoing discussion with product development team. Since this card is in beta, this truly is a card that is for you by you: you get to choose during beta what works and what doesn’t.

Lastly, since we want this to be genuine, we won’t be paying you for your time to participate because we want the feedback you give to be honest. The benefit is that you have an access to an exclusive relationship with the Zync team, cool events, special committee standing in our Zync Tank and the opportunity to host your own tweet-up, completely paid for by the Zync team. All that is detailed below-

o Zync Immersion Event:

§ To start the relationship, we want to get you to know Zync

§ While we enjoy our PPT presentations, that is not how we want you to get to know Zync

§ For this day, we will be doing fun activities all around New York City so you can really interact with the Zync team

§ This will be a one-and-a-half day experience full of exciting and exclusive events that tie into the Lego Packs (eco, tech, social and green)

§ This will take place sometime in early February

o Zync Tweet Up:

§ While we are looking for feedback we are also celebrating the development of the new card

§ For this, we want to co-host Zync tweet ups for you and your network

§ Will be held in top metro areas (e.g. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco) themed around one or more Lego Packs

§ Events will be for 25 – 50 people at fun locations related to packs such as Brooklyn Boulders

§ This will take place sometime in February/March

o Zync Tank:

§ Since you will be a Cardmember, we want you to get the full experience of the beta testing of the card

§ For this, we have something called Zync Tank. Zync tank is our online community/listening tool that we use to get sentiment of Zync from Cardmembers participating in the beta program

§ With this relationship, you would be able to be part of the “Special Committee” in which you really get to provide feedback to the product development team on ideas for iPhone applications, the next packs and much more

There is a lot that we want to accomplish. With you, we are not asking you to write anything on our behalf or provide us a post. Merely, as a person we value, we want to experience the card with you while we develop it so it’s not just American Express but from a person who really can put a lot of value into the card and perhaps vice versa.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I’ll touch base with you tomorrow to see if you are still interested or have any questions!

Best,
Priya

…and testing to see if it’s working properly.

So kind of a big day for me: RCRD LBL rolled out a redesign of the front page that better highlights all of the awesome music we’re putting out there AND Ryan Block just announced that he’s leaving Engadget to work on a totally new project with me. This is about as good as I think my life can get, I’ve never been more excited or happier about the stuff I’m working on. The redesign of RCRD LBL caps off Phase 1 of the site; we’re going to be rolling out a TON of new features and new sites over the next nine months or so in Phase 2. I can’t say as much about what I’m working on with Ryan, but I will say that I’m really looking forward to launching it in the near future (but not TOO near).

Almost forgot to mention that Rhizome, the digital art non-profit I’m on the board of, is having it’s annual benefit event on the 15th. If you’re in NYC you should come, we’re honoring Lynn Hershman Leeson and Josh Schachter (aka Mr. del.icio.us). Tickets are on sale here.

I haven’t always owned this URL, the previous owner of http://roj.as/ was the ROJ, a Kurdish political party of some kind (why they chose .as — American Samoa! – for their TLD is beyond me). Anyway, not sure why I never thought to do this before, but I thought I’d share — courtesy of the Wayback Machine – what the site looked like back in 2002, three years before I bought the domain.

We’re introduced a handful of new features at RCRD LBL lately, including:

• MP3 of the Day – A daily email newsletter highlighting one great track from the site. Probably the easiest way to stay on top of the site and make sure you don’t miss anything good. There’s a form for signing up in the upper right-hand corner of RCRD LBL.
• The RCRD LBL Top Ten – Our weekly chart of the most download songs on the site. Sort of an obvious thing which we should have had months ago, it’s a great snapshot of what people are digging on the site.
• The RCRD LBL Podcast – Technically we started this back in December, but it was really off and on until we asked Trent Wolbe to take on the production job for us. Elliot’s been doing an awesome job hosting and programming the show, I really love the idea of a music podcast where you can hear a song you like and then legally go and download it. you can grab the podcast feed here or click here to add to iTunes.

We’ve got a bunch of other stuff in the works which should be ready early this summer, as well as a roster of exclusive music from some amazing — and pretty big — artists.

I’m headed out to Austin tomorrow for SXSW, on Tuesday I’m speaking on a panel about ad-supported music. I’ll actually be in town for the entire week, which is new for me. I’ve gone to Austin for SXSW Interactive for the past five years or so, but this will be the first time I’ve stuck around for the Music portion of the conference (this is the first year I’ve had a good excuse for being there).

By the way, this is in no way affiliated with SXSW, but RCRD LBL will be hosting a blogger lounge in Austin next week. Details below:
______________________________________________________

Please join Team RCRD LBL at the The Leviʼs®/FADER Fort in Austin

The RCRD LBL Rec Room will be complete with WiFi, computers, and plenty of space to work. We’d love for you to come by, meet our artists, label partners and staff and enjoy all the awesome bands and DJs our friends at Leviʼs® and the FADER have booked to perform.

The Leviʼs®/FADER Fort Featuring the Leviʼs® Pop Shop

204 E 4th Street
Between Brazos and San Jacinto Blvd
Austin, TX

Wednesday March 12th through Saturday March 15th

OPEN 1pm-8pm DAILY

Schedule to be announced! All events are invite-only, private and require an RSVP: http://www.thefader.com/newsletters/fort/index.html

Space is limited based on capacity. MUST BE 21+

After much procrastination I finally got around to getting my USB EV-DO modem working with that Dell X1 laptop I have with Ubuntu on it. The solution actually came from Sprint itself, which — much to my shock and amazement — put out a guide to getting their EV-DO cards working on Linux machines. (Linux support of any kind is usually an afterthought for wireless carriers.)

Of course, this does remove my one last rationale for buying a new ultraportable laptop, although I shouldn’t complain since the X1 is light (it weighs just 2.2 pounds with the regular battery and 2.7 pounds with the extended one), gets decent battery life (about three hours with the extended battery, half that with the regular one), and has been running really fast since I put Gutsy Gibbon on it a few months ago.

Ok, it’s not just RCRD LBL that’s expanding, Inhabitat (which isn’t just the biggest green design blog, it’s also one of the biggest green blogs, period) is growing like crazy and is looking to hire a lead blogger. Here’s the description:

Inhabitat is looking for a blogger to lead daily editorial coverage at the site. You’ll need to have a good grasp on the latest developments in green design, architecture, and technology and be able to write about them with clarity, concision, and wit. Being able to work independently and source your own ideas for posts is critical (familiarity with an RSS reader is a must). Photoshop skills are optional, but a big plus (and you’ll need to at least be able to do some basic photo editing). You’ll be able to work from anywhere, but New York candidates will be given priority, and whatever your location you’ll need to be available and working regular business hours (we collaborate primarily over IM). In exchange you’ll receive competitive compensation, an opportunity to become a leading voice in the world of green design, as well as a chance to work with a team of dedicated people who share your passion.

To apply send an email to inhabitat at gmail . com with a resume, some background about who you are, why you’re interested in the job, and at least two or three writing samples (links are fine).

So a few years ago I used to live in the apartment building above Teany, this cafe that Moby owned on Rivington Street here in New York. I didn’t actually know Moby really at all — the only time we ever talked was during a game of Scrabble where we completely schooled me — and I definitely never thought in a million years that I’d ever have anything to do with helping him put music out. That’s why I’m especially excited to announce that we’re working with Moby on the release of an exclusive DJ mix he’s put together of tracks from his forthcoming album, Last Night.

It’s a huge deal for us to have an artist as massive as Moby embracing what we’re about, and he’s just the first in a series of higher-profile artists that we’ll be working with this year. Go download the track here!

We’re running a pretty cool contest over at RCRD LBL where we’re giving away five Nikon Coolpix S51c digital cameras. All you have to do to enter is either sign up for our mailing list (sign-up box is on the right-hand column of the site), add us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, embed your favorite RCRD LBL artist photo widget on your website or blog (just use the easy instructions that show up when you hit it “Grab This” on the widget, you can see an example of it here on my personal blog), or add us as a friend on MySpace. Best of all, if you do all five thing you”ll have five chances to win.

It’s true, I’ve been a little light on the updates here, but I have a decent excuse: RCRD LBL is keeping me busy. So busy, in fact, that we’ve decided it’s time to expand the team, which means we now have a position we’re looking to fill. The official description is pasted below:

RCRD LBL, a new ad-supported online record label based in New York City, is on the hunt for an Operations Manager.

We’re looking for someone super-organized and hardworking, who doesn’t need to be micromanaged and can take the job and run with it. We’re a startup, which means that you’ll need to be able to deal with a very fluid environment — there will be a lot of work, but you definitely won’t be doing the same thing every day. There are the usual perks to being in the music industry, but we’d rather find someone who is more excited about changing the game than getting backstage passes.

Responsibilities include:

Helping manage partner label relations and business development
Assisting with content acquisition and management
• Advertising and sponsorship support
• Events and marketing coordination

It’s a great job for someone smart and talented who is looking for a chance to break into the online music world. Experience with online advertising is a plus, but not necessary. Please send resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to peter@rcrdlbl.com.

This is sort of an odd request, but I’m looking for someone in NYC to help me sell stuff on eBay. I’ve been putting this off forever, and now I’ve got way too much crap squirreled away in this tiny 600 sq. ft. apartment for me to ever get around to dealing with it alone. I figured the ideal solution would be to find someone to list everything on eBay and then deal with shipping it all off, and either pay them by the hour or by offering a commission on all the sales. My contact info is on the sidebar if you or someone you know is at all interested. It’s easy money for someone with some spare time.