How to succeed in blogging and business.
Hugh explains how companies should interact with bloggers.
I haven't linked to Gaping Void for a while. I still love those little cartoons drawn on the back of business cards by Hugh Macleod. They aren't all winners. He uses adult language, so be warned if you don't appreciate that kind of thing.
Here's a post of his, where he makes a good point about a company that's handing out movie tickets in expectation of a blog entry, and has a clean card to boot so everyone can feel comfortable visiting. If you're a company and you want to get bloggers to hype up something, never expect hype in return for a freebie. I've gotten free stuff and every company that's sent me free stuff has said "you decide what to write, or even to write at all."
Oh, and bloggers, you MUST disclose when you are getting free stuff that you're writing about. That way we can figure out whether you're being bought off or not.
I'll always disclose when I get a freebie or when I have a conflict of interest (hint, even a $7 movie ticket is a conflict). It's why I make sure everyone understands I'm a Microsoft employee. [Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger]
10:12:07 AM 
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