Comments on: Leaks: Two Maxims to Follow http://saunderslog.com/2006/08/31/leaks-two-maxims-to-follow/ A daily round table on the tech industry with experts and callers from all over the globe. Join us as we pick apart the news and get to the meat of what\'s happening out there. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:25:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Alec http://saunderslog.com/2006/08/31/leaks-two-maxims-to-follow/#comment-35917 Alec Fri, 01 Sep 2006 02:55:58 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2006/08/31/leaks-two-maxims-to-follow/#comment-35917 Hey Alex, I will respectfully disagree with the ethics point, but would agree with the prototype scenario you brought up. Many times those have leaked, and not just at apple. As for bloggers not being journalists -- it depends on who you read. Mathew ingram, Mark Evans, Om Malik -- these folks are definitely journalists. They even play them on their day jobs. Now, there are a lot of wannabe pundits out there, thundering from their pulpits. You have to decide which ones have value to you. Cheers, A Hey Alex, I will respectfully disagree with the ethics point, but would agree with the prototype scenario you brought up. Many times those have leaked, and not just at apple.

As for bloggers not being journalists — it depends on who you read. Mathew ingram, Mark Evans, Om Malik — these folks are definitely journalists. They even play them on their day jobs. Now, there are a lot of wannabe pundits out there, thundering from their pulpits. You have to decide which ones have value to you.

Cheers,

A

]]> By: Alex Kazim http://saunderslog.com/2006/08/31/leaks-two-maxims-to-follow/#comment-35900 Alex Kazim Fri, 01 Sep 2006 00:27:25 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2006/08/31/leaks-two-maxims-to-follow/#comment-35900 Have to disagree -- this is all about ethics: 1. Damage can be done on a leak of non-public information. For example, let's say the leak was actually a prototype that the company wasn't planning on shipping. At Apple, we had fully functional prototypes that didn't ship for one reason or the other. If the leak is inaccurate, and it's a publicly-traded company, all hell can break loose. 2. Most bloggers aren't journalists, even the more famous ones. Journalists have ethics: they fact-check, they get corrobration, they use terms like "alleged" as opposed to "it's a fact", and they don't cast their subjective opinions on stories (at least, they try not to). To me, blogs are op/ed. I know I should stop reading them, but it's kind of like the Enquirer ;-) Alex Have to disagree — this is all about ethics:

1. Damage can be done on a leak of non-public information. For example, let’s say the leak was actually a prototype that the company wasn’t planning on shipping. At Apple, we had fully functional prototypes that didn’t ship for one reason or the other. If the leak is inaccurate, and it’s a publicly-traded company, all hell can break loose.

2. Most bloggers aren’t journalists, even the more famous ones. Journalists have ethics: they fact-check, they get corrobration, they use terms like “alleged” as opposed to “it’s a fact”, and they don’t cast their subjective opinions on stories (at least, they try not to). To me, blogs are op/ed. I know I should stop reading them, but it’s kind of like the Enquirer ;-)

Alex

]]> By: Alec http://saunderslog.com/2006/08/31/leaks-two-maxims-to-follow/#comment-35816 Alec Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:14:34 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2006/08/31/leaks-two-maxims-to-follow/#comment-35816 Too true, Garrett. I rather suspected the same on August 10th when I wrote about the leak initially. Engadget claimed to have an embargoed press release dated mid september. That sets off alarm bells. Press releases don't get circulated 6 weeks in advance in my experience. Too true, Garrett. I rather suspected the same on August 10th when I wrote about the leak initially. Engadget claimed to have an embargoed press release dated mid september. That sets off alarm bells. Press releases don’t get circulated 6 weeks in advance in my experience.

]]> By: Garrett Smith http://saunderslog.com/2006/08/31/leaks-two-maxims-to-follow/#comment-35812 Garrett Smith Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:59:21 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2006/08/31/leaks-two-maxims-to-follow/#comment-35812 Alec: What makes this entire story "mysterious" and interesting is that marketers have been known to "leak" stories on purpose in the past to build a buzz for their product/service. By nature, blogs are the perfect avenue to for companies to leak product information and with the type of traffic and attention Engadget gets, I am not totally convinced that Boy Genius violated an NDA. I am of the thought that RIM could intentionally have leaked the information to not only build buzz on the web, but to get the "leak" story into more mainstream mediums to draw great awareness and anticipation of their new product. Not that far fetched, though you do know more about RIM... Alec:

What makes this entire story “mysterious” and interesting is that marketers have been known to “leak” stories on purpose in the past to build a buzz for their product/service.

By nature, blogs are the perfect avenue to for companies to leak product information and with the type of traffic and attention Engadget gets, I am not totally convinced that Boy Genius violated an NDA. I am of the thought that RIM could intentionally have leaked the information to not only build buzz on the web, but to get the “leak” story into more mainstream mediums to draw great awareness and anticipation of their new product.

Not that far fetched, though you do know more about RIM…

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