Influential blogger Robert Scoble blasts out a "news tip" to 75,000 of his closest friends on Twitter and FriendFeed, saying essentially: "Kindle's sold out! New version coming next few months."
What he doesn't disclose, but fellow blogger Louis Gray notices, is that the "news tip" includes an embedded Amazon affiliate link that would pay Scoble cash for every Kindle sale spurred by his "news."
Gray calls him on it and Scoble replies: "You caught me red handed!"
Gray charitably concludes: "I don't mind him trying out the idea, and think it's an interesting approach, but I would have preferred disclosure."
Doh! Disclosure, of course. Good idea, although I'm not sure there's enough disclosure available to cover the stench of that arrangement. Call me old school.
And, just for good measure, it's worth noting that Scoble's "news tip" really wasn't much in the way of news. As regular readers know, we covered the Kindle shortage here back around Thanksgiving.
I'm not expecting a check from Amazon.
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Disclosure
I just clicked on this link in friendfeed. I see you are getting paid through an advertising relationship with Microsoft. Why didn't your link disclose THAT? At least with Amazon you can see inside the URL before you click on it or buy with it and you know that I'm using my affiliate link (my name was inside the URL, so that's a big tip off).
The link was disclosure?
Robert: As I was writing that post the question dawned: "Might he try to claim that the link itself constituted disclosure?" But I quickly dismissed the thought because I didn't believe for a moment that someone who has thought about these issues to the extent that you have would have the audacity to grasp at that wisp. "Buyer beware: Read those URLs carefully?"
No, your first answer to Louis Gray was your best: "You caught me red handed!" If you felt any need to elaborate, might I suggest: "Next time I'll be more careful."
Who cares? It doesn't cost
Who cares? It doesn't cost you time or money to click the link.
Next we won't be able to type "boobs" on the internet.
It does make a difference
It does make a difference. Essentially he was distributing advertising under the guise of a respected and impartial blogger. But now he's just another ordinary marketing guy shilling for Amazon.
More useless non-news drama
Give me a break.
And you didn't answer Scoble's question to you about Microsoft. Pure drama.
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