Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!

I'm slowly getting back into blog reading post-Christmas. Here in Northern California we've had a blustery few days, with trees losing limbs, leaves and twiggy debris swooshing around, and power lines falling down.

There's also an online windstorm concerning Microsoft/AMD giving laptops to bloggers which has blown up the issue of disclosure (again). It's a debater's paradise so dive in these links if you're curious!

A good place to start is here. There are some useful updates at the bottom.

I found this fellow's comment making good sense; he's responding to a post called "Blog Mob Justice is Wrong":

"Blogs are about conversation, yes, but they are also about authenticity. The authenticity is what gives blogs credibility. Bloggers tell you about what they know, what they feel and what they believe. Consequently, they're believable and influential, even if we don't agree.

"Now I have to question how authentic it is when a blogger writes about an operating system that they otherwise wouldn't have used. The only reason they are writing about it is because someone gave them a high-end computer capable of running the pre-installed software. That's not authentic to the blogger's real world experiences. The experience is contrived by the company, in this case Microsoft. It's just not real."

He goes on to point out that "a $2,000 to $4,000 laptop for many bloggers is a BIG gift. It's not a free sample of Kraft Dinner or Tide or Obsession." All I have to say is: exactly.

There's some carnage in the comments thread over at MSTechToday, see "New Laptops from Microsoft - Yes, I got one" by Brandon LeBlanc.

Things get interesting when a "fly-by" reader questions LeBlanc's statements earlier in the thread; another reader points out what the blogger will not; and scathing responses follow. I particularly like this one, if only for the "boil and reduce" analogy.

Joel on Software points out that Scoble is reluctant to do the intellectual heavy lifting on this issue. Short quote: "The blogger will feel some obligation to return the favor to Microsoft." A very good read.

It's good to see people debating passionately about something. The issue of payola/bribes/freebies is always lurking in the background, even more so now that blogging has gone mainstream. I think the heart of this issue is admitting we're human, and subject to being manipulated, rather easily, by the gesture of a gift. That's a bitter pill to swallow.

King Lear stood in that storm for a reason. Rage on, bloggers.