O Tempura! O Mores! O No - More on the subject!

I don't think I was the only one who was left with an unpleasant fishy taste in the mouth after the Great Laptop Giveaway. Not so much from what Microsoft / Acer / Edelman did (one would not expect less of them all - or is that more?), but more the moral compass (or lack of one) displayed by some of the Bloggerati.

If I understood it all correctly, the reasoning that it is OK to grab high value ($2k in this case) freebies and keep on bloggin' was that:

1. Its not a bribe because you really, really need a nice big new computer (that you can keep) to review this new OS because otherwise you wouldn't have reviewed it.

2. Well, OK, you don't really need to keep it - but I won't be biassed by the nice big new computer (that I can keep) in my Review, and hey I'll disclose I have it so thats OK.

3. Well, OK, (maybe I will be influenced just a bit), but it is a very nice big new computer (that I can keep), and hey I'm not a journalist anyway so I should not be held to the same moral standards of journalists anyway. Besides, it happens all the time in Journalism, right?

Seems to me that this logic is, to misquote George Bernard Shaw, one of agreeing the deed and so now all we are haggling over is the price. $200.....$2,000.....$20,000....kerching! (Add-in - just seen Robert Scoble made the same point here in comment No 12)

(Oh, and by and large journalists get nice big new computers etc to review that they must then give back)

The countercharge to those of us who feel uncomfortable with this is that its all just envy because we didn't get shiny new powerful PC's for Xmas*. But they would say that, wouldn't they!

So, to prevent the slanging match and the ongoing smell of fish, I really like this proposal by ZDNet among others that bloggers subscribe to a code of ethics like that of the Society of Professional Journalists, and display a badge on their blogsites to say so (above all the diggs, deliciouses and whatnots).

This will be especially true if the "Media 2.0" world is moving to a "Patronage Economy"

I think the logo should be be a big Fish in a Ferrari by the way..........

* (Disclosure...I do have machines fast enough to to run Vista - so its not envy, in my case anyway - but then I would say that, wouldn't I )