A couple of critiques of ZDNET:
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On Tue, 16 Feb 1999 15:22:26 -0800, tcmay@got.net (Tim May) wrote:
>It's one of the most one-sided, sneering, exaggerated articles on Y2K I've seen.
>
>I'm happy that Somerson is happy that it's all a big "hoax," a plot by the
>right-wing survivalist millennialist gun nuts.
>
>No skin off my nose. And if articles like his help a few million people
>become pollyannas, this will be good news. Darwinism should never be
>interfered with.
Here's my angle on Mr. Somerson's "baloney ball" of a column:
Ziff-Davis has gone out of the way recently to build 'buzz' about their
online product and their TV show. Both appear to be floundering badly.
One trick of online "journalism" (notice the quotes) that's useful in
building a following for a news website is to take an absurd position, put
out commentary that is sure to be spread around the internet, and then set
up an online feedback mechanism for people to call the author an asshole.
(Wait a second. This sounds like euy2k.com.) ;-)
Whoops - but there's one difference. The whole point of a commercial "news"
website is simply to drag people into the website by whatever means
necessary so advertisers can get hits and click-throughs on their banner
ads. So, a very effective strategy in accomplishing this mission is to stir
up controversy. Get the db's in a froth. Draw in the WebTeeVee and AOL
crowd. Enraged people are more motivated to go to a particular website
that does not support their own personal point of view. Enraged people
will make use of the "feedback mechanism" to vent their opinions in rants
and flames.
And from a marketing perspective, the neat thing is: those enraged people
will go back multiple times to see if their rage has been validated by
someone else! So, again, an advertiser gets potential multiple hits from
one incensed reader. It's a no-lose proposition for the advertisers and
owner of the website!!
Ain't cyberspace a wonderful place? Darwinism in action, indeed.
--
Rick Cowles (Public PGP key on request)
www.euy2k.com : Electric Utilities and Y2k
Toll Free 1-877-503-2323
"ZAPPED" : A Household Video Primer for Dealing with Long Power Outages
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I feel so "used." |
