Edgeio, Tech Memeorandum and buzz management
Mathew Ingram makes an interesting connection between the current FON fuss and the launch of Edgeio, a company led by uber-techblogger Mike Arrington. It isn't a conflict of interest or lack of disclosure on Mike's part, he has been completely upfront about his connection to Edgeio. It is more a matter of Mike's ability to control the buzz, because of his prominent position in the tech blogosphere. As a devoted observer of Tech Memeorandum, I can assure you that if Mike, or one of his pals, like Dave Winer post on Edgeio, it is almost guaranteed to move to a high position on TM. This in turn attracts additional bloggers who are both eager to pile onto a TM story with good placement and to solidify their friendship with Mike. One reaction to this is probably a theme that has appeared in reaction to the FON story, which is that these aren't journalists, so who cares? Well, how about companies that are trying to compete with Edgeio, and don't have the backing of such powerful bloggers? This goes beyond the issue of a-listers acting as if they are still in high school, it is about serious money and people's professional careers. Again, I'm not accusing Mike or Dave of any wrongdoing. Both of them made their financial interest completely clear, and Dave is supporting a friend, which is even more important to him than the money. I'm sure glad, however, that I'm not trying to form a company to compete with them, because they have a powerful control over the buzz. This may be like complaining about the weather, but hey, I've been a Bostonian for over 25 years, and that is something we do all the time.
