According to the AP, this Post Should Cost Me Over $60

In an attempt to demonstrate just how absurd the AP’s new plan is for charging bloggers who want to quote five words from an article $12.50, I present to you what the AP would like to charge more than $60 for me to share with you:

“is good for the economy” – LINK

“didn’t approve the full amount sought” – LINK

“believed to have been arrested”  LINK

“engaged in tit-for-tat attacks, but”  LINK (note: unclear on charge for hyphenated words…)

“World War II may be over”  LINK

Yup, I certainly feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth.  You?

Twitter Hacker Breaks Law and Blogs Just Abet

I’m absolutely not a legal scholar but once again I am struck by a certain weird lack of ethics especially among a number of major blogs including Mashable, Download Squad and scores of others.

In short, somebody hacked into a number of Twitter-owned accounts and made off with a zip file containing everything from internal emails to floor plans.  While nothing so far looks terribly damning it is strange that so many bloggers seem to have no qualms republishing the stolen documents.

In court, if evidence is acquired in an illegal manner it is no longer able to admitted as evidence.  Now, there was no question that the screencaps being published were stolen and there was really no way, until confirmed by Ev Williams at Twitter, that the documents were even legit.

Any way you cut it, there is something clearly unsavory and unethical about published stolen documents.  It might not be illegal but it doesn’t feel right.

Starburst Helps Bloggers Sell Out

Starbursts has put together a multi-tiered web marketing plan.  In addition to a redesigned website (ho-hum) and a YouTube channel nobody seems to be watching (top-viewed spot has less than 1,000 views), the candy-makers have decided to buy themselves some bloggers:

“The candy company has also partnered with video bloggers David Choi, DavidJr, Katers17 and Rhett & Link.

“We have engaged a series of leading bloggers who have established relationships with the millennials target that we pursuing,” said John McCarus, VP and group director of brand content at Digitas/The Third Act.

“What we found out about them is that the way they fit in is by standing out,” Stanley said of the millennials demographic. “They want to share excessively themselves and this is fueled by technology,” he added.

The video bloggers communicate what the Starburst brand stands for in their own styles, McCarus explained. For example, Katers17 created a video talking about her “juiciest” moment, which consisted of a messy tumble into a strawberry patch. “Through all those creative interpretations we’re going to be communicating the whole value and power of sharing across the Web,” he added.” (via)

Gotta hand it to Starbursts.  Makes a lot more sense to use existing voices to shill for them than to try and develop their own original sales force.

Doesn’t seem like any of the bloggers are worried about reader blow-back against taking money for sponsored posts.

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