Friendly Competition?

Read an interesting post on Gaping Void recently, which, among other things, hit on the idea of embracing (or at least considering) your competitors as your best advocate. From his Stormhoek road trip, Hugh MacLeod notes:

"Believe it or not, I'm actually a big fan of our competitors. Why? Because experience has taught me, if you can get your competitors talking about you, they suddenly transform themselves into your most powerful and efficient advertising medium."

While he calls this thinking "evil" (right pinky up to the corner of his mouth I'm sure), it did make me think about how we sometime view our competition as "the enemy" (other ad agencies, that bad food company, etc.). It also made me think about how sometimes you can team up with your competitors (most often if you find another enemy) to grow a category or change its perceptions—though, it would seem to make most sense for (and is sometimes done solo by) the market leader who'd expect to see the greatest benefit (i.e. "This is beer." "This is Budweiser." vs. vodka and other spirits).

Speaking of Budweiser and competition, I was just passed an article from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, detailing a bet issued by Miller Lite to Budweiser (apparently in a letter from CEO Tom Long to August Busch IV).

“According to the challenge, if the Miller Lite car finishes ahead of the Budweiser car, Busch Stadium (home of the St. Louis Cardinals) will be renamed Miller Lite stadium for a to-be-determined 2008 series in St. Louis between the Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. If the Budweiser car finishes the NASCAR season ahead of the Miller Lite car, Miller Park will be renamed Budweiser Park for a 2008 series in Milwaukee.”

Apparently it's the second year Miller has issued the bet and last year Budweiser didn't bite. It doesn't look like Bud's up for the challenge this year either as Dale E. has issued a statement about how he takes his job seriously and the goal is to get points...blah, blah, blah...

While I can't say I blame them for the response, I do wonder what they're trying to prove. After their Super Bowl commercials, they can't be trying to take the high road, right? Or would it be a completely different issue if it was the Bud Light car? Could it be that Budweiser CEO has more at stake because his name is on the stadium (vs. Long)? Or does he see there's no reason to put Budweiser's leadership on the line? (Though I think Miller Lite's the #1 beer, so that's perceived leadership.)

Could it be that he's afraid of losing?!? Of losing what? Imagine he took the bet or better yet countered with something more interesting/meaningful/funny or raised the stakes. Imagine what that would do for corporate culture. Imagine what that would do to Coors (irrelevant much?).

Trying to tie this together, I'd suggest as brands become more and more transparent, they/we remember they're/we're not really at war. In fact, there many cases of one brand paving the way for another in a category. And there are many people who aren't 1000% brand loyal and just want brands to be realistic about the role they play in their lives. I'd also remember the importance of internal PR and how it is more and more closely aligned with (directly related to, even) to external PR. What could this bet do for the internal culture (enthusiasm) at each company? How can this top mgmt spirit work its way down to employees and how can it work its way out to the public?

Can both brands win from practicing The Art of Fun?

Politics 2.0: Barack Obama Goes Completely Social Media

Presidential candidate Barack Obama turned his site into a social network this weekend, hoping to create a venue for his supporters to connect. Obama is already leveraging social media using Facebook, MySpace and Flickr.

Users may organize fundraising, create events, find Obama events near you, build a network of friends, send messages, join groups and write a blog about how you’re helping Obama, or how you feel about the Obama campaign. Groups are the way to connect to strangers on the network, since there doesn’t seem to be a browse feature (you can, however, search by name or zipcode). In many regards, it’s more like Facebook than MySpace or YouTube - simple, text-based and focused on connecting with people you know or those around you.



AKI COMMENT: And I like his logo, too! Beats that same shiesty wavy flag graphic (or worse) that politicians have been retreading for 30 years. A simple and refreshing icon harkens to a new day dawning in politics. Though the letter "O" is somewhat predictable (probably the client call), this is played in a rather clever and unexpected treatment. Obama gets my consideration just for adopting an intriguing design ethic that speaks more than "politics as usual". Funny how most politicians just don't consider graphic identity as a relevant and influential piece of the presentation and package. For all intents and purposes, the candidates graphic identity is the very start of the conversation between voter and candidate.


via Mashable.com

Wanted: Senior Planner @ Fallon

Looking for Senior Planner

Are you interested in working at a great planning agency?

Fallon needs a senior planner with at least 5-8 years of experience . We're looking for someone who has the confidence and character to take a lead role in working closely with strong client marketing and research departments, directing the day-to-day responsibilities on multiple brands, and ultimately inspiring effective creative work.

If you're interested, send your resume as well as a response of no more than 150 words explaining why you've got what it takes to Mary Weber, Director of Talent Resources, at mary.weber@fallon.com.

Inbox of Immaturity

Picture from the archives of my new favorite site

Kick it!

At least Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim isn’t “pissing” anyone off with MC Pee Pants. Thanks avin.

If you need a last-minute romantic idea for Valentine’s Day, look no further. Thanks Noah.

Here’s an Angry German boy - that’s all I have to say about it.

Watch out for these American kids with guns . Thanks Aki (I think) for that and for this Tarantino Gem.

Not related to the Super Bowl, Chicago’s given the title of Top binge drinking city.

Lastly, those lucky peeps at JT’s MSG concert got a special gift. Thanks Meg.

Cameos and Connections

It all started last week whilst watching 106 and Park. #4 on the countdown was Ludacris’ video (ft. Mary J. Blige) for his song “Runaway Love.” Watch it here. Solid beat, typically tight Luda flow and Mary belting out the hooks while 3 stories of young girls with reasons to runaway play out. I was pretty hooked. Then, the final verse/scenario hit the screen. What? Is that Namond Brice from HBO’s The Wire (Julito McCullum) in the car with his pregnant girlfriend? Yup. I thought, “Good call Luda. Good call Namond.” Not only that, but each “star’s” star started to rise in my mind; their more positive images and association led to an overall enhancement of the video, which made me seek out the song on iTunes the next day.


As you’d probably expect, neither guy is the first. In fact, The Wire characters/actors are a pretty popular choice for rappers. However, when you give people the opportunity to make this connection themselves, you give them the opportunity to feel a stronger connection with you (often, your brand). In this case, resulting in a song purchase. This is no small feat—I hadn’t bought a new song on iTunes in a month (a weak moment where I couldn’t imagine life without Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars).

I’ve been waiting to have time to develop a more focused and interesting hypothesis. Certainly, I can’t prove that surprise and delight always leads to sale. Yet, it seems that the more you surprise and delight a person, the deeper relationship they’ll form with you. And as brands strive to become more multi-dimensional (and human), they look to expand their personalities and increase their connections. Cameos are one way to surprise and delight by showing/proving you’ve got other (outside) connections. In essence, you’re adding a friend.

It’s really like a brand is making famous friends (in the form of people and other brands). This is different from paid endorsement. They are giving love because they have similar beliefs. (See Kevin Bacon’s new social charity network , which should really have its own post.) Is this the new elasticity? (I can see Apple and Nike together, but Home Depot and VitaminWater? – that’s ridiculous!) Or Kumar on 24!!! – what the!?!

Of course, advertising and TV shows and music and other entertainment are different. But whether it’s people or brands, when two “likeables”/”believables” come together it can increase the likeability and credibility of both! It can help them reinvent themselves together like Old Spice and Bruce Campbell. Is a connection between Emerald Nuts and Robert Goulet mutually beneficial? (That could have its own post as well.) Finally, can feel less ad-y and more fun, like Burger King, Milk, and Hersheys.

But cameos are not the only way to surprise and delight; not the only way to make a deeper and more meaning connection with your viewer/customer/enthusiast. You can show you have similar interests, backgrounds, goals, and cultural knowledge. Don’t think that MTV’s latest promo for Maui Fever that connected Rupaul’s “Supermodel” with main character, Chaunte, didn’t make me more loyal!

Mass Interactive: Facebook Diaries

Comcast and Facebook team up on reality series.

Users can submit videos they create in Facebook or Comcast's Ziddio.com for a new reality-TV series, under a partnership between the two companies. Filmmaker R.J. Cutler, whose credits include "The War Room" and "American High," will sift through the video submissions to create the series, called "Facebook Diaries.

The companies will begin taking submissions next month but have not set a date for the series premiere.

Cutler said he will organize Facebook Diaries around themes such as "Heartbreak," or "Who am I?" for the half-hour episodes.

"You build these things with dramatic structure and flow," Cutler said. "They'll tell their stories and send them to us and we'll put together thematically driven episodes for the series, which will be featured on-demand as well as on the Internet."

Jupiter Research analyst Todd Chanko said the partnership could help Comcast build a new audience. With 24 million cable subscribers already, Comcast can't expect to add significant revenues by signing up more customers to watch television.

Both Comcast and Facebook executives said they were seeking ways to create content that will bridge the gap between the Internet and television. As popular shows have made repeats available for viewing on web sites and Internet content gains the attention of bigger media firms, companies are trying to stake a claim in both worlds.

Revenues will come from advertising, though the companies have not announced any sponsors or said how they will share those dollars.


via Philadelphia Inquirer

New Media: Marketers Starting to See the Light (Maybe)

A recent article in AdWeek relays the findings of a survey by the American Advertising Association, which states that marketers seem to be realizing the huge potential of new media vehicles such as Second Life and You Tube, and allocating up to 15% of their marketing budgets to new media intitiatives. Further, the study states that roughly 73% of survey respondents are putting 20% of budgets to new or emerging media.

While this isn't huge, I do think it's good to see some proactivity on behalf of marketers. The problem still remains though, will this 15% result in after-thought, "let's get some viral shit done to support our 60 second TV spots", or a real and concerted effort to fully utilize the potential of new media and do something different? Getting on Second Life is fine, but what are you doing with it? Setting up shop and operating like you do in First Life really doesn't mean anything to me-- particularly if I don't care about your brand in FL, why am I going to buy your products in the virtual world? Similarly, plastering banner ads on You Tube is not unique or engaging, and looks like an after-thought to people who come across it. People love You Tube cause its created by them, find a way to harness that power and give them a reason to interact with your brand, not just click through on your banner.

I hope that the skeptic in me will be proven wrong, and that we'll see marketers committing to their words and coming up big on new media, but that remains to be seen. Comes back to an earlier post of mine, in which I cited a survey from Prophet that states almost 40% of marketers say that their companies only adopt new/innovative marketing techniques after the success has been proven in the market place. The real winners in new media will be the ones who swing for the fences early, establish themselves as pioneers of emerging and innovative ways to talk to people, and committ to it in the long term.

Nike is a company that seems to be committing to new forms of media. I'm sure you've all seen their new spot for The Second Coming. As fucking cool as the spot is, they took that to the next level by having a microsite for it (Nike Mash Up) which allows visitors to remix the spot and create their own. I myself spent a good 2 hours messing around with this, its engaging and provides true interaction between me and Nike. That's what I like to see.

Culture: Truth Magazine

An interactive magazine. Sorta. Dunno how to classify it, really...but it is good reading/listening/gandering/wondering. Eclectic interviews, street art, graphics, and photography with a truly global urban youth perspective (uh, no not "urban youth" like pictures of 50 Cent posing with a cognac in Vibe magazine).

Get some Truth

Culture: VBS.TV

Dem bwoys at Vice Magazine have launched a full-on broadband network, VBS.TV which reflects a welcome progression from the tired "cool stylings" of the chic and celebrity, and more towards the unique and understated reflections of culture around the globe.


It is also worth nothing that as most mainstream mags are only now catching up to late advancements like articles on RSS Feed and "User-Created" Contests, Vice is onto the next. Peep the "Mission Statement". Nice start, will stay tuned.

The channel is creative directed by Spike Jonze with a host of global contributors.

User-Created: ComicSpace.com

Consider it the YouTube of comics...ComicSpace is a community of 11,890 comic fans and creators hosting 1,765 comic galleries!


And while I am on a streak this week with rants about undervalued pots o' gold, consider the following factoids about comic books from Mediapost's Media Technology Futures blog

--The U.S. comic book business (publishing only) was approximately $550 million in 2005. -- Marvel Entertainment publishes approximately 70 different comic book titles per month, primarily distributed to consumers through three main channels -- direct market retailers, mass-market retailers, and through subscription. Revenue is also derived from the sale of advertising within the core comic book product of approximately ten pages -- specifically, three glossy cover pages (the inside front cover and both the inside and outside back cover), and seven interior non-glossy pages. Gross profit margins in the business are in the mid-50% range!

--Virgin Comics retains an 86% male, 14% female readership, with a median age of 23 and age concentration from 16 to 29, with a median household income of $50.69k. Some of the brands that have used comics to deliver their brand message include Dannon, Coke Classic, L'Oreal, and Nautica (not to mention the usual suspects Nokia, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, etc.).

--John Woo, Guy Ritchie, Rosario Dawson, Dave Stewart -- just a handful of the celebrities who have taken to using this form as a way to create new vehicles for more traditional media channels.

--The purpose of most publishers is to license titles for new distribution platforms, like movies. And if you think that these movies are just for "fans," well, let the box office speak for itself: Marvel Entertainment alone, through titles such as "Blade," "Spider-Man," "X-Men," "Elektra," "Fantastic Four," "The Hulk" and "Daredevil" generated over $4 billion in eight years over 14 films. And you don't build an audience like that without a base -- a base that is simply, the comic book reader.


via USA Today's Pop Candy blog and from Mediapost's Media Technology Futures blog

"Don't Panic": Global Warming is "Unequivocal"

According to the NY Times...Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading international network of climate scientists, has concluded for the first time that global warming is “unequivocal” and that human activity is the main driver, “very likely” causing most of the rise in temperatures since 1950.

They said the world was in for centuries of climbing temperatures, rising seas and shifting weather patterns — unavoidable results of the buildup of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.

On the bright side, their report says warming and its harmful consequences could be substantially blunted by prompt action. But I guess that is all up to us, huh?



Download the smoking gun


via NYTimes

Advergaming: Burger King Games Redux

We noted before about the BK Advergame units sold...now some actual burger sales numbers are in from South Florida Sun-Sentinel...

"Since the fast-food chain launched a limited-edition collection of three Xbox games in November -- Pocketbike Racer, Big Bumpin', Sneak King -- sales of BK Value Meals have spiked to bring home meaty profits during the company's second quarter.

The world's second-largest burger chain said Tuesday its fiscal second-quarter profit jumped 41 percent to $38 million. Company officials cited consistently strong Value Meal sales and the video-game giveaway program for the positive report. Total revenues in the second quarter climbed 9 percent to $559 million from $512 million.

BK's games ranked with other XBox heavy-hitters with over 3.2 million copies sold.


via Sun Sentinel and MIT AdLabs

New Media Ethics: Wikipedia Warns P/R Professionals

New technology, mo' problems...Another of those pesky ethical issues to contend with...According to the front page of UK PR Week, the founder of Wikipedia warns PR agencies against writing about companies they represent in the popular online encyclopedia. "If it persists they will be banned".

Associated Press asks: "What's to say contributors who get paid have a harder time sticking to the golden path of neutrality? And doesn't Wikipedia have a built-in defense mechanism - the volunteer editors and moderators who can quickly obliterate public relations fluff, vanity pages and junk?"

Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'! I don't see a big issue with advertisers and marketers submitting Wikipedia entries...as long as it's factual and not salesy and disruptive. Ok, so salesy and disruptive is prob what we do...but still.

Get Free Research Polls

When I have ethical quandries, I look to the Simpsons for guidance...

Postcards from Second Life: Legality of Virtual Sales

I was just noting the other day about the virtual gold in them thar hills in Second Life and the opportunities it may present for payment systems.

Shankar Gupta of Gaming Online/MediaPost, reports on various legal issues that plague virtual sales:

Online auction house eBay banned the sale of "virtual goods" such as currency or avatars used by players in massively multiplayer online games like "World of Warcraft," "Everquest," and "Neopets."

Exempted from eBay's ban is sale of virtual goods+services of Second Life property, meaning that islands, housing or fursuits can continue to be sold on this, and other, secondary markets.

eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the move stemmed from growing legal concerns surrounding the sale of virtual property. "Because of those legal complexities, we felt the most prudent thing to do at this point was to ban them from sale for the site," he said.


The taxability of online assets also remains unresolved. In October, the congressional Joint Economic Committee launched a probe investigating how virtual property and income should be taxed. Nearly every game's terms of service state explicitly that all in-game property is actually the property of the game developer or publisher, and not the player in question.

EBay likely could have put off this decision until the legal complexities were resolved and not come out any the worse for wear, but it is very, very likely that the company has been under pressure from game developers to end the secondary market for virtual goods. Why? Developers hate this market, especially when it creates entire companies (like here and here) dedicated to making money by "farming" virtual worlds for in-game cash and rare items. It's such a huge business that workers in Korea who spend hours a day doing nothing but farming virtual goods have attempted to form a trade union, claiming that virtual farming is a $1-billion-per-year industry.

MMO developers, obviously, don't see a cut of this money, and on a more fundamental level, secondary trading of items and currency can destroy a finely balanced virtual economy by causing massive inflation. Professional farmers spend hours collecting money and rare items. They can then put the rare items up for sale in-game, for in-game currency. Then, all the currency they've received is sold outside the game for real cash. Players then use the cash they buy to buy in-game goods, putting that virtual currency back into the pockets of the pros, who can then resell the currency out-of-game again. Over and over again.

Second Life gets a pass because it's not really a game -- it's a virtual world. Second Life has no game rules to speak of, other than the limitations of the platform and the rules set up on individual islands, and no goals, other than the goals that users set for themselves. And the process of people buying and selling virtual items in- and out-of-game is part of the appeal of the virtual world.

EBay's move to ban the sale of virtual goods is a boon for game developers, who recognize that buying and selling virtual goods online is the equivalent of offering your friend $50 for the Park Place card in a game of Monopoly. The exemption of Second Life helps draw a distinction between virtual worlds and simple online gaming.

Keep tabs on the economic state in 2L here
or read SL Business for the latest goings on.



via Gaming Insider and Online Media Daily

Wanted: Senior Planner @ Fallon

Looking for Senior Planner

Are you interested in working at a great planning agency?

Fallon needs a senior planner with at least 5-8 years of experience . We're looking for someone who has the confidence and character to take a lead role in working closely with strong client marketing and research departments, directing the day-to-day responsibilities on multiple brands, and ultimately inspiring effective creative work.

Fluency in Spanish and/or Portuguese is an advantage but not essential.

If you're interested, send your resume as well as a response of no more than 150 words explaining why you've got what it takes to Mary Weber, Director of Talent Resources, at mary.weber@fallon.com.

Inbox of Immaturity

You know how wrong it feels to move Aki's great post down on the page for this nonsense? So wrong...but oh, so right! It's Friday. Get your cash-ius clay out and drop that card like it's hot on some overpriced lychee martinis or default to Amstel Light bottles (if you ask me, still one of the few gender-neutral beers even with the tag "The beer drinker's light beer."

Anyway, this week's IOI would not exist with AKI SYSTEMS 2600, so you can and should thank him for this classic installment (though he may not thank me for the shout-out).

Starting with a Thriller Wedding and then Thrillist Story via PSFK
If you want to adopt a child, here's how not to go about it. But if you're still playing the field, there's hope for you to be yet another guy that's OVERCHICKED
And finishing with a tight International rapper, with which this Translator will not help.

Enjoy the Super Bowl. Look out for our Garmin spot...

Cashless Society: Mobile Payment Meets Social Networking

It has been a minute since I have posted a Cashless Society update...

Found this quiet and clever bit about OboPay, a US mobile payments company which has acquired BillMonk, a Website that helps people to keep track of the money they owe each other.

Seattle, Washington-based BillMonk's Website is aimed at social groups such as roommates who share bills, friends going on a trip together or dining out, or co-workers raising funds for a group present.

Obopay's acquisition of BillMonk means that BillMonk users can not only keep track of the money they owe each other, but also settle their bills using Obopay's text messaging service. They can use BillMonk to generate a running statement of exactly who owes what to whom. BillMonk users input their spending via text messages or directly onto the Website.



Oh, did I mention that BillMonk works seamlessly with/thru Facebook?


Obopay's payment service enables subscribers to send money to each other via mobile phone text messages. The recipient has to register at the Obopay Website to gain access to the money they have been sent.

An Obopay spokesperson says that BillMonk plans to support virtual currencies that are used in online worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft.

AKI RANT: I am beginning to feel vindicated about my crusade around here for getting in on the virtual cash economies (flashback and flashback).

Virtual gold is simply an untapped opportunity (stay tuned for updated $numbers i've dug up on this, soon). This is a no-brainer, services cost (from the fresh rims on my Grand Theft Auto to some "companionship" in the champagne rooms on 2L, to the designer sword for my ogre on World of Warcraft). Or if you don't like that, then you'll need increased branded sponsorship (Maybe free rims to all visitors at the Napa Parts Store on 2L? Free trial weoponry by Remington at the Cabela's on 2L? Free condoms from Durex on 2L?). Trust and security and exchange systems for money will be key in virtuality! OboPay+BillMonk are smellin' that pot o' e-gold over the rainbow.



But let's check into more about this OboPay...

Obopay has signed up the first U.S wireless operator to support its mobile payment service. Service is now live on all Amp'd Mobile handsets. Amp'd Mobile phones all contain embedded Obopay application software.

Mobile phone users who have registered with Obopay's Website can send money via SMS text message to another mobile phone user. The recipient has to register at the Obopay Website to gain access to the money they have been sent. As an alternative to text messaging, a mobile phone user can use their handset's Web browser to send money to a third-party.

Obopay offers a stored-value account which comes with an Obopay-branded prepaid MasterCard debit card. Users can spend money in their Obopay account by using the card at ATMs or merchants which accept MasterCard. The prepaid card, which is issued by First Premier Bank, is linked in real-time to the Obopay stored-value account.

Los Angeles, California-based Amp'd operates a broadband wireless network that offers 3G voice and mobile entertainment services in the U.S. Obopay users can check their account balance and transaction history on their Amp'd mobile phone.

Initially, the main uses of Obopay are likely to be sharing money with friends, but the company envisages the service being used to pay merchants. Ultimately, Obopay wants to take advantage of Near-Field Communications (NFC) technology, which enables mobile phones to make contactless payments, a spokesperson says. Obopay last week signed a deal with VivoTech, the Santa Clara, California-based contactless card reader vendor, to allow Obopay users to access the ViVOwallet software to pay for purchases by waving their NFC phone at a VivoTech POS reader.

AKI RANT #2: The first rounds are fired for disintermediating banks and, in someways the traditional payment systems like Visa+Mastercard+Amex+Discover from the mobile payment sphere. At what point might the phone company provide me with all I really need to buy, sell and trade?


OboPay
BillMonk

via ePay News

There She Is, Miss America?

Okay. I just so happened to come across the Miss America pageant on Country Music Television—yes, I flipped my way up to channel 146. But what's important is not how I got there, rather why I stayed. To get my learn on. No, this is not some subscribe to Playboy for the articles nonsense; I'm serious. I was hit by the stun gun of smarts. (It wore off.)

It started with Chris Matthews asked Miss Mississippi to compare her state's Katrina response to the national government's. No fair, Christopher. Not so fast! M-squared (Miss Mississippi) was on it like Clinton on Rice. Figuring that must have been an exceptional difficult one, I watched Miss Texas await her question. Drumroll. What we should be doing differently in Darfur? Are you serious? A little hesitation and then bam, I swear I heard her drop the Janjaweed on those judges. It continued to the next round: How can women overcome the current gender salary gap? What gives you confidence in America? Etc.

This picture is deceptive:


But it's what I pictured. It's what I would have thought I was getting into had I actually recorded Miss America and watched it from my DVR. I was confusing it with the Donald Trump-owned Miss USA pageant. Here's how Wikipedia breaks it down: Miss America's about Role Models while Miss USA's about Models. All that watching Tiara Girls didn't help me recall the distinction at crunch-time. Though that must be why they got Mario Lopez to host. It's all starting to make sense now. Hope it helps you as well.

Inbox of Immaturity

Hollister. Let's dive right in.

Advertising :: The benefit of local advertising: It's just like a Mini-Mall and True immaturity for Durex microsite: The name is the best part is the site nameThe Pants Whisperer and Diesel's site "takeover": By The Heidis

Action-based Marketing :: This cause-related effort: Tattooy that booty and A co-created story: Add to the greatest Story

Sports :: The next Vince Carter: Check out the Windmill and Hot Bears Fans

Celebrity Gossip :: J. Timberlake's new woman: From the yacht to Sundance

State of the Blogosphere: Bloggers' Code of Ethics

Even the wild west soon needed law+order. CyberJournalist.net has created a model Bloggers' Code of Ethics, by modifying the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics for the Weblog world. These are just guidelines -- in the end it is up to individual bloggers to choose their own best practices.

A BLOGGERS' CODE OF ETHICS
Be Honest and Fair
Bloggers should be honest and fair in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
Bloggers should:
• Never plagiarize.
• Identify and link to sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
• Make certain that Weblog entries, quotations, headlines, photos and all other content do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
• Never distort the content of photos without disclosing what has been changed. Image enhancement is only acceptable for technical clarity. Label montages and photo illustrations.
• Never publish information they know is inaccurate -- and if publishing questionable information, make it clear it's in doubt.
• Distinguish between advocacy, commentary and factual information. Even advocacy writing and commentary should not misrepresent fact or context.
• Distinguish factual information and commentary from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.

Minimize Harm
Ethical bloggers treat sources and subjects as human beings deserving of respect.
Bloggers should:
• Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by Weblog content. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
• Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
• Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of information is not a license for arrogance.
• Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy.
• Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects, victims of sex crimes and criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.

Be Accountable
Bloggers should:
• Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
• Explain each Weblog's mission and invite dialogue with the public over its content and the bloggers' conduct.
• Disclose conflicts of interest, affiliations, activities and personal agendas.
• Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence content. When exceptions are made, disclose them fully to readers.
• Be wary of sources offering information for favors. When accepting such information, disclose the favors.
• Expose unethical practices of other bloggers.
• Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

AKI COMMENT: Is it wrong for a blogger to "borrow" funny images off of Google Image Search to post as companion commentary? Oh, the moral choices. And really, do these "ethics" have to apply to advertisers? We get a pass, don't we?

via CyberJournalist