Corporate influence on blogosphere coming in for criticism, car industry singled-out
The rise of blogs as an alternative news source will come as little surprise to anyone reading this. In fact, most readers are likely already well aware of the spread of corporate influences among automobile-specific blogs... even going so far as the explicit creation of a number of manufacturer outlets. From General Motors' Bob Lutz's FastLane missives to DaimlerChrysler's Firehouse blog for journos, to Mazda's fictitious hip young blogger that touted the automaker's offerings, it's becoming increasingly hard for even discerning readers determine what is genuine editorial content, and what is Shinola.
How has the seeping of corporate spin into the blogosphere changed the way you surf the internet, or process information obtained from the web? Are there any particularly noteworthy examples of people/corporations doing things the right or wrong way in the automotive industry? What do you make of efforts like Lutz's FastLane... do they provide valuable insider perspectives, or do you simply treat them as unlabeled advertisements?
[Source: The Chicago Tribune via TMCnet]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Leo 12:15PM (2/13/2006)
I think it's obvious there are some paid MarComm "homers" commenting on this blog for GM, Toyota and Mazda. The number of blog articles we get from Volkswagen is about 20 times their proportionate market share as well.
As far as the comments go, the Shinola comes in many forms, whether you're a Detroit-hater, Japanese-hater, hybrid lover... it's all propeganda - paid or not. I think there should be a way to track comments so people can see the pattern of some highly-biased commentors in black & white.
I hope the blogs stay objective, however. Otherwise it becomes all about money and corporate influence... But enough about the Bush administration!
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Mark Weber 12:58PM (2/13/2006)
I like corporate blogs. I'd like to see more detail in them.
For example, it was pretty difficult hunting down information on the Ecotec 2.2 engine, which is a fascinating recent engine for lovers of econoboxes and 4 cylinder engines (yes, we exist). Chevy had released information on technical specs and development, but it took some serious Googling to find it buried on their press release pages (where it never got picked up by the press).
Blogs give manufacturers a chance to get "more information" out there for those of us who like it, without causing mental shut-down in the vastly larger portion of the market place that wants "shinier - faster - sleeker" or "bigger - more powerful - masculine" types of ads - you know, the 30 second attention span that has since shrunk to 15 seconds or even (woe) 8 seconds.
So I don't mind if corporate blogs push corporate product. I just want a different tone to them - written more like editorial and less like tv commercials or display ads.
On the other hand, Autoblog is important - it is a blog about blogs - help us separate out the truth from the shinola on the corporate webpages and blogs.
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BT 1:01PM (2/13/2006)
Autoblog staffers continually shove completely SUBJECTIVE reviews down our throats and then suggest that Bob Lutz's Fastlane Blog is one big propaganda machine just because he tells you the HHR will hit 100K in sales in its first model year and then backs it up? At least we know where his paycheck is coming from. My guess is that yours is 6 figures long and ends in "Yen".
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Robert Aitchison 1:46PM (2/13/2006)
As far as corporate blogs go I'd say that the GM one is one of the btter ones. Yes it is used as a marketing tool but at least the comments remain relatively unfiltered.
Honestly, if someone wanted to post about something controversial, for example how several people quit their jobs in disgust when it was announced internally that the next Camaro was going to be a 4 door sedan with a standard I4 and optional V6 mated to a CVT driving the front wheels (hows that for a rumor?) they couldn't because it would open them up for shareholder suits.
It's not like Bob Lutz can come out and say "look, we know the SUV market is drying up but we've already spent the money to develop these behemoths so please buy them to drive little Cameron/Topanga to soccer practice on the way to the mall"
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VW-Guy 2:15PM (2/13/2006)
I'll get more specific than BT and state that there is an overly pro-Toyota presense on this blog that goes beyond simple unbiased reporting and make (too) many of the Toyota posts seem like infomercials.
I definitely wouldn't be surprised to find out in some coming day that the staffers here at Autoblog were on the Toyota payroll, or more likely, Toyota's monetary contribution was the largest of all the manufacturers.
Unfortunately/fortunately there is an awful lot of good information here, so I keep coming back. And since the spies/paid comments/haters/misinformation make up the bulk of these comments, I just don't take any of them seriously. Kinda a coffee break chuckle at best.
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Robert Farago 2:22PM (2/13/2006)
Blogs rule, corporations drool.
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Mj 2:43PM (2/13/2006)
I'm with BT and VW-Guy, I find some good info from time to time but this is an Asian import lover site. From the blogs to the posts it seems like Toyota gets all the angles here and any of the domestic news is bad news or if its good news its an explanation of why its not what it seems. The GM haters with their broken record posts get really old, I mean all these posts wanting a company that employs thousands of people to go under seems really wrong to me!
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JZeke 2:54PM (2/13/2006)
There should be some sort of digital watermark or seal on anything coporate to at least give readers a fighting chance to separate the spin from the rant.
However, just watch as corporate blogging gets more clever and more careful. Its kinda like Fox news and the Bush administration... fair and unbiased?
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Dave Lawson 3:36PM (2/13/2006)
hmmm.....let me see.....
"Caveat Emptor"
"You get what you pay for"
"Power Corrupts"
Why are we surprised or offended at the rumour of the slightest possibility of bias, influence or coincidence that leaves us wondering "where's that coming from", or "who's paying the bills"?
People need to treat the ENTIRE internet as one big unverified news story. I've seen more absurd information retracted that I care to recall. The A-1 fiasco comes recently to mind.
Folks, take it in, swish it around, and if it doesn't taste right, spit it out and move on. Just don't push your expectations onto the back of anyone else.
You'll just be disappointed.
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Mick 6:02PM (2/13/2006)
That's why I really only trust Robert Farago's The Truth About Cars Blog. He's so not on anybody's payroll that he might have to shut down the blog. If you have to go down, go down with guns blazing, I say.
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Swade 6:02PM (2/13/2006)
One of the great things about blogs is that done well, it really does put the power in the hands of the little guy. If you can write better than 60% of the population and develop some good contacts then the world's your oyster. I think corporate blogs are only ticking over as well as they are due to the feedback capability. If people couldn't write in their comments then it'd just be seen as spin and the traffic would be way down.
I don't wonder about any Toyota bias here, though I do wonder occasionally about bias against certain brands. One thing I've learned from blogging myself is that I'm just a guy with an opinion and the software to express it. Same as these guys. Some are better at it than others. It's a great leveller.
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max 6:58PM (2/13/2006)
The corporate influence is really fading these days you can't argue that. More and more people blog or have access to media outlets and the press increasingly reports on their own whims. For the most part they appear to be clueless-but at the same time they appear to be more aloof.
"10,000 die in New Orleans"
"Texas Air Guard records authentic"
"All but one miner is alive"
All reported-all untrue.
If anything individuals have more power than ever. We're an "Army of Davids".
"The Truth About Cars is dedicated to providing candid, unbiased automobile reviews
and the latest in auto industry news."
Unbiased my ass-Farago is completely biased and must think we're jerks if we think otherwise.
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mick 9:07PM (2/13/2006)
I don't know where that unbiased comes from in regard to Farago. I'm not at all concerned about his bias. I'm only that he's not on anybody's payroll.
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Joey (Kev) 9:51AM (2/14/2006)
Everybody is biased, only some might have better reasons than others. You just see so much Gm, Ford, VW and DCX-bashing on this site it makes you wonder if there really is such a big difference between them and the others. The facts I trust (ADAC reports) just seem to speak a different language (not denying Toyota does do well, of course).
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Billy 12:22PM (2/14/2006)
You guys at autoblog don't really think that all this rice you pass out it is really "news" do you? It is more like a giant review on Camry's and Prius'. Yawn..
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