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Toys For The Rich To Cultivate Product Popularity

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the what's-the-problem-here-exactly? dept.

ChipGuy writes "Newsweek is reporting on a new elitist club called the Silicon Valley 100, an exclusive group of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs like Marc Andressen, Esther Dyson, Chris Shipley, and Ross Mayfield. The Schwag Set will get a lot of free stuff which they will either recommend or not, to unsuspecting masses. Dan Gillmor thinks 'it is oddly creepy', and urges people on this list to 'bow out of this exercise entirely.' Om Malik says it ironic that 'the first product being offered is a shitter! What Crap!'"

3 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. Free stuff for rich people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Just what the rich need... more stuff for free. How about giving the products to random Joes on the street with the requirement of getting a review from them on it?

  2. Sour grapes? by Quixote · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Not to diss Om Malik or anything, but I'm wondering: could his irritation be due to the fact that he didn't get included in this "el1te" club ?

    I wonder if one of the invitees responded with this Groucho quote:
    I refuse to join any club which would have me as a member.

  3. We are the new shills. by sanityspeech · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As any PBS junkie knows, there is a market for everyday people willing to hawk a merchant's wares. What is disturbing is that it appears such people are in no short supply.

    Word of mouth is the best form of advertising. What bothers me is that characters that push agendas under the guise of neutrality are becoming more prevalent all the time.

    Here's hoping that one of the community's most revered icons never sells out.