The story so far. A small storm erupts on Friday night around a Microsoft ad campaign running across Federated Media's syndicated blogger sites (FM is kind of an ad sales clearing house that sells space for a group of independent bloggers). The claim from Valleywag was that as well as buying the ad space for the campaign, as part of the package, the bloggers would also join a conversation around Microsoft's People Ready proposition. Valleywag's headline was: Microsoft pays star writers to recite slogan.
Techmeme has the unfolding story. Michael Arrington downplays the whole episode (and gives a good roundup for anyone too lazy to follow the links).
Arrington makes a good point about the format the endorsements ran in: ie advert units (the clue is in the name).
Hmmm. The aim of most customer advocacy programs is to amplify the views of key advocates by putting them into platforms, like testimonial adverts. But you don't pay them to say the words.
Its more confused, since the bloggers weren't being asked to discuss a Microsoft product, but its People Ready theme in the broadest terms.
In old media the protocols around this are clear. Its either editorial, advertorial or advertising. Where there is doubt, they get labels to make it clear. Readers know the difference between the three and adjust their level of trust accordingly. It would appear in the online environment - Federated Media uses the term conversational marketing for their niche - the protocols and boundaries are still being accurately marked out.
UPDATE: Jeff James has written a longer, better summary than I have managed here. And the comments contain responses from many of the bloggers involved. Jarvis himself is apparently represented by Federated Media but has passed on these types of opportunities because they overstep the boundary of trust with the reader - but says its the bloggers who must shoulder the burden of deciding whether to participate, or not.
Tags: Microsoft, Valleywag, Federated Media, Michael Arrington, Jeff James
And yes, Microsoft is a client.