Right before SHOT Show we reposted a story giving advice to an industry who was sure to be inundated during SHOT Show by media, particularly new media, wanting free stuff. My motivation is to support industry by making them more savvy toward the approach.
soldiersystems.net/2014/11/13/ask-ssd-redux-should-i-send-a-gear-sample-to-this-person
New media is a term for bloggers, Instagrammers, FaceBookers, forum goers, YouTubers, Twitterers, etc. Basically, anyone who uses social media platforms as media. Some are better than others.
Firelance Media recently attended SHOT Show as a media member and got a bird’s eye view of the shenanigans. His blog post is an entirely different look at the issue. Make sure you read it.
Why You Don’t Deserve That Free Product
It’s a refreshing read and something I could never say in my position. The up and comers in the new media would accuse me of using my influence to block them. No matter how I couched such a story, they’d be right. Many of these blogs and YouTube channels are parasites. They know it, Firelance Media knows it, and I know it.
The article is certain to be popular. Everybody loves a big “fuck you” in their stories. It’s also inspiring. Maybe one day I’ll write that article about people who want to be media and work for brands they promote in their stories. That’s a very disturbing trend amongst the new media.
As for industry. Don’t feed the Bears. If you don’t like what these parasitic new media folks do, don’t encourage them. Ask the hard questions and when they give you answers that don’t add up, tell them to take a hike.
