[clue-talk] Slashdot

[Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier]

Hey Jed, 

> Have they stopped running Micro$oft ads?

I don't see any in the current issue. 

I really don't have a problem with it if they do - so long as running
ads has no effect on editorial content, it's really no skin off of my
nose if Microsoft wants to spend money to put its ads in front of
Linux users.

What, exactly, would be gained by LM refusing Microsoft's ads? The way
I see it, if MS funds a full-page or two-page spread of ads in LM (or
any other Linux 'zine) they're just financing more content related to
Linux, which ultimately helps Linux, rather than hurts it.

At what point do you draw the line? If a magazine related to Linux is
supposed to refuse MS ads, what's next? Refusing ads related to
proprietary software? What if Apple wants to advertise, or Sun? If I
were the publisher of "Atheist Quarterly", I'd still run ads for the
Catholic Church if they wanted to place them. (I'm not an Athiest,
just providing an example...)

It is, of course, your money - and voting with your dollars is a way
to send the publisher a message that you don't approve of the ads,
but... from where I'm sitting, I don't find the practice offensive.
Ignoring Microsoft won't make it go away -- and punishing a publisher
for running the ads just makes it harder for the publication to stay
afloat. Times are quite lean for publishers these days, I might add -
finding advertisers isn't as easy as it used to be for print
publications.

I tend to feel that, in general, publishers should only refuse ads in
very limited situations. It's just another form of gatekeeping - and
it strikes me as something that the "bad guys" do frequently to try to
keep the discussion away from topics they don't like. (Think CBS and
refusal to run MoveOn ads during the SuperBowl.) Replace "Microsoft"
with "NRA" (or any organization you support) and imagine a publisher
refusing to run their ads - do you think it's right? (Of course,
there's also the question of the content of the ads, and the
organization's reputation. I'd boycott any publication that ran ads
for NAMBLA or the KKK, for example.)

But, to answer your question, I don't think they're running MS ads at
the moment. Whether that's because Adam has made a decision to stop
running MS ads, or because MS has stopped placing orders for ads, I'm
not sure.

Best, 

Zonker 
-- 
Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier
xonker at gmail.com
"Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, doctor, and I'm happy
to state I finally won out over it." ~ Elwood P. Dowd, "Harvey"