ScienceBlogs
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Pepsi [http://scienceblogs.com/foodfrontiers/?utm_source=bloglist&utm_medium=dropdown joined ScienceBlogs] on 6 June 2010, under the guise of "Food Frontiers," a blog intended to discuss food- and health-related topics that were relevant to Pepsico's business. This created a great deal of concern amongst the other bloggers, who were angry that a company could just buy a place at the table and present "advertorial" content on an equal footing with the other blogs on the site.<ref> [http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2010/jul/07/scienceblogs-blogging-pepsi Guardian article.]</ref> Many ScienceBlogs authors announced a "hiatus" in their contributions<ref>Go to the site and Google ''pepsi''</ref> and quite a few simply upped and left over the controversy. [http://scienceblogs.com/seed/?utm_source=bloglist&utm_medium=dropdown The owners] (the Seed Media Group) produced an unconvincing "announcement" to counter this "rebellion", but generally stayed pretty quiet out of embarrassment.{{fact}} | Pepsi [http://scienceblogs.com/foodfrontiers/?utm_source=bloglist&utm_medium=dropdown joined ScienceBlogs] on 6 June 2010, under the guise of "Food Frontiers," a blog intended to discuss food- and health-related topics that were relevant to Pepsico's business. This created a great deal of concern amongst the other bloggers, who were angry that a company could just buy a place at the table and present "advertorial" content on an equal footing with the other blogs on the site.<ref> [http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2010/jul/07/scienceblogs-blogging-pepsi Guardian article.]</ref> Many ScienceBlogs authors announced a "hiatus" in their contributions<ref>Go to the site and Google ''pepsi''</ref> and quite a few simply upped and left over the controversy. [http://scienceblogs.com/seed/?utm_source=bloglist&utm_medium=dropdown The owners] (the Seed Media Group) produced an unconvincing "announcement" to counter this "rebellion", but generally stayed pretty quiet out of embarrassment.{{fact}} | ||
| − | PepsiCo's Food Frontiers blog didn't last long<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/seed/2010/07/food_frontiers.php We have removed Food Frontiers from SB]</ref> but everyone else's other concerns came to light: the utter technical neglect of ScienceBlogs<ref name="bora quits"/>, Seed Media and Adam Bly's | + | PepsiCo's Food Frontiers blog didn't last long<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/seed/2010/07/food_frontiers.php We have removed Food Frontiers from SB]</ref> but everyone else's other concerns came to light: the utter technical neglect of ScienceBlogs<ref name="bora quits"/>, Seed Media and Adam Bly's habit of not paying freelancers<ref>http://wanderinggaia.com/2010/07/10/why-i-exposed-seed/</ref> (the worst crime an editor can perpetrate, as far as freelancers in general are concerned) and, significantly, Bly's past complete lack of comprehension of the wall between editorial and advertising. ''Seed'' articles had been pulled because they could potentially offend an advertiser<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2010/jul/09/seed-editorial-independence-scienceblogs</ref> and writers had been asked to blatantly shill for advertisers in editorial copy.<ref>http://twitter.com/EmilyAnthes/status/18131707104</ref> |
On 19 July 2010, Bora left the site. <ref name="bora quits">[http://scienceblogs.com/confessions/2010/07/bora_leaves_scienceblogs]</ref>. This was arguably the most significant departure to date as he had always presented the professional face of ScienceBlogs. | On 19 July 2010, Bora left the site. <ref name="bora quits">[http://scienceblogs.com/confessions/2010/07/bora_leaves_scienceblogs]</ref>. This was arguably the most significant departure to date as he had always presented the professional face of ScienceBlogs. | ||
| − | On top of that, RW's own [[User:PalMD|PalMD]] left.<ref>http://scienceblogs.com/whitecoatunderground/2010/07/ethics_always_a_challenge.php</ref> | + | On top of that, RW's own [[User:PalMD|PalMD]] left.<ref>http://scienceblogs.com/whitecoatunderground/2010/07/ethics_always_a_challenge.php</ref> On 20 July, [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/07/pharyngula_on_strike.php PZ Myers] announced that he was "going on strike" until the website cleaned up its act. |
Good night, ScienceBlogs. Good night, Seed Media Group. | Good night, ScienceBlogs. Good night, Seed Media Group. | ||
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==Channels== | ==Channels== | ||
Revision as of 08:00, 21 July 2010
Scienceblogs blogs are invitation-only blogs focusing on, yes, you guessed it, science. The site is run by Seed Media Group, former publishers of science magazine Seed.
They launched in 2006 with 15 blogs and as of March 2010, boasted 79. They destroyed their reputation in early July 2010 with a Pepsi advertorial blog, which led many regulars to decide they were sick of the place and were leaving.
Contents |
PepsiGate
Pepsi joined ScienceBlogs on 6 June 2010, under the guise of "Food Frontiers," a blog intended to discuss food- and health-related topics that were relevant to Pepsico's business. This created a great deal of concern amongst the other bloggers, who were angry that a company could just buy a place at the table and present "advertorial" content on an equal footing with the other blogs on the site.[1] Many ScienceBlogs authors announced a "hiatus" in their contributions[2] and quite a few simply upped and left over the controversy. The owners (the Seed Media Group) produced an unconvincing "announcement" to counter this "rebellion", but generally stayed pretty quiet out of embarrassment.[citation needed]
PepsiCo's Food Frontiers blog didn't last long[3] but everyone else's other concerns came to light: the utter technical neglect of ScienceBlogs[4], Seed Media and Adam Bly's habit of not paying freelancers[5] (the worst crime an editor can perpetrate, as far as freelancers in general are concerned) and, significantly, Bly's past complete lack of comprehension of the wall between editorial and advertising. Seed articles had been pulled because they could potentially offend an advertiser[6] and writers had been asked to blatantly shill for advertisers in editorial copy.[7]
On 19 July 2010, Bora left the site. [4]. This was arguably the most significant departure to date as he had always presented the professional face of ScienceBlogs.
On top of that, RW's own PalMD left.[8] On 20 July, PZ Myers announced that he was "going on strike" until the website cleaned up its act.
Good night, ScienceBlogs. Good night, Seed Media Group.
Channels
- Life Science
- Physical Science
- Environment
- Humanities
- Education
- Politics
- Medicine
- Brain & Behavior
- Technology
- Information Science
Notable blogs
- The White Coat Underground written by RationalWiki founder member and occasional visitor PalMD. The blog has a medical focus.
- Pharyngula PZ Myers' blog, focussing on biology and secularism.
See also
External Links
- The official link
- A better link (gives last 24 hours update)
- 'Toon Additional 'toon
Footnotes
- ↑ Guardian article.
- ↑ Go to the site and Google pepsi
- ↑ We have removed Food Frontiers from SB
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 [1]
- ↑ http://wanderinggaia.com/2010/07/10/why-i-exposed-seed/
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2010/jul/09/seed-editorial-independence-scienceblogs
- ↑ http://twitter.com/EmilyAnthes/status/18131707104
- ↑ http://scienceblogs.com/whitecoatunderground/2010/07/ethics_always_a_challenge.php