Is She a Shill?

After I moved F:AT to our new server, I still had 4 months on our contract with our old host. So I set up website for my spawn and her friends. (Sorry dudes, but membership is closed and moderated.) It has most of the same features as F:AT, except it has more pink and less swearing. My primary goal is to teach the wee ones how to properly use this web technology that has become such a big part of modern life. Lesson one was teaching them the difference between an article, a blog, a forum, comments and personal messaging. The most difficult lesson was trying to explain the subtle difference between an article and a blog entry. Hopefully, by the time it matters, there will be at least 5 young ladies who have graduated from Z's Place into the greater cyber world who understand the nuances that distinguish a blog entry from an article.

Unfortunately, our generation is still struggling with these distinctions. The lines between blog and article are still blurry and often crossed, creating uncomfortable situations for the writers. Why can Bruno Faidutti write about his own games at http://www.faidutti.com/ and not have his integrity questioned or be called a shill? Because it his own damn blog! He can write anything he wants in it. But if he submitted it to F:AT as an article, should we accept it and put it up on the front page? Okay , Bruno doesn't even know we exist, so we wouldn't ever have to make that call, which would be hard, because I find him totally adorable. However, I do know friends who are are "involved" in game development. When asked, I tell them they are free to use the blog or submit a press release. Then I tell them that if their next game doesn't suck, I might maybe interview them. It's easier to tell stuff like this to people who have slept on your sofa and puked on your lawn than to an adorable french dude you have never met.

It's also probably easier to see the distinction when you have some distance from the subject matter.