Blogs And Ethics Can Coexist

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In This Issue:
1. Editor's Note: Blogs And Ethics Can Coexist
2. Today's Top Story
    - Cisco's Chambers Predicts Dawn Of 'Telepresence'
3. Breaking News
    - Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 Hits Beta
    - Another New Bill Tries To Raise Cap On H-1B Visas
    - Microsoft And SAP To Deliver New 'Duet' Software In June
    - iPods And Memory Sticks: Are The Benefits Worth The Security Risks?
    - IBM Survey: Businesses Don't Know What Consumers Want
    - AMD Gives Free PCs To 2,000-Plus WCIT Attendees
    - IBM Buys Developer Tool Maker BuildForge
    - Helio Launches Mobile Youth Service
    - Can Your Cell Phone Help You Lose Weight?
    - SonicWall Rolls Out E-Mail Protection Wares
    - Opsware Adds VoIP Support To Network Management Tools
    - McAfee Claims Patent For Wireless Software Updates
4. Grab Bag: iTunes Pricing And Google Recruitment
    - Apple Wins iTunes Pricing Battle (CNNMoney.com)
    - Google Looking For Europe's Brightest And Best Engineers (Pocket-Lint UK)
5. In Depth: Online Music
    - MP3 Players Ship Podcast-Ready
    - Napster Unveils Free Internet Music Service
    - Cheap Trick, Allman Brothers Suing Sony For Higher Digital Royalties
    - Movie, Record Industries Target College LANs In Piracy Battle
6. Voice Of Authority
    - The Price Isn't Right: More Than Big Bucks Needed For Some Net Entrepreneurs To Sell
7. White Papers
    - The Challenge Of Depicting Complex Information Systems
8. Get More Out Of InformationWeek
9. Manage Your Newsletter Subscription

Quote of the day:
"Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half." -- Gore Vidal

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1. Editor's Note: Blogs And Ethics Can Coexist

The Internet for years has been cutting into the circulation bases and advertising revenue of daily newspapers. The dailies have been generally slow to adapt as Web sites offered the timeliest possible news, blogs, and compelling online presentations featuring lots of links to outside and related resources.

One less positive development when it comes to online news and journalism has been the ever-more-fuzzy distinction between blogs--with their lack of fact checking and their flame-oriented reader comments and other shortcomings—and the journalistic work that drives daily newspapers. Particularly for twenty-somethings and those even younger, I wonder whether they can recognize the difference between blogs and the more traditional forms of reporting and journalism in newspapers.

But recent events should make that distinction more clear and raise the level of accountability among bloggers. A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at the Los Angeles Times was using pseudonyms to post comments on his and other blogs, including comments that deal with his column and other issues involving the newspaper.

The reporter was suspended by the Times, his column and blog were axed, and he'll be reassigned upon his return. In an explanation (reg. required) to readers, the Times said, "...employing pseudonyms constitutes deception and violates a central tenet of The Times' ethics guidelines: Staff members must not misrepresent themselves and must not conceal their affiliation with The Times. This rule applies equally to the newspaper and the Web world."

The widespread use of blogging makes it extremely difficult for an organization like this to apply commonsense rules that respect the integrity of its traditional products and readers and require its employees to apply similar ethics online. The Times has succeeded in doing both. It's allowing high-profile writers to blog while also holding them accountable. That's a noteworthy step forward for blogging, as well as for newspapers as they try to balance online and offline businesses. Do you agree? Please weigh in at my blog entry.

Tom Smith
[email protected]
www.informationweek.com

2. Today's Top Story

Cisco's Chambers Predicts Dawn Of 'Telepresence'
Delivering a keynote at the Interop conference, Cisco CEO John Chambers said the advanced form of teleconferencing will be common in a year.

3. Breaking News

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 Hits Beta
The software will support virtualization technology from Intel and AMD early next year.

Another New Bill Tries To Raise Cap On H-1B Visas
The Skil Bill aims to unencumber H-1B visas from other immigration reform issues.

Microsoft And SAP To Deliver New 'Duet' Software In June
Duet will cost $125 per PC. Perhaps more importantly for Microsoft, it might offer a reason for companies to upgrade their Office apps.

iPods And Memory Sticks: Are The Benefits Worth The Security Risks?
It's now more practical to download large documents onto USB memory sticks than to transfer them via E-mail. Few companies have taken steps to secure such devices, and some security vendors claim they can help.

IBM Survey: Businesses Don't Know What Consumers Want
More than three-quarters of companies reported marketing and promoting products without clearly understanding consumer expectations, according to the IBM report.

AMD Gives Free PCs To 2,000-Plus WCIT Attendees
The rugged computing device is powered by an AMD Geode processor and includes a hard drive, keyboard, mouse, and 56 Kbps modem, but no monitor.

IBM Buys Developer Tool Maker BuildForge
BuildForge, with 40 employees, makes software for software build and release control.

Helio Launches Mobile Youth Service
Helio hopes to cash in on the youth market exploited by MySpace. The service starts at $85 per month.

Can Your Cell Phone Help You Lose Weight?
Sprint is offering the MyFoodPhone service, which lets users send pictures of their meals via camera phone to nutritionists, who then offer diet advice.

SonicWall Rolls Out E-Mail Protection Wares
The new SonicWall Email Security appliances will incorporate anti-spam, anti-phishing, and messaging security software SonicWall obtained in its February acquisition of MailFrontier.

Opsware Adds VoIP Support To Network Management Tools
The software now has tools that can prevent unauthorized network changes, as well as automatically initiate a lockdown where vulnerabilities have been detected.

McAfee Claims Patent For Wireless Software Updates
The company received a U.S. patent for technology it claims can wirelessly update files on mobile devices while minimizing bandwidth usage.

All Our Latest News

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John Soat With 'Interop O.G.'...

...And 'The Network As Security'

Plus: The Network Computing Interop Video Blog
The show floor might not have been open on Monday, but there was plenty to see behind the scenes at Interop 2006 in Las Vegas. Check out our latest video blog segment as we go behind closed doors to provide a sneak preview of NWC's Best of Interop judging and get the scoop on the latest iteration of the InteropNet show network.

4. Grab Bag: iTunes And Google

Apple Wins iTunes Pricing Battle (CNNMoney.com)
The four largest record companies were defeated in a behind-the-scenes battle to charge different prices for songs; downloads are still 99 cents.

Google Looking For Europe's Brightest And Best Engineers (Pocket-Lint UK)
Google on Tuesday launched a computer programming competition to find Europe's brightest and best engineers. The Code Jam competition is designed to emphasize the crucial role of engineering and technology in the modern economy.

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5. In Depth: Online Music

MP3 Players Ship Podcast-Ready
The MobiBLU players allow for one-click podcast downloading and promise 150 hours of battery life.

Napster Unveils Free Internet Music Service
With this advertising-supported service, each song may only be listened to five times. After that, users are asked to pay up to $14.95 a month for different options to use the service.

Cheap Trick, Allman Brothers Suing Sony For Higher Digital Royalties
If granted class-action status, the case could involve thousands of artists signed to Sony since 1962 and millions of dollars.

Movie, Record Industries Target College LANs In Piracy Battle
Two industry groups said they sent letters to college presidents in 25 states, alerting them of the illegal activity on campus LANs.

6. Voice Of Authority

The Price Isn't Right: More Than Big Bucks Needed For Some Net Entrepreneurs To Sell
Lots of entrepreneurs made a quick buck during the Internet boom selling their embryonic businesses to companies at obscene prices. They knew they had to bail, considering they realized their businesses plans were, at best, half-baked.

7. White Papers: Network Complexity

The Challenge Of Depicting Complex Information Systems
Computer networks, process/workflow models, and conceptual designs are complex collections of data and relationships. Each object has unique information and occupies a special place in a hierarchy. Nonetheless, systems are depicted in flat, unconnected diagrams with no access to external data.

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