smokewolf said:
The links themselves are not an issue for me, its the loss of an unbias news source that I hate to see gone.
But there's nothing new happening here. You should have been saying all this 4 years ago! Allow me to demonstrate.
By restricting what someone can write (which is your right, it is your place) while at the same time promoting a commercial enterprise in which you have a vested interest creates a very bias press engine.
I've always done that in various ways. I do it less than Eric ever did before me, but I've always done it. The news these days is far more impartial than it once was, when it was what one guy thought was cool. But it has never, ever, ever been an automated, unedited system - news has ALWAYS been edited, rewritten, summarised, cut down and so forth. And, frankly, what appears on the news page is vastly more important than what appears in this forum, views-wise, by several orgers of magnitude. This forum is used as source of information by the newshounds, but never, ever have the cut and pasted news items from here. What's actually written in here is almost inconsequential compared to what's on the news page, and the news page is compiled and edited. Or, in your words, "biased".
Some sites just post PRs as they are (see Gaming Report). EN World's never done that. I've always decided what's interesting, what's not, what deserves to be reported, what doesn't. I think you've been under a major misapprehension as to what EN World's news is for years!
But your stance no longer places you in a neutral position. You have taken a side now in the industry. You have a commerical entity directly ties to your news agency which now has been given preferential treatment over your competitors.
EN World's RPGShop affiliate store has had preferential treatment for years. Check out the news each day if you don't believe me. Long ago, Eric Noah's Amazon affiliate links did the same thing. That's preferential treatment. Nobody ever complained about that!
I think everyone that uses you as a news service needs to feel that they can trust the news they get to be unbias, honest and complete. And this relationship erodes that trust.
It's not dishonest in the slightest. No deception whatsoever.
Imagine what would happen if there is a financial issue that arises out of ENSHOP with one or more vendors. What if the problem is on your end (say misappropiation of funds)?
That's silly - sorry! What if I had spent CS account purchases on a new car and not granted CS accounts? In what way is this a new concept?
What if the problem is on their end (plagerized material or inflated sales or theft of others materials)? As someone who is places themselves in a news delivery position, any of the information regarding such matters is slanted (even if there is an attempt at honesty). The fact is you are a participant and are no longer independant.
Again, I say - affiliate RPGShop. What would I have done in that situation? No change there.
And there is the whole matter of reviews now that there is more of a financial investment that those products you are selling sale well.
Amazon. RPGNow. DTRPG. ALL have customer written reviews. No difference.
All your concerns have applied for years. They are no more valid now than they were then - or they were just as valid then as they are now (both ways round work!)
In summary - I'm afraid I disagree with your assertion that the news is now untrustworthy. However, I fully respect your right to hold that opinion and act in whatever way you feel is best for you, and wouldn't dream of trying to dissuade you from it. But we're not going to agree on this subject, I'm afraid!
