WotC WotC invites Bob the World Builder and other creators to an in person Summit.

[Scribe]

I’d be willing to bet less than 5% of the community is worried about it.

Almost certainly true.

From the same thread though.

Also true.

 

[Echohawk]

As a member of a profession that was wined and dined heavily until it was made illegal to do so, this isn't much.

Restaurant reviewer? Politician? Air traffic controller? Please don't leave us hanging. I won't be able to concentrate properly on this thread until I know

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Almost certainly true.

From the same thread though.

View attachment 277820

Also true.

Yeah tbh I’ve unfollowed them after thier tweet storm over this.

Not because thier take is bad, but because they are being incredibly obnoxious about it, and acting like people don’t know wotc is a corporation or something.

Also it’s a weird criticism. They invited people who have been very critical, even cynical, toward them.

Sure, it’s a “calculated move”. It’s also a good move.

 

[Umbran]

Also true.

"They do not want real critique from people who aren't looking for their approval."

What seems to not be acknowledged is that "real critique" (and a lot more not-so-real critique) will be coming along in due time. They don't need to invite and pay for people to come to a dog and pony show to get that.

And the appearance of them paying for it raises ethical questions for a traditional journalist.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Linda really needs to be part of a supportive journalism community, rather than a content mill where many of her colleagues are clearly just doing this as a side-hustle and don't care about journalism particularly.

And more importantly, Linda needs to be having these thoughts about journalism out of the public eye.

At best, they look naive and like a freshman on the school newspaper. At worst, they're compromising their future employability by behaving unprofessionally in a medium where bots routinely harvest all tweets and archive them forever.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And the appearance of them paying for it raises ethical questions for a traditional journalist.

The easiest way to resolve this would be to just take place in the streaming version of the event from one's own home.

 

[Baron Opal II]

Restaurant reviewer? Politician? Air traffic controller? Please don't leave us hanging. I won't be able to concentrate properly on this thread until I know

Medical.

The last party I was invited to was during a conference in Las Vegas. A drug company had rented out an entire exclusive night club, fed us a buffet with a prime rib cutting station, open bar, music, dancing, &c. In a certain ... "zone" (hard to say "room") of the club there was a benefits manager in a $2000 suit carefully and cheerfully explaining how to bill insurance companies for their new biologic therapy to the tune of $12,000 a treatment. Since you know how to bill, navigate the bureaucracy, so your facility will be properly reimbursed, there is no reason to not have our product on formulary, right?

There was easily >100 people at the club. This was after they couldn't gift us durables beyond pens and geegaws. A few years after this the definition of "meal gifts" was tightened down significantly.

So, while there is certainly the possibility of influence here, it strikes me more as "cute" than anything else. And, I'm not at all saying WotC isn't trying this to influence people. I'm sure they are. But... When they're meeting in San Diego, free food, busses to take the spouses shopping while you attend the conference, free tickets to Disneyland for your family, and the presentation is on a tablet that is yours to keep, then I'll be thinking more of corruption. But, my scale may be a bit skewed, and who knows what swag they'll be presented with?

 

[Zaukrie]

Lol. Causevthe same thing has never happened with game reviewers or doctors.

Of course it has. You need to decide if you trust these particular people. That's the point.