Sony recruits journalists for "semi official" blog [update 1]
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Nov 1st 2006 at 10:20PM }
If you can't beat the blogosphere, then you might as well join it, secretly, and pick up a few established writers along the way. That's what Sony is doing with website ThreeSpeech.com. The website states: "Three Speech isn't part of PlayStation, but it does get to speak to PlayStation. You could say we're 'semi official.'" Yeah, you could say you're a semiofficial advertisement. Respected games journalist Simon Carless points out that something is rotten in the state of ThreeSpeech, citing an exclusive interview with Sony's Phil Harrison that first appeared on ThreeSpeech and then on GamesIndustry.biz. The technical quote from GI.biz, "Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz' Rob Fahey as part of an interview being serialised on semi-official Sony blog Three Speech." To boil this down to its simplest form: When you're good to mama, mama's good to you.
Yes, Major Nelson is the Microsoft equivalent to ThreeSpeech, but typically "journalists" aren't involved in his glorified press releases. Everyone involved knows what Major Nelson is and who he represents. Sony is sneaking into the blogosphere and pocketing some writers with promises of "exclusives" to promote their agenda -- and their bottom line.
[Update 1: Apparently there is confusion regarding Major Nelson -- added link]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SecondChance @ Nov 1st 2006 10:33PM
First sign this was a Sony blog: It cost $600 to register for comment access.
FuzzyPickles @ Nov 1st 2006 10:33PM
an semi-distracting typo
Optimus Prime @ Nov 1st 2006 10:34PM
What are you guys complaining about? Like you said, this is Sony's version of Mjr. Nelson ... you can grab at straws all you like.
Night Elve @ Nov 1st 2006 10:35PM
So Joystiq feels uncomfortable about this because?
FuzzyPickles @ Nov 1st 2006 10:37PM
OMFG THREESPEECH IS BIAS!!!!!
iceatcs @ Nov 1st 2006 10:38PM
Erm who is Major Nelson?
You mean the lame band
http://www.majornelsonband.com/
OOOOKKKKAAAAYYY!
Doomstalk @ Nov 1st 2006 10:48PM
Major Nelson is at least open about his relationship to Microsoft. He doesn't try to pass himself odd as independent or even semi-independent.
Kumar Shah @ Nov 1st 2006 10:43PM
How low can Sony blow?
Just start an official blog to promote Sony products, instead of this charade.
And wtf journalists? Get some integrity.
nick @ Nov 1st 2006 10:48PM
Talk about LONG winded. Do these guys know how to write a concise article?
Also, I wonder if it'll connect to entitlements (or did Sony drop that?)
Rhys Corlett @ Nov 1st 2006 10:52PM
The problem isn’t that they are a Sony version of Major Nelson…. The problem is that they are a Sony version of Major Nelson PRETENDING that they are journalists.
Major Nelson openly advises that he is a Microsoft employee.
As Joystiq said:
“Yes, Major Nelson is the Microsoft equivalent to ThreeSpeech, but typically "journalists" aren't involved in his glorified press releases. Everyone involved knows what Major Nelson is and whom he represents. Sony is sneaking into the blogosphere and pocketing some writers with promises of "exclusives" to promote their agenda -- and their bottom line.”
ZombieCreep @ Nov 1st 2006 11:01PM
#1.
Nice use of capitalization, punctuation and use of articles before nouns to correct author. Good call, Fuzzypickles, good call. Drunk, stupid and commenting on the internets is now way to go through life, son.
On topic: Engadget has a sweet hands on:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/01/playstation3-hands-on-preview-with-video/
I'd write some sweet stuff if I could get my hands on one of them. Major who?
ZombieCreep @ Nov 1st 2006 11:05PM
That's No way to go through life son.
(needs preview) Grrr
Michael @ Nov 1st 2006 11:09PM
Uh, why is this a negative story? They aren't hiding it.
Like I read the whole entry and nothing was really explained. Joystiq is the only one that looks bad here.
bobeotm @ Nov 1st 2006 11:12PM
Well, its clear from inception that it is a sony centric blog for sony. If it wern't joystiq (and subsequently the rest of the blogosphere) wouldnt have had such easy access to this information. So many griped about how sony needed a major nelson. The fact that it is a gaming journalist payed by sony, and not a sony employee paid by sony is neither here nor there for me, since both are essentially sony employees.
We complain that sony doesnt have a corporate connection to the public, and then complain when they get one. And you guys talk as if major nelson doesnt to an extent serve as propaganda. I dont see how one is any different from the other, especially since saying "semi-official" pretty much makes it clear that its supported by sony. If they were pretending to be an independent site, they would have called themselves "independent". So I fail to see how this is a cause for ire.
Michael @ Nov 1st 2006 11:28PM
I think the reason is obvious, bobeotm.
This isn't the first anti-Sony double-standard. It's pretty blatant, but since the it's acceptable to be anti-Sony this time around, most keep quiet about it.
Even though Joystiq is just a blog, and not a credible news source, articles like this ruin it for people who just enjoy video games. I don't give three shits about who's paying for this blog. If it gives me real information I didn't know before I'm happy for it.
Grow up, Joystiq.
dsub @ Nov 1st 2006 11:50PM
will we be able to post comments in the 4th dimension on ThreeSpeech?
carg0 @ Nov 1st 2006 11:58PM
Speaking of Major Nelson, has anyone checked out the responses on his latest topic concerning EA's Need for Speed marketplace content? It's brutally unanimous.
If I worked at any of EA's studios I'd be on the lookout for angry gamers with torches and pitchforks.
fawazr @ Nov 2nd 2006 12:02AM
Hahaha... what a perversion of journalism... it's not free speech, it's "ThreeSpeech"--get it? That's hilarious because an amoral corporation with absolutely no regard for individuals is making a pun out of one of the tenets of liberty. Isn't liberty funny? Isn't journalism dead anyway? So what if Sony pisses on it along with everyone else. I should be up in arms, but I'm sure there's something to watch on TV instead. Wouldn't it be great if Sony had a blog called GitmoSony? Get it? Like "Get more Sony," but it's actually a double-entendre. Whatever. Outrage is irrelevant nowadays.
FuzzyPickles @ Nov 2nd 2006 12:05AM
@16
No, but comments may be tilted along the axes of roll, pitch, yaw, quee, schmomp and kaz.
Usedtabe @ Nov 2nd 2006 12:09AM
Haven't read this site, but I know for sure Major Nelson likes the PS3, and has stated numerous times in his comments he plans on getting one. I'm assuming this will not be the case on three-speak, considering all Sony can do is bash their competition, then copy them
Leto @ Nov 2nd 2006 12:13AM
I'm sure Joystiq is at this moment blazing through the internet in search for more anti-Sony stories. Expect another anti-Sony article in about 5 minutes.
Robert @ Nov 2nd 2006 12:16AM
Looking for a PS3? Check this out:
http://www.bidnearby.com/index.php?q=ps3&c=62054
BklynKid @ Nov 2nd 2006 12:48AM
I'm really surprised that EA didn't try and make the game more realistic and have you fill up on gas. That said, I wouldn't have put it beneath EA to charge us 10 MS points a gallon.
BklynKid @ Nov 2nd 2006 12:51AM
That by the way was regarding EA's marketplace content for NFS: Carbon. For some reason I thought that was the post here. Errp.
Pince @ Nov 2nd 2006 1:32AM
I am quite sick of all the stupid Joystiq hate. Somehow, you have all managed to make calling Joystiq biased a silly cliche in a matter of months. Bravo. Idiots.
As for this article, the Joystiq bloggers have every right to be pissed about Sony's and their "journalists" move here. Sony is tiptoeing around making the equivalent of a Major Nelson by using journalists for their site. The journalists involved are essentially, completing selling out. That doesn't say alot for video game journalism.
Hell, you may call Joystiq bloggers biased (read: opinionated) but at least they feel free to have opinions (ones which are warranted, seriously, please someone give me a reason not to be pissed at Sony) and to express them. Do you think that Sony's bloggers will tell their honest opinion if they think something sucks? Not if Sony is keeping tabs on them. It is a breach of journalistic integrity and any journalist, even a Joystiq blogger, is justified in being pissed about that kind of underhanded journalism.
The only way any of you would have a case against the Joystiq bloggers is if you somehow made the claim that they were recieving money under the table from Nintendo or MS or something, or that they are secretly sponsored by one of them.
When Joystiq bloggers express opinions, even when it is the same old "Sony did something crappy again", at least those opinions are their own. Quit the petty attacks on Joystiq.
As a secondary point, and I hit on this early, I can see no reason why the average gamer, even former Sony fans (put me in that group), would bother defending Sony right now. Even if gaming blogs all over are putting negative spin on Sony news, that is mostly because there isn't much positive news to go around.
I can respect the optimists (not the fanboys) who just ignore all the bad news and know PS3 will be cool anyways (it will), but people are equally justified in thinking "Sony is teh suxxor". And I apologise to the optimists, because there isnt a whole lot of vocal support for your position, but let Sony take their lumps.
They have something to prove this November, so if you are confident that they will prove the worth of the PS3 and of their company, then you can be confident that they will shut alot of people up too.
The "bias"(anti-Sony sentiment or otherwise) will, for the most part, end at some point. Wait it out. Bitching does nothing but aggravate pointless tensions.
Ironhide Delta @ Nov 2nd 2006 11:33AM
Oh how quickly the fanboys forget. Was it not just 1 year ago that Joystiq was reporting and commenting on all the woes of the 360 launch? Fnaboys for Sony just ate it up with a "M$ sucks ass losers!" assinine commentary, and yet when precious Sony is being lambasted for actions completely opposite to conductive sales, they throw a fit, calling Joystiq out in as many ways as possible. I've only commented on a few posts so far, but I've been reading the comments for ages. People like Optimus Prime have nothing but praise for all actions Sony and conthing but contempt for all things Microsoft.
Optimus, you make claims that this is Sony's version of Major Nelson. Sure, if you consider a journalist who is paid to make nice nice about Sony, in the guise of an honest jounalist, he's very much the same thing. Major Nelson is in fact a Microsoft employee, and he has made no attempts to hide this. Sony's actions on the other hand are loathsome to say the least. Not only did Sony try to fool people with a fake movie reviewer, now they're trying to get the same thing only this time, bribe supposedly decent journalists to mkae it sound nice and legit.
Maybe it's time to suck it up and see past your rose tinted glasses and see Sony for what they are. Lying, manipulative and dishonest in how they attempt to showcase themselves.
Swegamer @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:41AM
The guys and gals at Threespeech don't deserve to be called game journalists. They're fucking sell-outs.
Me and my team of game journalists got together becuase of our common hatred for the game industry as well as our love for great games. That's how you do it. You must loathe the shit out of gaming PR to get believable.
Sure, we have a very difficult time obtaining games on time. But that's a price worth paying. At least our readers trust us.
Gamer G @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:29AM
I have a lot of time for MajorNelson he is clearly a gamer, and yer he roots for the home team but thats because he had a product its easy to believe in.
Miniboss @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:40AM
I think it's ironic that it's called "ThreeSpeech", which is obviously referencing "free speech", which means they don't allow free speech on that site. Just really funny to me.
Don Jose @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:04AM
[Title edit]
Sony recruits czars for "semi-official" propaganda campaign.
BMWM3P @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:10AM
I have no need for joystig anymore. Goodbye
maximus @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:18AM
Jeez, get a grip people. Joystiq, if they love games as much as they say they do, should try to be unbiased yet they take every opportunity to slag Sony off. I'm sick of all the sly attacks and comments they make in just about every Sony related article.
It constantly amuses me how pathetic so called gamers can be, pissed at Sony? Why exactly, they're trying their best to survive against the biggest and most cash rich company in the world. If they could have manufactured 2m PS3s by November then they would have. Fact is they physically can't so they're releasing what they have and more every week after. The PS3 is releasing with some decent games, it offers backwards compatibility and a Blu Ray player. If you think it's too expensive then don't buy one, simple. Microsoft have the luxury of being able to throw more and more money at the 360 until it bludgeons Sony off the top of the pile, there is no fair playing field here as the only thing Sony have to fight back is brand recognition and whatever exclusives they can afford to keep.
Anyone who believes Microsoft don't monitor everything Major Nelson says is very niaeve.
crono141 @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:24AM
Seeya, BMWM3P, don't let the door hit you on the way out!
Volcan @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:29AM
There's a semi-official Playstation blog, Joystiq posts an article about it, people call Joystiq biased. Am I the only one seeing something wrong here? Nobody willing to call ThreeSpeech biased?
I can understand a few of the posts calling Joystiq biased. But EVERY time someone posts something that is entirely truthful, yet is negative towards SONY or supportive of another company, they are called biased. It makes me question who the biased ones are.
Joystiq is a video game related blog, this is video game related, this has every right to be posted.
KilgoreTrout XL @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:39AM
In BMWM3P's eyes, Joystiq kept it real, but apparently ThreeSpeech kept it real-er. Seeya.
Alecks @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:47AM
Who cares what sony is doing to get some cattle for the slaughter. Any company will do whatever they can to make money, unless their a NPO. As for all the Sony Haters and Strictly nintendo/360 fan boys, I just look back at this, n64 was suppose to take out play station, yet my friends who had nintendo 64 were coming to my house to play ps with me. Xbox and Gamecube were gonna place an end to sony's ps2, Yet in my personal experience ( and I say personal because this is how it went around me) Those who I know had one, also had a ps2, and played that more often than they did xbox and gamecube. I'd go over their houses and play xbox and gamecube games, and when I'd ask why their not playing their system, they would respond: they had a ps2 game to play.. whatever- Sony will probably see the same out-come and continue being the monster/power house gaming company. ( this coming from a snes,dream cast,DS,psp, gamecube and soon to be wii lover, if not already) I'm also a sony fan, and I know Sony has done their shares to sell out to stay ontop- They got sued, they go through mad money shortages and they go through fiscal years, just to bring us gaming to it's prime and to provide a system that can last with the changing technology evolution, Not just something to be different. fan boys too blinded by their chosen pride to probably consider that.. As for joystiq- I see their hate as a gateway to information about the ps3, there is so little on the ps3, even if it's so close to launch, I know nothing about- So It's a double sided sword, yeah they hate, but their also showing us where it's coming from and for us to read and make what we want out of it, so it's all fair game.
but what I would really wish for is, for Sega to get back into the game of consel and rival nintendo again :} I loved sega, streets of rage ftw.
OtakuCODE @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:58AM
Heh, this sounds like Sony is taking a hint from the American military. "Report what we want, and you get to ride along with the troops... where we want you to go and where you see what we want you to see"
Of course it's just one step up from what companies do with information embargo dates and BS like that that blogs (Joystiq included) kow-tow to just so they remain in the loop. Journalism no longer is bringing the truth to the audience, it's presenting the world to the audience as the people changing the world want it to be presented.
Urbanstorm @ Nov 2nd 2006 10:04AM
At first I really wasn't going to post a comment but I just have to put my $.02 in.
First off please stop using the word "copy" when talking about these systems. EVERY company uses ideas from another company, that’s why we have more than 1 cell phone company, more than one car company, more than one tooth paste maker and more than one condom brand.
I love joystiq and been reading this website for almost a year now, but I am starting to get sick and tired of this under cover bashing of Sony. You say Sony is sneaking into the blogosphere but you guys are sneaking into Wii60 fanboism.
My biggest problem is not that your bashing Sony, my problem is that your not telling the whole news and making yourself look bad in the process. Please Joystiq go back to being the blog that gamers like me love. I love your opinions but gamers like me (you know the ones that aren’t fanbois) want more than news that feeds Wii, 360 and PS3 fanbois to post dumb comments about companies that they don’t even work for.
Spilt_Milk @ Nov 2nd 2006 11:52AM
Wow, look at all the little desperate sony fanbois going into /meltdown mode.
Lollers!
32_Footsteps @ Nov 2nd 2006 9:54AM
Here's a question for those decrying this move: would a journalist be a sell-out for writing for Nintendo Power? It's just as much of a house organ as ThreeSpeech. It's just in dead tree format and not a blog.
I'm also curious as to whether Sony will exercise that much control over these journalists. I look at Nintendo Power again as an indication. Among other things, I find it really fascinating that NP gave the lowest score yet given out to Clubhouse Games (according to Metacritic, anyhow). Maybe Sony would allow their journos similar freedom.
If nothing else, I'm tempted to apply and then write about the experience. There's alot of assumptions about what goes on in such cases, but I don't think anyone knows for sure. I can imagine my independence would keep me from even getting in the door, but the journalist in me would love to write about life on the inside, so to speak.
Pierce @ Nov 2nd 2006 10:03AM
the title should read "sony turns journalists into publicists"
i mean what they are after they are hired by sony is a publicist. theres nothing wrong with that ..its just a different job. if said publicists then try to claim unbias reports in true journalistic fashion then yes we have a problem.
i really dont understand the hate towards joystiq though haha. every chance they get they bash wii xbox and ps3. its just a lot easier with the ps3/sony atm.
i mean go look at the so called multi gamer websites that have bloggers ....its the same shit everywhere. dont try and label joystiq with the standard everyone is using atm. hell even news sites like Excite and msnbc "trash" sony at least once a week. thats NEWS people. if its negative you need to learn to suck it up.
its like news coming out of iraq talking about how many dead while bush claims media bias. its always easy to yell BIAS when the news isnt going your way.
rrenna @ Nov 2nd 2006 11:53AM
And I'd just like to add that Major Nelson praises the Nintendo DS like it's jesus, I wonder if these guys are even allowed to comment on non-sony gaming.
eggfou @ Nov 2nd 2006 11:55AM
Major Nelson is very open and honest about working for Microsoft. I've been enjoying his blog and podcast because he covers things that no other game site covers. He is not a marketing or PR guy. He even crumbs on the marketing and PR people sometimes. Also, he is very open that the blog and podcast are not part of his job, and he claims he is not paid or reimbursed for it. It's not even hosted on microsoft owned servers. I know his opinion is biased, but he puts out good quality content. He interviewed the guys who came up with the statistics system for matchmaking in Halo 2. He talks directly with the guys who develop accessories. He is going to have Megadeath on his next podcast, his 200th. Major Nelson does the blog and podcast of his own free will. Sony can never "create" a Major Nelson. Major Nelson created himself. Yeah, he has to be careful what he says. No one is allowed to make disparaging remarks about their own company in a public forum. Check your own company handbook. BTW, he has no problem praising the DS and openly admits he can't wait to play a Wii. I can't wait to hear what he says about this on his podcast.
[-Z-] @ Nov 2nd 2006 1:56PM
Don't give me shit, joystiq. If Your top blogger, Blake snow can have www.infendo.com(Nintendo oriented blog), why can't Three speech. Before you start attacking three speech, look at your own editor blog first. What's up with all these double standard.
razer @ Nov 2nd 2006 1:57PM
Note to Sony: You can't buy a community!
Looks like Sony can check off #5 on their list of what else to copy from XBL, create a Major Nelson clone that will try and be buddy buddy with the community.
Major takes some serious verbal abuse and I hope this blog allows for that same type of exchange instead of deleting and censoring like all the other Playstation sites.