We have officially replied regarding this situation on our site, and on other sites.
There are two sites that have their own experiences of the event, and organization:
www.sudhian.com
http://www.driverheaven.net/#article_3647
It is quite clear that THG did not have a media blackout. It is quite clear that AMDMB chose to jump to conclusions, and was asked to reconsider, but chose not to.
Why? Who knows?
Maybe it makes for good reading, and gets one noticed. Maybe people should note that it was a LAN party, and we were there to give back to the community. To have fun, get lots of prizes and freebies, and thank goodness sponsors were there to do that. We get tons of requests to sponsor LAN parties, and we chose to try it out with Lanwar and MML2 because, of past positive experiences.
It is that simple.
I don't understand why everyone chooses to believe that there was a media blackout when, in fact, only AMDMB seems to have had this problem, and admits that no sponsor was aware of such a thing etc. etc. I mean, if we had a media blackout, and wanted to shut other sites out, why not make an agreement with Lanwar to that effect, and let everyone know?
The facts just aren't there to support the allegations. Again, it is quite clear that other media were there and left to get on with their job:
www.lanwar.com makes that clear.
We've been covering Lanwar events for some time now. Not AMDMB. We have done it with the emphasis on the event and the community. We wanted this to be a celebration and everyone has just gone at a tangent.
Maybe it should be noted that there was no exclusive to be had, and that prior to the event, arrangements had been made to cover the AMD session in a preview because, AMD had something important to say. This is normal procedure. Not of our doing, but something that AMD would want for its own purposes.
If I understood what the indignation was all about, I would feel less angry about the whole situation, but with no truth, whatsoever, to the claim that there was a media blackout by THG, what are the options.
We won't sue AMDMB. Not worth it, and the guy probably misunderstood what was going on, but he could have said that, too. He chose to go live with his article for effect.
One other thing that is just beyond the pale is the reference to THG strongarm tactics. What stronarm tactics? Someone enlighten me on how we strongarm other sites, and give me facts. Incidents, actions, who, when, where, what?
If you paid attention to the average product launch from AMD, Nvidia, Intel, or anyone, you will see that products appear on numerous sites. We don't manage that, or have any influence over it. It is handled by company marketing and PR.
There are no exclusives in this business. Everyone knows that. There's no point for a company to ruin its relationship with other publications by giving THG an exclusive. No matter how big or influential they may perceive a site to be, no vendor would risk doing that.
These are just standard procedures in this business. Again, no vendor would endorse an exclusive, or consider it. Perhaps the Wall Street Journal, or Washington Post, or NY Times can get exclusives, but not technology sites.
So, please, enough about exclusives, or media blackouts. It just doesn't happen with vendors.
As for the interaction at MML2, there were a bunch of guys there with no sleep, running on caffeine, doing 3 hour presentations, and trying to keep this thing together for 4 days. Maybe tempers did flare, but AMDMB was at the event, took part in it, and had a chance to enjoy the event.
Why he chose to rain on everyone's parade is beyond me. At the end of the day, everyone had a good time. There was no earth shattering product news or presentation there, as you would expect at an end-user event, and that's it.
I was probably less than diplomatic in my reply to The Inquirer, but then again, I am always less than diplomatic. Nevertheless, I'll have a go at anyone who misrepresents us, and says things that are blatantly untrue about THG. No strongarm tactics, and no media blackouts. That's official.
Omid Rahmat
General Manager
Tom's Guides Publishing
www.tomshardware.com
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