Yesterday, after seeing reports that MyBlogLog had been acquired by Yahoo! in TechCrunch, ValleyWag and echo’d elsewhere, I posted a link to the reports and even included a bit of skepticism “If the reports are accurate” in my observation. (By the way, I think Yahoo! would be wise to acquire it.)
Around 8 p.m. central time last night, I received an e-mail from a Yahoo! PR person that, in a very polite way, informed me that the company had only acquired Bix.com yesterday and since I lead a boring life and was not doing anything except checking e-mail on a Friday night, I obviously and quickly updated the post with the accurate information.
Later in the evening, Robert Scoble, who was having an exciting evening of his own, posted what is now (at least here on the rexblog) going to be forever-known as the Scoble 24-Hour Rule for how to separate blog-rumors from blog-facts.
He says:
“Never expect bloggers to do fact checking or original reporting. But if a blog (post) survives 24-hours without anyone refuting the facts? That’s when rumors turn to belief.”
Here’s the Rex corollary to the Scoble rule: If you see a false rumor about yourself — even if you are a multi-billion-dollar-corporation — on any of the following: TechCrunch, ValleyWag, PaidContent.org, Techmeme (or the gate-keeping early-cycle meme-tracking equivalents in your industry or corner of the blogosphere) and you don’t send e-mails (IMs, comments, etc.) correcting the false rumor to the keepers of those gates, then you are signaling that the rumor is NOT false.
Granted, it’s pretty lame that such a rule and corollary need to exist. However, the same was true before blogs. Except then, while rumors didn’t have such an echo chamber — it was also harder to squelch rumors with the same echo chamber.
Update: I just remembered an exception to this rule. Apple rumors are so ubiquitous and ever-flowing, one should never believe any of them…ever.
Technorati Tags: bloggers, blogging, PR, rumors, word of mouth
November 18th, 2006 at 9:49 am
I don’t think it’s lame. Maybe as consumers, we’ll all learn to take “Caveat Emptor” seriously. It’s just as necessary when reading the NYT, only more subtle.
November 18th, 2006 at 9:50 am
And, of course, thanks for caring enough about the MyBlogLog service to focus on us this way. It’s early, and I forgot my manners.
November 18th, 2006 at 10:00 am
Scott (the real one, not the avatar one), as the old saying goes: As long as they spell your name correctly. I think the publicity can’t hurt. By the way, please e-mail me when the rumor is no longer a rumor, but, well, you know. (I guess that should be updated to “As long as they get the URL and link correct.”)
November 18th, 2006 at 10:42 am
Hello Rex: My first time here. I totally agree with Robert. But if you don’t know you can’t address it soon enough. There is so much on the web.
P.S. I love your pure lard icon.
November 18th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
I hear that Scoble is going back to Microsoft. Apparently his voice isn’t that well suited for podcasting.
The clock is ticking. Tick, tock…
November 18th, 2006 at 1:53 pm
Funny, Blog Bloke. However, I wouldn’t put the rexblog in the rumor gatekeeper category. Especially the comments here.
November 18th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
Blog: what you heard is true. I’ve been back to Microsoft twice since I quit my job and I’m sure I’ll be going back again soon (possibly around December 9th when I’ll be in Seattle for the Pirillo wedding).
As far as my employment? I’m very happy doing http://www.scobleshow.com and working for PodTech.
November 19th, 2006 at 8:10 am
I stand corrected Robert.
You know how the rumors abound. The blogosphere is worse than Church. BTW, please call me Bloke and thanks for being a good sport.
All my best to Chris. Cheers!
December 13th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
[...] Recently, Robert Scoble introduced what I dubbed the “Scoble 24-hour Rule”: ” Never expect bloggers to do fact checking or original reporting. But if a blog (post) survives 24-hours without anyone refuting the facts? That’s when rumors turn to belief.” [...]
March 24th, 2007 at 10:04 am
[...] *Scoble 24-hour rule: “Never expect bloggers to do fact checking or original reporting. But if a blog (post) survives 24-hours without anyone refuting the facts? That’s when rumors turn to belief.” [...]
May 3rd, 2007 at 7:30 pm
[...] says on the blogosphere, you have 24 hours to refute something or it becomes “fact.” permalink | categories: blogging, b2b | Time posted: 6:43 pm on Thursday, May 3rd,2007 [...]