When Good Bloggers Do Bad Things - Maybe - RIM's Pearl Plans

Today's Globe & Mail ran an interesting story that raises questions about the impact of blogs when used to divulge corporate information before the intended time.

The story in question is about RIM, and how a blogger named Genius Boy has been forwarding information about their upcoming "Pearl" product to the popular tech site, Engadget.

While I don't expect the Globe to be first to market, I haven't seen this story covered before. So, either I'm not reading in the right places, or most people think it's a non-issue. Or maybe it's not being followed at all.

Regardless, wearing my blogger hat, I feel obliged to draw attention to the story. No doubt, it's impossible to control content on the Internet, and in general, the morals and ethics of blogging are open to wide interpretation. It's an unregulated wild west space, and people will do what they want - or can - because it's so easy to do and the downside is usually pretty limited.

Who's to say whether RIM is happy or unhappy about this? As the article points out, RIM's stock is up 30% this month, and Boy Genius is publicly taking pride and credit for this run up. What the stock price will do once the product is launched is anybody's guess.

I think this story is ripe for debate and I'm sure 100 people will have 100 different takes on it. Your comments are welcome - I'm just putting this out there, especially in light of the attention Garrett Smith has been creating for bloggers this week.




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