The demand for David to be invited to Sony's launch was apparently successful...
This is mr. Clancy's comment on his External News Sony Blog
http://news.sel.sony.com/electronicsblog/?p=9 :
Aug. 23, 2007 1:06pm | Posted by: Rick Clancy
To the David Kilpatrick supporters, I have shared his name with our PR
manager for Sony’s DI business in the U.S. and will also pass along to our
counterparts in Europe. Many thanks for bringing him to our attention.
David, you're apparently on...
David, you're apparently on...
Paulo Brochado
David's been quite busy I'm sure, what with the new launches and all...
Anyways, although temptation could be mighty (early access to inside info, preproduction equipment availability for evaluation/previews/reviews, huge discount on production rig acquisition, etc.) I for one hope he refuses to be silenced and keeps his web presence as active as it is.
Unless, of course, Sony agrees to sponsor a full fledged cyber-magazine, accepting worldwide (gracious) subscriptions.
Anyways, although temptation could be mighty (early access to inside info, preproduction equipment availability for evaluation/previews/reviews, huge discount on production rig acquisition, etc.) I for one hope he refuses to be silenced and keeps his web presence as active as it is.
Unless, of course, Sony agrees to sponsor a full fledged cyber-magazine, accepting worldwide (gracious) subscriptions.
Paulo Brochado
They sure could, but I doubt it.
Feeling the PR temperature from their Japanese Alpha site ( http://www.sony.jp/products/di-world/alpha/ ), they used to promote workshops, courses and a steady flow of info, plus a nice monthly calendar. (No, I do not read Japanese, in fact my browser just show question marks for Japanese "text" — but Google can do enough of a translation for me to catch the general drift.)
Ever since 2007.7.27 they've quit. No update, no August calendar page. NADA!
Apparently they don't know how to keep a community spirit. But yes, perhaps they can hire someone that can.
Feeling the PR temperature from their Japanese Alpha site ( http://www.sony.jp/products/di-world/alpha/ ), they used to promote workshops, courses and a steady flow of info, plus a nice monthly calendar. (No, I do not read Japanese, in fact my browser just show question marks for Japanese "text" — but Google can do enough of a translation for me to catch the general drift.)
Ever since 2007.7.27 they've quit. No update, no August calendar page. NADA!
Apparently they don't know how to keep a community spirit. But yes, perhaps they can hire someone that can.
Paulo Brochado
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David Kilpatrick
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Thanks for the support! I have emailed Sony PR dept Europe myself, as well, to find out why some of my Euro colleagues have had invitations and I have not.
Sony UK had exactly such a plan in place one year ago. They had approached two ex-Amateur Photographer lads who run websites to construct a UK user club. These guys are very into basic bite-size potted information - they like magazines with little sidebars and pullquotes and boxes, and dislike long texts or good writing. They consider popular daily newspaper writing to be optimum. This is what Sony's exec wanted. I have worked with him for many years at Minolta/KM, and he has never been happy with my magazine. He feels I belong to an older generation, I think. He sees journos in their 30s as better able to write the language of the typical owner.
I was offered a job with this venture as Editor in Chief. I'd provide much of the content and be a sort of contact point for members, but every word appearing on the site would be approved or formulated by Sony. Real-time forum replies would not be possible as any statement made on an official Sony website must be passed for publication by a committee which sits weekly and reviews all text, graphics and other material.
Also, condition of my accepting this position/contract would be no more participation in any forums/newsgroups. I would only be accessible via the new site. And they might also want the printed magazine to end.
There is a strong legal bias to the review committee thing, since they believe that Sony could be held responsible. For the same reason, Sony executives are not free to jump in and take part in forums. I believe their atttitude here is correct. It means they can't really make a human, interactive website. So they should support an independent, unaccountable one instead!
However, the Germans also wanted to run a club - but Europe wide. They didn't want any of the national Sony companies to support or create any national clubs (this is because the German guys are the same ones who created Konica Minolta Photo World, which fed the reader PR pap but did create a large active community because they offered prizes).
So they vetoed all country-specific clubs including the UK plans and nothing has ever happened.
The Austrian Sony company naturally ignored the German office and supported their own long-time former Minolta Club, run by my friends Hans and Max Wiesenhofer. Tim, the executive at Sony who funded this, is now assigned to job outside the Alpha division, in London. He's having a quiet word with colleagues to find out why Sony UK was not able to support the former national user club, when the Austrians were able to.
There used to be a Dutch Minolta Club and magazine but I guess that has disappeared.
After almost a year had passed from first discussions when I decided on May 20th this year to activate Photoclubalpha, which we had registered last year but did not proceed with.
I believe photoclubalpha.com is a strong website brand, though I have just used Wordpress to create it - I'm not a web designer, I'm a print designer and I have never really made the transition. If Sony wished to take it under their wing they would only have to talk to me.
While readers/users are denied benefits - workshops, events, discounts, special offers, freebies, silly T-shirts and caps etc - it is fair for a website like this to be critical - as with the build quality issues on the 16-80mm. I guess they don't thank me much for that investigation.
But if they provide all the benefits for users, and fund a website to run properly (right now this pays me nothing - well, $50 a month in Google ad revenue to cover hosting costs!)... different matter. Then it becomes up to the users to raise their own complaints, not the webmaster/Editor. My job would then shift to investigating the problems, liasing with Sony, and providing better answers than they are currently able to.
I was always free under the Minolta regime to make critical or evaluative comments about items of equipment, and to tackle troubleshooting issues. They knew that if I was stopped from doing so, my credibility would be reduced. Sony might not take this approach, but it would be worth working hard to see if they could be persuaded.
David
Sony UK had exactly such a plan in place one year ago. They had approached two ex-Amateur Photographer lads who run websites to construct a UK user club. These guys are very into basic bite-size potted information - they like magazines with little sidebars and pullquotes and boxes, and dislike long texts or good writing. They consider popular daily newspaper writing to be optimum. This is what Sony's exec wanted. I have worked with him for many years at Minolta/KM, and he has never been happy with my magazine. He feels I belong to an older generation, I think. He sees journos in their 30s as better able to write the language of the typical owner.
I was offered a job with this venture as Editor in Chief. I'd provide much of the content and be a sort of contact point for members, but every word appearing on the site would be approved or formulated by Sony. Real-time forum replies would not be possible as any statement made on an official Sony website must be passed for publication by a committee which sits weekly and reviews all text, graphics and other material.
Also, condition of my accepting this position/contract would be no more participation in any forums/newsgroups. I would only be accessible via the new site. And they might also want the printed magazine to end.
There is a strong legal bias to the review committee thing, since they believe that Sony could be held responsible. For the same reason, Sony executives are not free to jump in and take part in forums. I believe their atttitude here is correct. It means they can't really make a human, interactive website. So they should support an independent, unaccountable one instead!
However, the Germans also wanted to run a club - but Europe wide. They didn't want any of the national Sony companies to support or create any national clubs (this is because the German guys are the same ones who created Konica Minolta Photo World, which fed the reader PR pap but did create a large active community because they offered prizes).
So they vetoed all country-specific clubs including the UK plans and nothing has ever happened.
The Austrian Sony company naturally ignored the German office and supported their own long-time former Minolta Club, run by my friends Hans and Max Wiesenhofer. Tim, the executive at Sony who funded this, is now assigned to job outside the Alpha division, in London. He's having a quiet word with colleagues to find out why Sony UK was not able to support the former national user club, when the Austrians were able to.
There used to be a Dutch Minolta Club and magazine but I guess that has disappeared.
After almost a year had passed from first discussions when I decided on May 20th this year to activate Photoclubalpha, which we had registered last year but did not proceed with.
I believe photoclubalpha.com is a strong website brand, though I have just used Wordpress to create it - I'm not a web designer, I'm a print designer and I have never really made the transition. If Sony wished to take it under their wing they would only have to talk to me.
While readers/users are denied benefits - workshops, events, discounts, special offers, freebies, silly T-shirts and caps etc - it is fair for a website like this to be critical - as with the build quality issues on the 16-80mm. I guess they don't thank me much for that investigation.
But if they provide all the benefits for users, and fund a website to run properly (right now this pays me nothing - well, $50 a month in Google ad revenue to cover hosting costs!)... different matter. Then it becomes up to the users to raise their own complaints, not the webmaster/Editor. My job would then shift to investigating the problems, liasing with Sony, and providing better answers than they are currently able to.
I was always free under the Minolta regime to make critical or evaluative comments about items of equipment, and to tackle troubleshooting issues. They knew that if I was stopped from doing so, my credibility would be reduced. Sony might not take this approach, but it would be worth working hard to see if they could be persuaded.
David
To be honest David, I'd rather have an independant viewpoint. Wonder if Sony would go the way of Canon and release an Alpha (or SonyStyle) technology magazine - one marque only.
I've been an MD/A mounter on and off since the early 80s and despite a dalliance with Olympus (thought the focus confirmation was a buzz when my eyes failed to see what I wanted them to see!), have remained loyal to the brand.
But if Sony were to release a dog of a new body (doubtful) I'd have to reconsider my future in the mount. And that's where truly independant advice comes in. I don't mean from magazines - apart from reviews run in a paid-by-manufacturer safari - many of the reviewers are so Canikon bred, that something different has to lose marks in handling. Funniest comment of late was the review in a group test of the CZ, stating that although it was sharp, a negative point was the fact it was only an A-mount exclusive! Hmm, so lenses that fit only one brand should be marked down then?
Sorry to waffle, but that's me!
I've been an MD/A mounter on and off since the early 80s and despite a dalliance with Olympus (thought the focus confirmation was a buzz when my eyes failed to see what I wanted them to see!), have remained loyal to the brand.
But if Sony were to release a dog of a new body (doubtful) I'd have to reconsider my future in the mount. And that's where truly independant advice comes in. I don't mean from magazines - apart from reviews run in a paid-by-manufacturer safari - many of the reviewers are so Canikon bred, that something different has to lose marks in handling. Funniest comment of late was the review in a group test of the CZ, stating that although it was sharp, a negative point was the fact it was only an A-mount exclusive! Hmm, so lenses that fit only one brand should be marked down then?
Sorry to waffle, but that's me!
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David Kilpatrick
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