Musings on a Sunday morning about why I don’t get invited to ‘AllThingsD’
I have this memory of Kara Swisher yelling out “Get a Canter Tazer” as I was blurting out and interrupting the iLike guy at the party the other night. I was flabbergasted that this kid was lauding Facebook by claiming that Facebook was “the web”.
So Kara yelled back. She felt that I was beiing rude (I guess) as a guest of this party. How DARE I ask a question!
I felt it was my DUTY to stand up, interrupt him and ask him “are you going to develop for other platforms?” What I was really saying was “Facebook is the FIRST social platform, but not the ONLY one or the LAST one - and it CERTAINLY is not the Web.”
So as I think about Kara expanding her universe with her blog and video camera and her monetizing her brand with her own conference it struck me “why don’t these high level journalists ask the tough questions?” Why didn’t SHE stand up and remind the iLike guy that Facebook is NOT the web? Steve Levy was at the table too. And how come John Markoff turned into such a marshmallow? He used to write tough, investigative journalism. No more.
How come folks like Kevin Werbach let execs (like the head of AT&T’s network) dodge a tough question about net neutrality or bandwidth pricing? I tried three years in a row to ask the guy (the fact that Kevin had him back three years in a row simply says that AT&T is a sponsor of Supernova.) But each time I tried to ask him the same question the guy dodged my question or literally ran off the stage refusing to take questions.
There’s a tendancy in mainstream journalists to play by the rules, pre-screen questions and make everything hunky dory - to keep their ‘access’ to these high level execs.
But I don’t play by those rules. So no wonder I don’t get invited to AllThngsD. And why Kara never videotapes me. Clearly I have nothing to say! Kara knows she can’t control me and that I don’t play by the “be nice to the VCs and high level execs and maybe they’ve invest in you” rules.
Fuck that - we don’t need their money! It’s not about flipping your company and running, its about building great companies and presenting great experiences to end-users!
And BTW they never give you the money when you need it, only when you don’t need it.
Too bad - cause people who know me or have seen me at these conferences know I light it up. I make sure things happen. I don’t take the bullshit and swallow it. If you’re gonna shovel shit, well then I’m gonna ask about the smell, the consistency and how many pounds does it take before you’re done spewing so we can get on with the real issues.
We had our own conference these weekend and it went great. When I had something to say I said it. And when people didn’t like what I said, they yelled back at me. That’s the way it should be. Too bad Facebook couldn’t make it.
Mary Hodder said something perfect. When someone complained of my style she said “well I don’t mind his style cause he’s asking the right questions.” Thank you Mary!
And if you’re wondering why I won’t be at Tech20 (or 40 or 50 or how ever many companies they’ve scammed into paying to be on stage) and why I don’t go to Demo - hopefully you now know.
I’m not interested in pre-canned, shilled company pitches.
September 9th, 2007 at 10:58 am
That’s unfair Marc because it’s not universally true. As a tech hack turned blogger I know only too well the way in which companies control access. Tried getting anywhere near Oracle recently? They won’t even show up and attempt to play. Why? Cos they know they’ll get ripped up and don’t like it one bit. Ask Dan Farber what it’s like getting straight answers. Trying to parse some of the BS that gets handed down is much harder than you might imagine. Especially if you want to get to know what’s REALLY going on. That’s why some of us have sources we could never name in public.
But…”style” is an issue. If I was talking and you bellowed from the back of the hall (as I’ve heard you do) I’d be happy to answer the question but I’d likely tell you to shut the f**k up until I’d finished speaking. That’s just good manners.
September 9th, 2007 at 11:11 am
[…] Getting a “Canter taser” I was at the iLike party table that Marc Canter was at. Where Kara Swisher commented about needing a Marc Canter “taser” which was in response to Marc’s interruption of a little presentation at the iLike party. Here’s Marc’s recollection. […]
September 9th, 2007 at 11:36 am
[…] Canter wrote a fantastic blog post this morning that explains in a nutshell all that’s wrong with the tech press. It’s a […]
September 9th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Facebook is NOT the web!
I agree.
Hugs
Marco
September 9th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Want to come and talk at the Second Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference? I think you could really light up an audience that needs to know. This is a real invitation; I put it on. It’s Nov. 8. If you are interested, twitter me, get me on Facebook, or call Scoble, who has my phone number that I don’t want to leave on your blog but is all over the Internet.
Remember me from William Luciw’s company that never got off the ground?
September 9th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
[…] just read about it at scobleizer’s and marc’s […]
September 9th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Marc,
You’re always the irreverent one! Never a dull moment.
September 9th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
But tell us how you really feel.
As an independent businessman teh words, “And BTW they never give you the money when you need it, only when you don’t need it” rang so true. Very refreshing to read your candid blog post.
September 9th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
“There’s a tendancy in mainstream journalists to play by the rules, pre-screen questions and make everything hunky dory - to keep their ‘access’ to these high level execs.”
So true for the washington political journalists, too!
September 9th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
[…] Canter wrote a fantastic blog post this morning that explains in a nutshell all that’s wrong with the tech press. It’s a […]
September 9th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
I cannot imagine anyone consciously not-inviting you, Marc. Especially to a free-for-all discussion.
But a few thoughts on this post…
I doubt Kevin took money from AT&T and I’m surprised you mentioned it without evidence, or asking Kevin.
Anyway, I read the AT&T-Supernova connection differently. The currency isn’t cash, it’s scarce access, with AT&T providing it, and Supernova profiting from it. It’s mutual, though. AT&T benefited by having a platform to talk about.
About how “tough” questions play in this situation. My experience is a keynoter or bigco executive level guest can only take a handful of questions in the time given. Those big guns all have “media training” so they only answer questions they want to answer, that they’re prepared to answer. They’ll skip over or BS their way through inconvenient questions. Either way, if I know that’s their behaviour, I’m just wasting one of the community’s scarce questions if I ask something guaranteed to be ditched. Not that those questions aren’t important, urgent and meaningful; just that asking them I’m punching a wall without learning anything new.
Thanks again for the data sharing summit. Great seeing you, your family, and all those great people.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Asking questions is fine.
However, when someone hosts a party (yes party, there was no press Q & A time), and they speak for only four minutes of the whole night in front of a crowd, stealing the spotlight for yourself in such a manner is inappropriate and rude.
I don’t blame anyone who fails to invite you anywhere.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:45 am
I feel I should amend that, as the last sentence came out hash. I want to add you seem nice enough in person, I just understand the reason you may not be getting invites - it’s not the questions at all, so much as the timing.
The question itself was not one that I think Hadi Partovi minded, nor anyone found (nor should have found) problematic. It was a good question.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:14 am
I admire “Candid Canter” and his BS detector. As for some of you…come on and sprout some balls. Have the courage to call it when necessary and stand up for what you believe in. Marc…you’re hot (in an intellectual ballsy way).
September 10th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
[…] Canter has written a fantastic blog post that attempts to explain what is wrong with the tech press: There’s a tendancy in mainstream […]
September 11th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
In the Apple keynote when, after the new iMac presentation, Steve Jobs responded to some journalists, they have not asked a good question, or something that you can call a question.
Facebook is the web? Really? Not Google?
September 11th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
If you are interested, twitter me, get me on Facebook, or call Scoble, who has my phone number that I don’t want to leave on your blog but is all over the Internet.
September 12th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
[…] a you-hurt-my-feelings post on his blog earlier this week, entrepreneur Marc Canter (pictured here) turned my one little quip […]
September 13th, 2007 at 3:47 am
Thanks your comment is amazing.
I like your diary..
See ya
September 13th, 2007 at 10:37 am
[…] I make unsubstantiated claims and accusations, ranting and raving (I don’t drink alcohol - thi…. […]
September 16th, 2007 at 7:33 am
[…] I was at the iLike party table that Marc Canter was at. Where Kara Swisher commented about needing a Marc Canter “taser” which was in response to Marc’s interruption of a little presentation at the iLike party. Here’s Marc’s recollection. […]