The “cheapshooting” of Robert Scoble

Matthew Ingram: “So Scoble was going to get a fee for speaking at a blogging conference. Big deal. Speakers at conferences get paid all the time, and even if they don’t get an honorarium, they usually get free plane flights and hotel rooms and food. That’s how it works. Is this conference somehow different because PayPerPost is sponsoring it?”

I’ve had it with the cheap shots against Robert Scoble in the past month or so. Sure- he shot his mouth off about Engadget and pissed off some people when he felt that he wasn’t getting his due. He promptly apologized for it and asked to put it behind him. It won’t be the last time that happens to Scoble. Robert is a super guy, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s impetuous at times. It can get him into trouble. He’s also loyal to many friends and colleagues and has a ton of integrity. I’ve seen him stand beside people and have the courage to say they’re wrong at the same time. Not too many people can pull that off. In the process, he shares a lot of great information and has elevated blogging in the tech industry. His contributions are hugely signficant, and everyone knows it.

A note to the blogosphere- get off of Scoble’s back. So what if he was going to speak at a PayPerPost event? One recent blog that I read compared PayPerPost to Bumfights. That’s bullshit and any person with an ounce of integrity knows it. So what if PayPerPost is unpopular and Robert (through PodTech) is doing business with them? That’s no reason to throw Scoble under the bus and those who are doing it should be ashamed.