Out of the blue messages
From time to time, I get a comment about a supplier that seems to come in from out of the blue. The comment either sings the praises of some product or offers a scathing review of company or product problems. On occasion, the message comes from a competitor and offers useful information about a company's management team, go-to-market strategy or products.
If it is an unusually complementary comment, I tend to think that it is from a member of the company's marketing or PR staff. I believe that their intention is to persuade me to examine or reexamine the company and its products here on ZDnet. While I find the information offered useful and informative, I typically post only when something new is happening. I also ask them to identify themselves and their reason for the out-of-the-blue message.
If the comment is a scathing review or a review of the bad habits of the company's management team, I usually assign the message to the "sour grapes" category and ignore it. I always ask these people to identify themselves and explain why they chose to contact me.
Once in a while I'll get a message from a competitor that highlights a shortcoming of the company's products. I file those in the "ask a few interesting questions the next time the company briefs me" file.
"What's the point?" some have asked. I thought it would be interesting for some to understand how suppliers attempt to influence analyst options.