Thursday, January 22, 2009

RB: The Handmaidens and their juice

The Handmaiden of Wretched Rebounds writes today:

Got Juice?

We’re stirring up more discussion than a juicer in this week’s episode of TMI.

I know there’s been some discrepancies about the NonSociety’s involvement with Blueprint Cleanse. Just so you know, we approached Blueprint this summer after testing it out and loving the way it made us feel. When it comes to endorsements NonSociety has a strict policy of transparency. In short, we only partner with brands we believe in, like Blueprint.


The Handmaiden of Passive Aggression adds:

*I have paid full price for Organic Avenue but do not pay for BluePrint. BluePrint does not pay me to write about it. I just f-ing love the juice.

Um, so which is it, Handmaidens? BluePrint doesn't "pay" you--yet you do partner with them? Mary, we know you're not the brightest bulb in the pack, but sweetie, if you are receiving free juice, you are receiving payment.

Le sigh.

13 comments:

  1. Meghan and Megan introduced themselves to others at Sundance as "journalists from nonsociety" as displayed on a video Meghan posted today. Yes journalists. Not bloggers. Since when did Meghan Asha become a journalist?!

    Yet they seem to think free gifts for their use, as opposed to just for review purposes, aren't compensation and therefore they repeatedly claim they receive no payment from Blueprint for their promotion. This is a lie since clearly the free juice for their own use is given to them because they promote Blueprint. And that's just Blueprint? How many other products they promote might be similarly arranged and not disclosed?

    Not only is disclosure of any type of compensation an integral component of the transparency they claim they exhibit but for people who consider themselves to be journalists maybe not accepting payment and gifts of any kind in exchange for coverage would be the way to go?

    It's funny how they are journalists and a "magazine" when desiring credibility, clout, or access somewhere and at other times simply lifecasters of a fun fluffy site whose readers should have no expectations of professional standards or even proper spelling. They are journalists in name only when it suits them.

    If they do want to be called journalists they should abide by the many journalistic standards and practices they currently shun. And either way adopting some ethical business practices can't hurt regardless of what they want to call themselves.

    My theory is that they started the site precisely because they don't want to do the work or maintain the integrity and standards required of real journalists but want the benefits of that job and of other positions.

    The site seems like little more than a vehicle for undisclosed advertising in exchange for compensation and other gifts from companies that are attracted by the page view numbers. Numbers that likely stem from the publicity they spend much of their time chasing, not from quality content they don't seem to care about developing. IMO at least.

    --Ineffable

    ReplyDelete
  2. Julia recently did an interview for an the Sydney Morning Herald weekend supplement (an Australian newspaper supplement not available on line) where she states that her plan is to make money from product placement on the Nonsociety lifecasts. So why they do keep denying that Blueprint is not a sponsor?

    See a gawker post on the article here:
    http://gawker.com/5096068/seriously-why-even-bothering-profiling-julia-allison

    ReplyDelete
  3. I posted a link to her saying that somewhere in the comments here too
    oh yeah it was in the wired interview video, a search will bring it up
    their business plan is to earn money from promoting products because julia said if she mentions liking it you better believe a million fans will go out and buy it. no inflated ego on that girl, not at all. and that's to say nothing of their ugly business plan, basically undisclosed ads made to look like content

    --Ineff.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I posted a link to her saying that somewhere in the comments here too
    oh yeah it was in the wired interview video, a search will bring it up
    their business plan is to earn money from promoting products because julia said if she mentions liking it you better believe a million fans will go out and buy it. no inflated ego on that girl, not at all. and that's to say nothing of their ugly business plan, basically undisclosed ads made to look like content

    --Ineff.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A journalist (also called a newspaperman) is a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues, and people while striving for viewpoint that is not biased.

    i had to search and search through the posts to find something other than a pic of her sitting at tmi (omg!! tmi weekly!!! yayy.com!!)

    but check out the exelent "journalism"

    For some reason I took no less than seven (7) photos with YouTube founder Chad Hurley. Here is one of the more sober-approximating ones.

    I don’t 100% remember why, exactly, this occurred … but I blame the two enormous glasses of white wine which somehow found their way into my hands.

    I think I actually jumped up and down with excitement when I met him.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very nicely put, Ineffable. I'd be curious to see if you got a response from Julia Allison if you emailed that directly to her. Scary called her out on her unethical Google practices and she basically blew her off and offered up some whiny, unprofessional gibberish that made her look ten times worse. Hopefully Julia Allison will use that flight to Munich to reconsider why she's in this "business" because it looks like it's currently being dismantled from the bottom up.

    PS - does anyone have the link to that Wired video and can they post it here? I can't find it in the old comments. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  7. there are too many fools out there who will buy her shit.

    she wrote this for her DLD Conference blurb:

    The co-founder of NonSociety.com, which garners over 800,000 visitors every month, she also co-hosts and exec produces the popular internet chat show, TMI Weekly, with Next New Networks. She's been hired to speak to companies like A&E, Unilever, Microsoft, and MIT's Sloan School on new media and innovative marketing strategies, and is a frequent panelist at conferences, where she relishes the copious use of nametags.

    Also, it's interesting to know that her friend Randi Zuckerberg will be speaking at this DLD "conference". Innnnnnnnnnteresting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. In between the fake glowing comments on juicing and cleansing, Mary Rambin is getting thrashed pretty badly over her latest episode of TMI. She's attempted to defend each negative or critical post and MY GOD her responses are hilariously dumb and out of touch. Seriously... why even waste time making fun of her horrible outfits and straw hair when she has ZERO critical thinking or reasoning skills? She can't even answer simple questions. How can she possibly be so clueless as to not realize how BAD her defensive responses there and on Gawker make her look?! The mind reels. I cannot understand how someone with so few reasoning skills functions in daily life. She's like her little dog Mason: her daily life revolves around the basic functions of eating, moving around and pooping.

    ReplyDelete
  9. JA interview with Chris ANderson Wired
    http://www.wired.com/video/security/highlights/1716440574/interview-julia-allison/1815616672

    ReplyDelete
  10. i just watched that video. UGHHHHHHHHHHHH. im actually LESS clear on why she was on the cover of WIRED now.

    -a unique anon

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yes the video is grating. As are all the others she is in in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  12. All of her videos are grating because Julia is grating. And abrasive. It's no wonder that no man can stand to be around her for very long at all.

    She also has this very weird affectation when she speaks, sort of like she's pursing her lips while speaking.

    If Mrs. Baugher really is reading all of this, WHY THE HELL HASN'T SHE GOTTEN HER DAUGHTER THE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HELP SHE SO DESPERATELY NEEDS? It doesn't matter that Julia Allison Baugher is an adult, her parents still have a moral responsibility to not let her wander around unattended, not while she's so out of her freaking mind.

    Shame on the Baugher family. They are an epic FAIL.

    ReplyDelete