OT: Wanted for magazine article

[Rick Broida]

Hi,
Have you used any of the online photo-sharing/developing sites, like Club
Photo, Snapfish, etc? If so, I'd like to interview you (either online or by
phone) for an upcoming feature in Computer Shopper Magazine
(www.computershopper.com). I'll just ask about your experiences with the
site(s), how you think they compare with traditional photo services, etc.

I know people tend to get suspicious of inquiries like this, but all I can
do is promise that this is not some marketing nonsense. I'm a journalist
looking for people to interview--end of story. :) If you'd like to
participate, please e-mail me!

Thanks,
Rick Broida

[René]

"Rick Broida" <ri...@broida.com> wrote in message
news:EhSe7.2214$i5.8...@newsrump.sjc.telocity.net...

> I know people tend to get suspicious of inquiries like this...

Not suspicious, more like sick and tired. How come every newsgroup I
subscribe to, and every IRC room I frequent or run, attracts, sooner or
later, some person trying to write an article or a project for school or
something similar?
Get a decent job, folks, and make your own homework.

"Hey, I need this for a project for school, and it has to be finished by
tomorrow, could you guys write me a short article about the history of
firearms and their impact on human evolution? Only 50,000 words, thanks."

[Chris Smith]

Rene, the other way of looking at this would be that this guy is a working
writer (I am, by the way, so maybe it makes more sense to me) who is politely
asking for real-world experiences to use in a magazine article....and in this
computer world, many users get a lot of value out of reading the various
publications to see how other people are using technology.

It just didn't have that icky homework or spamlike ring to me. Just a
thought.

Chris

[René]

"Chris Smith" <awr...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:3B7C0017...@bellsouth.net...

> Rene, the other way of looking at this would be that this guy is a working

> writer.

Well, I didn't mean to offend him, or you, personally, what annoys me
slightly is how most of times "journalists" take your words, twist them
around, until they say just the opposite of what you meant.

[Chris Smith]

No problem, I wasn't offended. And it's definitely on the writer to report what
you say accurately. Those writers who don't (or editors who change their meaning
after the piece is written) just make it tougher for the good guys. Have a good
one.

Chris

[Paul Shan]

BWahahaha. That's funny. Way back when windows 3.0 was new, I was working at a
university Help Desk as the resident virus expert (I wasn't an expert per se, just
the local expert). I was interviewed by the local town paper (not university paper)
over the phone about the upcoming Michelangelo scare. I answered questions he
asked, obviously trying to get some scary statement from me. I told him that the
virus was real, that we only expected to see a couple hits (on a campus of 40000+
people), and the above all nobody should panic. All that got printed was that the
virus was real. I was quite upset. I made a point to emphasize the "don't panic"
comment, and he blew it off. The article was decidely sensational, and that was all
he was interested in.

In reality we saw I think 2 hits, and one was suspiscious. I purposely infected an
extra stand-alone PC in the office with it (it's a boot-sector virus) on the trigger
date, and watched the virus dutifully erase the hard drive. We let it go for hours
before turning off the computer and reformatting the hard drive.

Yes, this experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Sorry if I offend! ;-)
-- Paul