So, Veronica Belmont has a new, new, new gig – this time with Qore. The lady with the tech worlds fastest growing resume is adding yet another employer to her list! Fresh from leaving Buzz Out Loud, to join (and then quickly leave) Mahalo Daily to then join Tekzilla - Veronica Belmont has now joined Qore.
Qore?
Yeah, Veronica Belmont will be appearing in Qore’s 40 minute long Playstation3 videos; (yours for just $3 a show!) Great news for all us PS3 owners who can’t wait to pay three bucks to be advertised to! These downloads will include video reviews and features along with PS3 game demo’s.
Conflict of interests with Veronica Belmont’s work at Tekzilla?
On Veronica’s blog, she says; “I’ll probably recuse myself in the future from giving any major opinions. Not because I’ve stopped playing other consoles or games (trust me, I have not) but to prevent any issues from coming up with viewers.”
Now, I am assuming Veronica Belmont knows that Sony are not just console makers – they are one of the world’s largest providers of consumer electronics.
So what?
Sony will have competing products in many of the categories covered on Tekzilla; audio, cell phones, PC’s, recording equipment and just about everything else you can image! Will viewers and advertisers trust a review that slams a Sony competitor, when it’s given by ‘the new face’ of Sony’s PS3 promotional videos?
I want to go on record to say I think Veronica Belmont IS 100% likely to give a fair review (the lady has class!) – but are others going to be as open minded?
I personally believe that this latest addition to Veronica Belmont’s resume is a bad one. The very fact Veronica is already admitting she will not be able to review certain products or comment on them because of potential conflicts, means there is already SERIOUS problem!
It will be interesting to see what happens!
UPDATE – Click here!
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You gotta be cautious about anyone who never sticks around, right? its either money or fame shes obsessed with but if she dont slow down she’s gonna miss them both.
I’m not an employee of Sony. I can say what I want about their various electronics outside of the gaming world to my little heart’s content. I’m just not going to talk about PS3 content because that’s what I’m covering in the scope of this show.
And they’re NOT “Sony promotional videos” as you say. We’re covering anything relating to PS3 content, not just first party Sony games. It’s really not that different from what Xbox is doing currently.
My saying that I’m recusing myself of speaking about Sony console stuff is hardly signaling any trouble! I think you’re jumping to some big conclusions there. Don’t you think Revision3 would tell me a loooong time ago if they had a problem with this?
Ellen -
I was at CNET for three years, and I’m still at Tekzilla. I left Mahalo because it wasn’t a good fit for me, because I wanted to focus on tech… which is what I’m doing. Should someone stay on a project that’s wrong for them?
Jim, I would say “it’s fair to assume” that I want to work on projects that I care about. Anything else is icing on the cake.
So how can someone who works for a pro-sony publication provide a neutral review about a competing product?? Its like, if the review is accurate no ones going to belive it and if its not accurate noones going to believe it. Confused how this will work.
Ellen,
Without knowing Veronica it’s not fair to assume she is seeking either money or fame. The only way to advance in any career, is to move – something common to everyone at the top of their game, not just Veronica.
Thanks for the comment!
Veronica,
I appreciate both the fact that you took the time to find this post and that you were cool enough to comment (I said you were classy!)
Sony’s best known piece of hardware is their PS3 console. Your new show is 100% focused on games / downloads for Sony’s console. Whether the show promotes third party games or Sony only games, it is obviously going to help build up the user base for PS3, which helps Sony.
I think it’s right to assume (and I may be wrong), that some people will see your promotion of “anything related to PS3 content” as being pro Sony – no?
Sony are much more than a console maker, and my initial thought on hearing about your new project, is that this is where the potential for ‘issues’ would rest.
For example; if Patrick said the next Vaio was excellent, no one would think there was anything odd. He would be seen as calling it as he saw it.
Anyone who has followed your work knows you are, as I said in the post, 100% fair. But is it possible that some people might think his review was likely to be more balanced than an identical review from someone with even a slight Sony connection?
Thanks again for popping by Veronica!
Perry,
I think the dividing line here, is whether or not people will believe that someone CAN work for a pro Sony PS3 project, whilst remaining neutral to all other aspects of Sony and their products.
Time will tell I guess?
Veronica made a very good point in her first comment. The people at Revision3 would have surely stopped this happening, if they thought it would cause a significant problem. They just secured squillions of dollars in funding – suggesting they know what they are doing.
I think we will all know, one way or the other, in the next few months!
If it’s any indication, I recently gave a pretty glowing review of the new Zune software on Tekzilla, and I blogged about using the Wii Fit on my personal blog, as well as being a GoW player (which only is on the XBox).
I was on the Qore project at that point too, and that didn’t change my opinions. But you’re right… only time will tell. I’d like to think that anyone who knows about my work will know how I do things.
She stated in a recent podcast with Leo and Major Nelson “I don’t technical work for Sony. Sony does not pay my paychecks or anything. I work for a 3rd party that produces Qore”. If Sony is paying the 3rd party company to produce Qore then she can’t expect us to believe that her comments and opinions will be unbiased. Sony sells PCs, music, movies, portable audio players in all form factors, home stereos, headphones, DVD players, BluRay players, DVD burners, TVs, cameras, camcorders, phones, and on and on. What percentage of tech related products can she review now other than say software, printers, scanners, webcams, etc. I currently enjoy listening to her on audio podcasts but if she turns into a Sony shill then she will loose all credibility.