Neurotic Neologisms Nicole Lee’s random sputterings

The gadget blog rivalry

Wired Magazine wrote up a story about the gadget blog rivalry between Engadget and Gizmodo recently, and it’s an interesting read that pits the two blogs against each other in what seems to be a kind of awkward and bitter dance between two rivals. Imagine that dance scene in Beat It, or the You’ve Been Served moves in the movie of the same name. It’s laughable, but there it is, plain as day.

I hadn’t wanted to comment on this story (especially since I do work for CNET, who is sort of a competitor in the same space), but felt a weird sort of shifty emotion as I read it, because all the feelings felt so familiar. See, I’ve worked for Gizmodo before, in an editorial capacity. Not with the same people mentioned in the article (I worked under Bigg and Robischon, not Lam), but I was there all the same. So I know the competitive feeling well, and I remember that odd queasy feeling as I saw the competition build, and I remember the regret and resentment of not “being first.” I believe it when writers on both teams say the rivalry isn’t that bad — after all, they’re pretty different in voice and tone, and gadget blog rivalries are pretty low on the totem pole as far as Important Things in Life go — but that rivalry is real, and it can be bloody. I’ve certainly felt personally slighted by the people on the other side, and I felt obligated to be “with us or against us.” Note that no one told me to feel this way (Robischon even encouraged me to go talk to Boutin, who was writing for Engadget at the time), but I felt that way anyway, due to the nature of the rivalry.

And I have to tell you, I didn’t like it. I’m not a fan of frat boy esque rivalries, and I’m not a Type A personality who’s constantly out to take out the competition. Not only that, I also felt completely torn. The guys over at Engadget didn’t seem like a bad bunch, yet I did feel a little sulky that they didn’t link to us. I also appreciate the non-PC fanboy toilet humor that the Gizmodo guys have (I like dirty jokes and have the sensibility of a 12 year old boy), but I also don’t always have the writing chops for it (If anything, my writing “style” is probably more strait-laced and Engadget-y). I am loyal to the Gizmodo folks (Well, the old skool Gizmodo guys anyway), but I also want the Engadget people to respect me. It’s a push and pull situation that leaves me feeling like the kid in the cafeteria who’s trying to decide which table to sit with.

Again, this is the kind of stuff most people don’t care about. In real life, Lam and I are cordial colleagues, and I even attended his 30th birthday party (Disclaimer: Brian used to be one of my editors at Wired Magazine, and I am guilty of wanting to be his friend). I also get along okay with Ryan Block the few times I’ve met him, and yes, I am also guilty of wanting to be his friend. Which, to me, is like wanting to have friendly reputation with both the Aldor and the Scryers at the same time (Total inside WoW joke, OMG, I apologize). Awkward!

The situation isn’t so clearly black and white. It’s possible to have rivalries this intense while maintaining respect and decorum. But outbreaks of outright hostility and false accusations have occurred on both sides, and to me, this resembles warfare, not friendly fire. And really, all I want is peace.

I’m not even sure why I’m saying all this in such a public space. I’ve just had this internal conflict for a long time, and I wanted to get it out in the open. (Plus I don’t REALLY know the guys on both sides well enough, so I can kind of just say this stuff without fearing the implications). I guess all I can say is: Please don’t hate each other. Link to each other. Praise each other. Do your own thing if you have to, but respect the other party too. Frat boy rivalries aren’t funny when the people involved are in their 30s.

And that’s all I have to say before I pass out from sleep deprivation.

I dunno, I don’t think the rivalry that article played up is all it’s cracked up to be. I think Brian and Wired both have a lot to gain from dramatizing it, but I don’t see things that way at all, and I certainly wouldn’t ever want anyone to feel like they couldn’t be pals with people on both sides of the fence. If Brian and I can be pals, can’t everyone else?

I don’t doubt that people on both sides can be friends, it’s just that I find it odd to be friends and then be able to have a rivalry that intense. It almost seems like it has to affect your overall mood or emotion somewhat. Clearly, the fact that the rivalry is major and your friendships haven’t been affected is testimony to how awesomely silly I am about it, but the separation of work and play isn’t something that comes naturally to me. If someone insults my work, I find a hard time playing nice with him/her, ya know? But again, I suppose it’s a matter of not letting your emotions get in the way and gaining some perspective on the whole thing.

(Note to self: Don’t write blog entries at 4:30 a.m. while in a delusional half-asleep state. What was that comparison to Beat It and You’ve Been Served? Lordy.)

[...] something, and it’s healthy to have strong disagreements with others. I’ve voiced in a previous entry about the gadget blog rivalry that I’m uncomfortable with such things, and I usually am. But this is mostly because [...]