Thursday, August 21, 2008

Incoming Assaults! Eek!

There seems to be a concerted effort over the last day to post comments on this blog regarding my earlier posts here and here castigating BestofVegas.Com for the fact that a site that claims to be something new and something Vegas-wise would use 5-year-old images of the Strip to promote itself. I also took issue with what they're calling "exclusive celebrity content" because what's on the site is not in any way, shape or form exclusive.

So they had their party and now I'm getting beaten up. The gist of these comments are:

1. Valid, accurate critique = hate.
2. Nicky Hilton is actually a future Nobel laureate.
3. I would've thought differently had gone to the party.
4. My status as a journalist has been tarnished because I did not drink the Kool-Aid.

Nobody even vaguely attempted to defend this website's dishonest claims, carefully debunked in that first post, of "exclusive celebrity content." I guess the journalistic standards of real working national journalists are a wee bit different than the freeloaders who suck up to get invited to parties hoping to see sexy girls.

The point here is not whether the site itself is any good for what it actually intends to do, which is to sell travel. They may be great at this and bully for them. The point is that they burst into a new city and show their total ignorance of it when they put out promotional material with ancient visuals. Then the content of their site pretends to be journalistic when, in fact, it's more promotional material.

Just to be clear, I didn't skip this party because I was offended by the advertising imagery. I skipped it because these sorts of parties happen about once a week, aren't my thing and are never what I would define as newsworthy. The same old self-important people standing around having the same old conversations while mooching off some sucker who thinks that throwing such an event makes them a part of the community? What's fun about that?

Gotta go. Real news calls.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Steve, I wouldn't dignify these comments with a response. One kook just wrote that you haven't had a published article in over a year. that's their level of credibility. I suspect the Wicked Creative people are posting anonymously to try to clean up their mess. Apparently Dave McKee at the Las Vegas Advisor went to the party and said it was terrible. So these comments seem manufactured by the Wicked Creative folks. It seems really transparent.

Anonymous said...

You have some valid points in your argument.

As a journalist, I did not notice in your previous article where you attempted to contact Best Of Vegas to get answers to your own questions?

Can you answer that question? Why is your article so 1 sided?

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Dan K aka Steve Friess, I got your bitch right here. Replying to your own posts? Tisk tisk.

"I skipped it because these sorts of parties happen about once a week, aren't my thing and are never what I would define as newsworthy."

Yet you took the time to write 2 full articles damning a website over an outdated image? No, no it was the simple fact of you being a hater that has propelled this little debate. Too much time spent posing in your swim suit on book covers, not enough creative writing classes if you ask me. For the record I don't know anyone with wicked creative whatever the hell that is, I am just a realist who hates douche bags.

And Steve you are, oh yes, a douche bag.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry Steve but I must agree with some of the comments.

You simply label people who disagree with you as a 'hater' or you seem to belittle their points.

I personally have a few questions for you that I would like to have answered, and I am leaving an e-mail address where you can send a reply to so that should you not decide to follow it up on here, I do wish that you would follow it up with me personally so that I can resume reading your articles with the faith that you are acting as a journalist, and not as puppet, because I do believe you are more than that!

First off in your first piece (which may have been a mistake to post in the first place) is not a real piece of news. To me it feels like you are trying to exert yourself as a bit of a bully on a company that was simply trying to show you good will, and that you wanted to find fault where ever you could find fault.

In your 'blog' because I do not think you could call it an article, you simply rant about your own personal feelings, which as a blog makes sense, and is acceptable.

In the second piece where you talk about how not to do it, you seem to again make a story out of thin air, and with that you try to add a little substance.

That being said I can see where you were going with that, but it appears you made no attempts to contact the company that you are as you say castigating (which I think is much too strong a word to use in this situation).

And after you chastising this company you do not disclose that you work closely with Vegas.com and have worked at the Las Vegas Review Journal which is owned by Vegas.com a clear competitor with this new company.

When you look at the points you are making along with what one could interpret as your own personal agenda (or the agenda of a former employer) one has to wonder if you write the news or if special interests write it for you.

I had thought you to be a good journalist, one with a sharp tongue, and a quick wit, but this just makes me sad, and second guess anytime I had read one or your articles and trusted your opinion.

I hope that you can answer my concerns or follow up with me!

Sincerely,

Jay
jcammeron [at] yahoo dot com
(please don't label me as a hater)

Troy in Las Vegas said...

Funny Guy By The Door. I was going to say the same thing to Mr. Anonymous.
Dan K. AKA Steve Friess? Please. IF Steve was really Dan K. then at least Steve used his creative writing class skill to come up with a fake name which is more than Mr. Anonymous could be bothered to do.
Another thing Mr. Anonymous could not be bothered to do is research.
Hey Steve- Did you pose for a book cover in your swim suit that I did not know about. Or is Mr. Anonymous incorrectly referring to Gay Vegas?

Seriously, let's be up to date and current on things. If something is going to be promoted then it should be current and up to date. You don't see Prince being promoted at the Rio website. You don't see Amazing Jonathan being promoted on the Sahara website.

Anonymous said...

I know Steve Friess. Steve Friess is a frined of mine. And Steve Friess, sir, is no swimsuit model. Also, Vegas.com is owned by Greenspun Media, which does not publish the R-J, rather the Sun. They do publish Las Vegs Weekly and Vegas Magazine. Both of which Steve Friess does a lot of work for and has clearly said so.
Go home and get better, you Wicked people.
Jeff in OKC

Anonymous said...

This is actually quite fascinating. That some valid criticism of a new Vegas website generates such animosity is relatively unbelievable. I could see if Steve had slammed the Yankees or something but do people really get this worked up about websites?