Partner content on MyGaming

Jan

Jan

Grand Poobah
As many of you have already noticed, MyGaming has begun posting articles tagged as "Partner Content".

We're following in the footsteps of our mothership, MyBroadband, which has run its Partner Content section since around this time last year.

As the name implies, posts tagged as Partner Content will be articles which are done in partnership with companies.

The type of articles will vary significantly, and may include: company announcements which we typically would not have covered; sponsored content; and articles where the company had editorial input. While some of the articles may be based on a commercial arrangement, this will not always be the case.

These articles will clearly state they were done in partnership with a company, e.g. "Presented by Company Name", or "Written in partnership with Company Name".

The idea is that these articles must always be of value to the reader. Our view is: if it is of value to the reader, it will be of value to the Partner Content company.
 
Based on earlier discussions on the forum, Partner Content seems to be a thorny issue for some.

I am open to answering questions from you, but there are some things I won't be able to say, specifically if it involves revealing competitor-sensitive details.

(Yes, we are a business, and we do have competitors that would love to know sensitive details about our business model.)

Before continuing the discussion, I first want to apologise for getting tetchy when you first started talking about Partner Content (specifically Vicky) when MyGaming published its first such article.

I forget that the MyGaming community may not be as familiar with Partner Content as those on MyBroadband, and of course you had no insight into the workings at MyBroadband.

Based on interactions with critics on MyBroadband, I will be attempting to follow my own broad guideline in responding to questions or concerns.

It's pretty simple, and comes from bad past experiences: I will not be responding to anyone who becomes belligerent, or to any accusation not backed by evidence.

That said, here is a rough explanation of how Partner Content works.

You will have noticed Vicky Sidler's name on Partner Content articles. If you've won a prize recently, you will know that she also helps me to send out prizes to winners of competitions on MyGaming and MyBroadband.

As some of you already know, we separate the editorial and advertising sides of MyBroadband to the point that there is actually a physical separation between the divisions. We are not allowed to interfere with one another's work.

With the rise of "native advertising", it is easy to blur the lines between the editorial and commercial sides of a publication, and many publications do.

You will find many media organisations, whether online or in another medium, who do not place obvious tags on sponsored articles, advertorials, or other content where they did not have full editorial control.

That is their decision, and far be it from me to criticise those who have elected to go that way. Journalism is being disrupted by everything from ad blockers to Google and Facebook, and I certainly don't have all the answers.

However, at MyBroadband we have decided not to go that way. This is where Vicky comes in. She is employed by MyBroadband, and one of her main duties is to work with our partners to write articles for Partner Content.

We have also decided to clearly tag any Partner Content posts.

This means we are able to continue operating as we have in the past: keeping our advertising and editorial sides of MyBroadband and MyGaming separate.

Before discussing this matter, there is also an important reality to keep in mind: it costs money to run a site, and MyGaming has never made an awful lot.

Anything that helps ensure that MyGaming remains online is a win in my books.
 
So far, the partner content on MyG has been pretty unobtrusive, IMO, and the fact that it's very clearly partner content make me not mind it one bit. I've even clicked on, and read one of the articles! :eek: I don't frequent MyBB, so I might be way off, but I get the impression that the MyBB partner content articles were more numerous, and with the anonymous staff writer also removing some personality from the articles, I can understand how it might be annoying to some.. But it works well enough on MyG, I think.
 
Just keep Openweb FAR away (their "partner content" made me remove my adblock whitelist from myBB) and you'll get no complaints for me. If this is to remain a gaming site, there wouldnt be positive articles about them anyway :D
 
Would Partner Content come from outside interests other than that of the MyBroadband and MyGaming market (ie. technology, gaming, etc)?

Dunno if that explains it very well, basically what I'm asking is if you'll find the Partner Content coming from sources that know nothing of the specific market? Like Piet's Sex Shop or Marvels Casino and Gambling (for example of course).


Sorry, I'm not as good at explaining as the like of Jan :p
 
mottamort said:
Just keep Openweb FAR away (their "partner content" made me remove my adblock whitelist from myBB) and you'll get no complaints for me. If this is to remain a gaming site, there wouldnt be positive articles about them anyway :D
Click to expand...

Heh. That's not my call. I'll explain a bit more in my answer to Beo.

BeoTeK said:
Would Partner Content come from outside interests other than that of the MyBroadband and MyGaming market (ie. technology, gaming, etc)?
Click to expand...

I don't really have a say in this, just like the folks in our commercial division don't have a say in what I write.

That said, all of us who work here have the well-being of the sites at heart.

Doing something that will alienate your audience or other advertisers (i.e. our clients) is very risky. So while you might see some non-gaming stuff (gamers also drive cars and use electricity, for example), I don't foresee, er, edgier content in our immediate future.
 
I don't feel I have been around long enough for my view to count for much but personally I have no problem with the way mybb do it and doubt I would have a problem if myg start.

You need the income, I need the entertainment, winwin :)
 
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