contentious.com

OK, this may sound picky, but I really think something needs to be said:

The folks at Forbes really don’t seem to understand technology well – certainly not well enough to cover tech news.

Here’s what I mean…

This morning, my husband Tom Vilot pointed out to me the latest clueless bit of tech news from Forbes: Firefox Victory, by Rachel Rosmarin.

The “hook” for this article is that the open source web browser Firefox is somehow “winning” because Microsoft apparently plans to incorporate Firefox’s little orange feed icon into the forthcoming update of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser.

Now, I’m a huge fan of Firefox. But let’s get real: This icon thing does not represent any kind of “victory” for Firefox. It’s just another example of the remix culture which abounds on the net and elsewhere. As much as I loathe Explorer, in terms of sheer numbers it remains by far the most popular web browser. Firefox’s share of that market is growing fast – but come on. Declaring victory over a borrowed icon? What are those Forbes editors smoking?

Remember, these are the folks who brought you the outrageously sensationalized and biased Nov. 14, 2005 cover story, Attack of the Blogs, by Daniel Lyons. And that’s only the most high-profile recent example of fundamentally flawed tech/online media coverage from Forbes. I noticed this problem back in 2004.

…But don’t just take my word for it. The most definitive indictment of the shoddy quality of tech/online coverage of Forbes appeared in a Nov. 3, 2005 Silicon Insider commentary on ABCnews.com by the former editor of Forbes ASAP (a now-defunct spinoff technology magazine), Michael S. Malone. See “Forbes fumbles the blogosphere.” He wrote:

“I used to run Forbes’ technology magazine, Forbes ASAP, which was based in Silicon Valley. ASAP was probably the largest circulation technology-business magazine in the world. I like to think it was because of the good writing and editing, but the truth is that we were respected then (and remembered now) because we understood technology, and we got the big stuff right.

“By comparison, when it comes to technology, the mother ship, Forbes magazine, NEVER, EVER gets the big stuff right. It is, in fact, one of the best technology counter-indicators I know. If you want to learn about mutual funds or the annual incomes of dead celebrities, Forbes is the place to go. But when it comes to tech, read Fortune (or, if you can stay awake, Business Week) because if Forbes says something ain’t so, by God it certainly is.”

And much more. He nailed it.

I say this because I know how widely Forbes is respected in business circles, especially among executives. And, for its business and finance coverage, Forbes deserves that respect. I know that many devoted Forbes readers hold significant “power of the purse” over many tech and online media projects. Consequently, what Forbes writes about technology probably does affect crucial decisions about budgets and projects.

So, if you read Forbes’ tech coverage, consider this fair warning to consider the source.