Poll Results: Rumor with a View -- The results of last week's poll, which asked if you thought the value to consumers of information published on rumor sites outweighed the potential damage done to the companies involved, proved mixed. Of more than 800 responses, 62 percent felt that the value did not outweigh the potential damage, 38 percent felt it did. More interesting was the TidBITS Talk debate, in which some people argued that companies got what they deserved because they often intentionally leaked rumors, that sales weren't lost thanks to rumors, and that the real value of rumors was in helping people time purchases for the optimal bang for the buck. Also mentioned was the correction to the article "Apple Gets Serious about Plugging Leaks" that the classic case of a company dying because of rumors was Osborne, not Kaypro. The post that gave me the most to think about, however, was one from Doc Searls (senior editor of Linux Journal and co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto) that hinted at the utility of open source attitudes in corporate dealings for the benefit of both consumers and vendors. Recommended reading. [ACE]

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