The Gizmodo Incident

4:50 PM -- Yes, there is bound to be a lot of hand-wringing about bloggers and the role of media in tradeshows following the Gizmodo Incident. But, really, why not just let it be a lesson to vendors to be more prepared and let it go?

Some PR pros will suggest that Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and others freeze Gizmodo out of product announcements, tradeshows, and so on. That's just silly.

Few bloggers need or ever require executive access at all. Their craft doesn't demand rigorous fact checking, so why would they interview someone in a position of authority? They write about gadgets. They try to be entertaining. They sometimes do outlandish stuff. Everyone who reads them knows this. And, as someone easily bored by the traditional tech press, I'm glad they're around.

So if a few blown demos and no property damage is the price the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) pays for the reams and reams of positive press Gizmodo and other bloggers usually heap on their show and its exhibitors, they should count themselves lucky.

The best thing for Moto and the other "victims" to do is move on. It's not that embarrassing.

You could even go a step further to show you're not sore about it. Why not incorporate a staged prank into next year's demo as part of the presentation? Have the fake prankster tasered, man-handled, and tossed out of the booth. Then let the audience in on the whole thing for a laugh. Have fun with it.

You could... but who's going to remember it that long?

— Phil Harvey, Editor, Light Reading