ChasNote

Earlier this week Intel and Ars Technica teamed up on a new technology forum, one designed specifically to engage Intel engineers, tech leaders from companies such as Google and Rambus, tech journalists from Ars Technica and Real World Technologies, and the tech power-set that makes up the Ars Technica community — all in one place. Dozens of individual topics have sparked hundreds of posts from the Ars community, which have been read by thousands of others.

Separate from the conversations around visual computing and multi-core architectures, Jon Stokes, directing editor at Ars Technica, reached out to his readers for feedback on the concept. Is it OK to invite engineers from Intel — the sponsor — into an Ars forum? Here’s an excerpt of that conversation.

Reader: “Seriously, let’s not pretend that Intel’s sponsorship isn’t going to affect how the forum is moderated and beyond”

Jon Stokes’s reply is pretty convincing:

As Stokes suggests, the proof is in the pudding. This program only works for Intel if it also works for Ars, and it only works for Ars if it works for the Ars community. Since that’s all out on the table — and the community is watching — it’s hard to imagine the Ars Technica editors could let this conversation veer into an advertorial Intel pep rally. Partnerships work best when all the parties have skin in the game. I’m betting this partnership is going to work well.

Credits: Intel’s David Veneski, Universal McCann’s Kerri Vickers, Ars Technica’s Jon Stokes and Ken Fisher, and FM’s Josh Mattison and Jason Ratner put this sponsorship together.