Yes. Or, as we in the industry like to think of ourselves, a "PR consultant".

Those of you who follow the PR industry or the state of blogging as a medium may have heard of the recent scandal surrounding a blog developed for the supermarket chain Wal-Mart by PR firm Edelman. That issue has been well-dissected elsewhere, so I'm not going to spend time on it here. However, it did make me think that I owed readers of this blog a statement on my own principles and how I will and will not use it.

One or two people have already asked me about the probity of CNET Asia, a technology review site, inviting a technology public relations specialist to blog on its platform. Perhaps the CNET/ZDNET news organization, which also uses bloggers, would not have extended a similar offer to someone in my position. I discussed this issue with the editor of the CNET Asia reviews site, for whom I do this blog, after she extended the invitation. She made it clear that her interest in me was as an observer of the China technology scene with an existing blogging track record, and as long as that was the role I filled we would be in good shape. We both agreed that it wouldn't be in my interest to do anything to torpedo my own reputation or hers.

If you've been reading this blog, you'll know that I am not doing a lot of product puffery--or even serious reviews--in my posts. I've been sticking mostly to developments in the China Internet scene, which is an area of interest for me that does not usually overlap with my client work. But in the interest of transparency, here are the principles and guidelines under which I keep this blog:

1. To protect my employer and clients, I will not identify the firm I work for in the blog. The opinions in this blog are my own, and I want no confusion about that. If you want to know who my employer is, email me.


2. I don't often blog about our firm's clients. However, under certain circumstances, it may happen, likely because a client of ours is tied to some interesting issue unfolding in the China technology scene. (This has happened once, to date, here.) Whenever I blog about a client or a competitor to one of our clients I will disclose it in the post so you can make an informed judgment as to my agenda.


3. If you ever have questions about my relationship with a company named in the blog or my policies, you are welcome to comment or email me. Email is better because I am not always aware when comments are posted. If you like, you can do both, and I'll post my response as a comment as well as emailing you.

Finally, journalists who read this may be interested to know that in my capacity as a CNET blogger I, too, receive press releases and pitches. If that isn't justice, I don't know what is.