Tuesday, May 07, 2019

I Signed An NDA

So, later today the internet will be buzzing about news from Shimano. That will have to wait.... You see, "I signed an NDA".

What is that, you might ask? Well, it literally means "Non-Disclosure Agreement", and it legally binds you to a "secret" that has to be kept between you and the other party involved in the "NDA" until a specified time when all the beans can be spilled. That will be ......oh....about 10 o'clock or so CST.

Obviously, I cannot say anything here about the news, just that there will be some. So, this is a post about having to "play the game" of being a news source for bicycle related stuff and how this part of the world handles sensitive news. See, some folks do play by the rules. But there are some that do not.

In reading the NDA that I signed, it is permitted to spill the beans early if you "happen to find" an online doc somewhere that has any pertinent info. Thus you will see some of the news early. It will be, of course, partial bits, not accurate, and left to interpretations that will be misleading. But, for those who seek internet fame in "being first", it doesn't matter. Added to this is the fact that there always are some inadvertent leaks, loose lips, and subterfuge of all sorts going on. It is hard to keep the lid on something, especially when it is a big announcement.

That said, early leakers will likely get cold shoulders in the future from whomever they offended with their leakage, so that is a sort of losing proposition in the end. Then again, you the readers, well, you probably don't care. It's just an irritating thing when one plays by all the rules and the rule breakers get off with no penalty, seemingly. Ah! Well......worse things could happen. 

Just a little window into the world of bicycle information dissemination circa 2019.   

Look for a reaction to the news on tomorrow's post.

1 comment:

jdc said...

Ditto here. I swear, I haven't signed so many NDAs as in recent times lol. This one will most likely get some people excited, and some to roll their eyes.