I'd like to issue a simple comparison:

http://omg.la/bs/

Third party site. It requires no isk from me, no information from me, grants me access to lots of nifty goodness without profiting the owner one bit. While it does not tell me Chribba's real name, it does provide me with a nice little out of game email. It makes no attempt to market Chribba's in game services at all. In fact is blatantly avoids this sort of activity. This says to me, "I am a third party supporting EVE, and I am not trying to meddle with anything in game, just help you out. In fact, if you need to contact me out of game, here you go." There are literally no strings attached.


VS.


http://cogdev.net/

Nifty looking site. Would appear to be some sort of out of game development corporation, but clicking on anything quickly provides you with the same SomerBLINK page. There is no out of game contact information, no service offered to me other than the chance to gamble in their program and thus for them to make profit. I have to register to even do anything of interest. Clicking register reveals that I must trust the website, providing them with information about my character and location in game. This is all well and good - in fact they are rather unobstrusive, not asking for any API data, etc.. It is a great IN GAME site.

But it promises nothing in regards to their business practices, provides no out of game contact information and is clearly designed to do one thing: MAKE ISK.

Saying SomerBLINK is the epitomy of third part sites is like saying that the guy who stocks my local 0.0 market is a great third party contributor. You should find the guy out there who stocks the most markets successfully and get him to run your EVE Store since there is clearly a correlation in your mind between the ability to do something successfully in a game and in real life.

Please, don't get me wrong. I don't fault SomerBLINK other than to assert that it would have been more ethical for them to turn down any gifts or 'real world' contracts/offers from CCP. But they run a solid site that people enjoy and if they are skimming and shilling, well hey, that's EVE. But they aren't a 'fansite'. They provide no free service, they are MAKING ISK.


Anwyay I've posted too much on this - just too much time today. But I've thought it over and basically this comes down to these four things:

1) SOMERblink is not the contributor to the EVE community that CCP seems to think it is. They are good, and provide gambling content, but that is it. They are no different than EOH or other gambling sites. And their website is just designed to make it easier to give them isk, it is not a fansite or even a community site. Look to Chribba's as well as other people's work for that.

2) CCP should handle giving out high value prizes itself. They shouldn't endorse a third party site that is designed purely for in game profit making, with no out of game presence or recourse to give away these things. Not everyone puts equal faith in these third party sites - and it is especially true when it is basically an "in game" only site, with restrictions that would make the prize distribution potentially unfair. As good an idea as using third parties to give out prizes and promos may have seemed, it is not. Especially when the company chosen is an in-game company. Use Ten Ton Hammer, Battleclinic, or some other out of game site that has no role in the EVE economy.

3) CCP, it is your right to reward people you think contribute to the game. We the players find it a little odd that you view making isk a contribution, but hey its your show. But don't give away items of high in game value, in fact the only way to do this well is not give away in game items at all. Artwork, ship models, etc., would recognize people who helped - but not affect the in game economy in any way.

4) CCP needs to think closely about who they partner with for out of game give-a-ways and whom they reward with ships and other promos. They should keep in mind that even the perception of impropriety is a problem and avoid it at all costs. Partnering with entities who's primary purpose is to make in game isk is not in congruence with this principle and should be avoided.

I have removed some personal attacks from this thread.