Stock Options granted to blog about a new PC?

dw - Has anyone ever heard of an option plan structured like this?

SOURCE - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/18/cherrypal_paid_reviews/

Start-up outfoxes Apple, Dell and HP by offering stock options with PCs

God bless Silicon Valley. Where else will you find a PC start-up offering stock options to create faux communities?

Earlier this week,
we brought word of CherryPal, an intriguing Mountain View-based company
that wants to do nothing less than rewire the PC market. It's got a 10
ounce "desktop," which runs on a low-power Freescale chip. All told,
the machine consumes just 2 watts of power while performing even better
than $3,000 space heaters from Dell, HP and others, according to
CherryPal.

We've spotted numerous ads on Craigslist where CherryPal is offering
up stock options to bloggers, writers and students who will extol the
virtues of its product.

Let's see how the ad starts off.

"We are going to build the brand based on our core values,
inexpensive, green, user-friendly and last but not least open. Open in
our world means open source software applications as well as open
communication; a consumer brand that encourages users to share ideas
and influence the roadmap of future product releases.

"The products will be launched in July ... with a really big bang!!!"

Er, open apparently also means fake. And core values mean bribing people to like your gear.

"We are looking for "Brand Angels" who can spread the word through social networks like Facebook, MySpace, and others.

"Last but not least - we have very interesting compensation models
(including stock option plans) in place. You will receive our product
for FREE, and we rely on you to share your experiences through social
networking sites/blogs. We will compensate you for promoting our
product."

What happened to the good old days when you bribed people behind closed doors? That's how you make it seem like there's a real community championing a product. Tsk, tsk. ®