CNET Networks Reviews

Pros

Great team of co workers

Cons

Leadership easily distracted by off-base opportunities

Advice to Senior Management

Hire new sales team. Focus on tech content.

Pros

The benefits are good. Nice location in downtown SF. Fellow employees are mainly bright, friendly and professional.

Cons

Morale is really low. The coffee machines spew out rancid, bitter dishwater. Upper management does not communicate effectively, is very fickle and does not inspire confidence. There is a lot of confusion due to layoffs, hostile takeovers, the CBS merger. Salaries are not competitive. Resources and priorities are constantly shifting.

Advice to Senior Management

Help your employees get the resources they need to get the job done. Stop worrying about your own asses.

Pros

It's located in SF, so if you want to work at a big Internet company and not commute to the Peninsula, that would be one of the key reasons. Also, it seems like a great place to work if you're young and want to party with your co-workers.

Cons

There definitely felt like there was a glass ceiling. You could only get so far in your career unless you were part of the inner leadership circle or married to one of them. There were many mis-steps in terms of who received promotions and who were put into roles that they were clearly not fit for.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop trying to act like a start up, because you're not.

Pros

Working for a larger company allows me greater freedom in working on projects that are more interesting to me personally. As well, we have enough employees to cover one another, so it is easy to separate work life from personal life and take vacations when necessary. There is also a certain something to be said for working for one of the better known brands in the tech industry--even if the company is going through a bit of a rough patch. Overall, we work in good conditions and receive fair benefits. I know it's superficial, but it's also kind of energizing just walking into a big building that is entirely ours and is always buzzing with different people that you've never seen, which really makes you feel like you're part of something bigger.

Cons

I've been very frustrated with upper management in the past year or so. Our CEO's behavior borders on amateurish and in my opinion he is not suited for his job. I hear a lot of talk and buzz words from management, but I have yet to see any real change. I feel like management wants the company to be young and fresh, but yet they hold onto archaic work styles, like rigid work schedules (where myself and several others might prefer flex time). I really detest that I have to document a weekly status report for a series of managers. I also really hate that so many of our new management is based out of New York when our headquarters are in San Francisco. Hello--the biggest tech companies in the world are based here; we certainly have the talent. Finally, I entered the company right out of college as a relatively inexperienced producer, but my skills have advanced tremendously, though my pay has not. I feel underpaid at this point and it has me considering a move to a new company.

Advice to Senior Management

I would like upper management to quit with the buzz words and get to work finding new ways to market our brand to the world. It's 2008 and I still have to explain to most people what CNET is about, let alone brands like GameSpot, CHOW, ZDNet, etc. I personally feel like the company is too segregated--to the point where each of the sites is build using an entirely different backend system, which seems like a waste. More important than the backend of the sites, I would really like management to loosen up and allow us to work flex hours, quit looking over our shoulders and asking us for status reports for managers who aren't even in San Francisco! I really disrespect upper management's decision to base such important positions out of the office, yet they constantly parrot to us that they are part of the "team." Wrong. Finally, I wish the company would support most businesses based out of San Francisco. The company was born in the city and support other local companies as well.

Pros

Paid vacation days at the holidays is the best reason to work for CNET Networks. Also, as a sales person, CNET as a brand is well known, respected and easy to sell. The company also offers some nic eperks - yoga and pilates classes on campus. Decent benefits and a good party or two at least once a year.
The organization offers ways to get involved in the community - so good philanthropic opportunities for employees who want to give back.
There are some wonderful people at CNET Networks - not always recognized as such by management. But people tend to work hard and care a lot about what they do.

Cons

No clear path for growth into management or a leadership opportunities. Female leaders are lacking within the organization. The "boys club" reputation of CNET Networks is true - if you are friends with or peers of a small and close circle of men you may succeed. Otherwise, you will be just a worker bee with no appreciation shown toward you. Their sales compensation plans are very confusing and nowhere near competitive in the market. As such, the morale is low and people leave. Many very talented people have been shown the door after making the company tons of money with absolutely no thanks.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your teams of people who are working in the trenches. Hear what they and their customers have to say about the company and its competitors. Create an easy to understand pay scale and commission plan for your sales people and they will excel. Sr managers pay is on par but the people doing the hard work in the field every day don't get paid well enough. Employees have to see SR managers drive around in their fancy cars and take fancy boon doggles while the hard working folks continue to make them the money to afford their luxuries. After awhile this gets old!

Pros

CNET is a great place to work, complete with a diverse set of brands to work with, and a wide range of types of work to do. It is a company full of kind, intelligent people that know how to get things done, and has one of the best work environments that I've ever had the opportunity to experience. The work I've been doing here so far has helped me expand as a developer, and has taught me many new things about web technologies. The best part is, I'm not finished yet, so I have plenty of time to learn more!

Cons

I haven't been here for very long, but I can't think of any downsides at all! The only thing I could possibly think of is the distance from where I live, but that probably doesn't even count.

Advice to Senior Management

You're doing a great job!

Pros

Vacations, benefits & the poeple in lower management.

Cons

Upper management is totally out of touch with reality. They emphasize small sites while neglecting their true revenue generators like GameSpot and TV.

Advice to Senior Management

Wake up. Pay your talent and stop putting money is niche sites that have little effect on the bottom line.

Pros

The company takes excellent care of its employees, and is unswervingly competent and ethical in managing its affairs. There's a high degree of transparency and oversight from the top down. You can focus on your work because the company has your back and is prepared to handle most situations. It has a well established culture of professionalism, high standards, and community involvement. Most of your colleagues are bright people who are inspired to work in a challenging, constantly evolving business space.

Cons

The long term business model is uncertain. Even with a history of calling the right shots, the business can easily fall prey to trends, bandwagons, or just the precarious market. And some of the departments inevitably foster an insular, overly personal culture, but it's perhaps only noticeable relative to CNET's otherwise very high professional standards.

Advice to Senior Management

Hold on to Shelby Bonnie's example of how to be a genuinely admired CEO. Show an understanding of everyone's jobs and challenges, and make the right decisions rather than the easy ones. Beware of breeding cynicism by buying into your own hype too heavily or trying to be everyone's friend. Employees get more satisfaction in the long run from honest success than they will from even the best party.

Pros

Aside from mass lay-offs, they hardly ever fire people. It's a great place for lazy people to work and not get in trouble.

Cons

Aside from mass lay-offs, they hardly ever fire people. It's a frustrating place to work if you expect accountability and want to work with others who care about doing a good job.

Advice to Senior Management

They should have an actual vision for the company and realize that catchy slogans do not a business plan make. They don't understand what people do. They're horrible at setting goals and charting directions for the properties. It's almost as if the managers don't understand what to do with the properties Cnet has.