Dilbert Enters Online Storage Market

Dilbert creator Scott Adams used Monday's comic strip to let the world know about DilbertFiles.com, a branded version of the sendyourfiles.com online storage and file transfer service. Adams has discussed the new service on his blog, but the reference in yesterday's Dilbert strip prompted differing reactions, with some readers objecting to the commercial pitch in a beloved comic.

Adams offered his perspective at TechFlash.  "Dilbert has always been a mixture of fantasy and reality. Most of the humor comes directly from real life, including my own. So bringing Dilbertfiles.com into the comic world is less of a stretch with Dilbert than it would be with Garfield. ... As an advertisement for Dilbertfiles.com, I expect it to have a trivial impact, so no need to hate me on that level. As a creative violation of what readers expect of a comic strip, it's an attention-getter."

And it's almost certainly the first online service that was launched in a comic strip.