I had never heard this expression till i visted another forum, dslreports. It seems this astroturfing is a potential danger for this forum like many others.
Had you all heard of this Term i hadn't ? there are a few posts on here that mention it but it would be easy to overlook.
Here's the link to the original post on DSLreports, but i have copied it so you can see the definition .http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,15837610
Astroturfing. What is it and why aren't we angry enough? by Wildcatboy
During the years in this forum, we've had numerous discussions about scammers, spammers, scumbags, etc... We've hated them, we've fought them, we've attacked them, all of which makes me wonder why we haven't been talking more often about Astroturfers and the effects their unethical behaviours can have on all of us.
What the heck is Astroturfing you may ask? I have seen a few definitions for it but I'm going to mention some of the good ones with a few links I've learned from others to help you understand it better, if you already don't know it.
In short, it really means faking grassroots movements to promote an idea, an agenda or a product and generally for monetary gains. Or even shorter, spammers in sheep's clothing.
There are companies out there that are openly doing this. AEG for example is one of them. Here's how they phrase it:
said by AEG :
Combining expert media relations and integrated online community development, AEG will Amplify positive buzz, Elevate consumer mindshare and Generate extensive coverage of your company and its products
In other words, they hire people to sign up with as many forums as possible and with as many user names as they can get away with, hang around for a while, build trust with short remarks from time to time and then aggressively start promoting a product or an idea, creating the illusion that not only is this coming from the average Joe, it's coming in a massive wave of support.
Check the list of their clients by the way. You'll see Nvidia? Now read this:
»www.consumerist.com/consumer/evi···2874.php
This practice has been going on for a long time. The concept is the same no matter where you see it and for whatever reason it's used. You pretend the support for the idea is so massive, that speaking against it would be futile. In politics, you'll see this practice used all the time these days to stop criticism for example.
Within industries and by lobbyists, the practice is used to fake grassroots movements when they hardly exist. Telcos and cable companies have their own pseudo grassroots groups to fight each other. You can see a list of them at the bottom of the page below and read about each, if interested:
»www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?···=1499059
Groups like Consumers for cable choice for example are becoming so big and famous that even sometimes reporters for major papers treat this group as real consumer advocates.
How this whole thing affect us as a forum or a site you'd say? Simple, we're popular and as a result we're a target. Members of this forum are affected every day by people promoting products and they need to be vigilant. Members of the site are affected by people posting fake broadband reviews or promoting companies on the front page news, etc...
To me, it really doesn't matter whether they are good products or not. If they are being promoted through unethical means, then I'd avoid them. Just like I avoid buying things from spammers even if it means I have to live with a smaller penis.
I urge you to participate in this thread. Let's discuss this in detail and let's pay more attention to it. No moderator on this site can fight pseudo grassroots groups alone because they are hard to detect. But as a group of professional paranoids, we can find the suspects, and confront them. The only way to fight pseudo grassroots group is by creating real grassroots movements and by mass participation of those who're concerned. Those who don't want to be deceived and those who hate scumbags.
Question the products and services that are being promoted. Don't follow the crowd for the sake of following the crowd. Trust, but verify. And most importantly, at least in this forum, let's talk more about security and less about products. This way you won't have to keep second guessing each product and you will learn something as a result too.
This discussion and what you do today and in the days to come, could greatly affect and shape this forum and this web site as a whole in the near future. So take part in this real grassroots movement.
Had you all heard of this Term i hadn't ? there are a few posts on here that mention it but it would be easy to overlook.
Here's the link to the original post on DSLreports, but i have copied it so you can see the definition .http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,15837610
Astroturfing. What is it and why aren't we angry enough? by Wildcatboy
During the years in this forum, we've had numerous discussions about scammers, spammers, scumbags, etc... We've hated them, we've fought them, we've attacked them, all of which makes me wonder why we haven't been talking more often about Astroturfers and the effects their unethical behaviours can have on all of us.
What the heck is Astroturfing you may ask? I have seen a few definitions for it but I'm going to mention some of the good ones with a few links I've learned from others to help you understand it better, if you already don't know it.
In short, it really means faking grassroots movements to promote an idea, an agenda or a product and generally for monetary gains. Or even shorter, spammers in sheep's clothing.
There are companies out there that are openly doing this. AEG for example is one of them. Here's how they phrase it:
said by AEG :
Combining expert media relations and integrated online community development, AEG will Amplify positive buzz, Elevate consumer mindshare and Generate extensive coverage of your company and its products
In other words, they hire people to sign up with as many forums as possible and with as many user names as they can get away with, hang around for a while, build trust with short remarks from time to time and then aggressively start promoting a product or an idea, creating the illusion that not only is this coming from the average Joe, it's coming in a massive wave of support.
Check the list of their clients by the way. You'll see Nvidia? Now read this:
»www.consumerist.com/consumer/evi···2874.php
quote: I interviewed for a guerilla marketing business in San Francisco that targeted web forums.
I was told that if I accepted the job, I was to have at LEAST 50 identities on as many forums as I could muster (they wanted 100 eventually), with a goal of 5 posts an hour.? The posts had to be well thought out, and the idea was that I was to establish multiple identities with a history on the forums, so that when the timing was right a well written but subtly placed marketing post could be finessed in.? And regular visitors would recognize the post as coming from a long time poster.
The unfortunate fact is that they really don't have to do this long, because soon, the real average Joe picks up on the idea and repeats the idea for them for free. Why? Because the average Joe thinks if a bunch of people like something, it must be nice. The sad part is that some recognize it as a scam but the fear of going against the grain or swimming against the current or whatever you want to call it, keeps them silent.I was told that if I accepted the job, I was to have at LEAST 50 identities on as many forums as I could muster (they wanted 100 eventually), with a goal of 5 posts an hour.? The posts had to be well thought out, and the idea was that I was to establish multiple identities with a history on the forums, so that when the timing was right a well written but subtly placed marketing post could be finessed in.? And regular visitors would recognize the post as coming from a long time poster.
This practice has been going on for a long time. The concept is the same no matter where you see it and for whatever reason it's used. You pretend the support for the idea is so massive, that speaking against it would be futile. In politics, you'll see this practice used all the time these days to stop criticism for example.
Within industries and by lobbyists, the practice is used to fake grassroots movements when they hardly exist. Telcos and cable companies have their own pseudo grassroots groups to fight each other. You can see a list of them at the bottom of the page below and read about each, if interested:
»www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?···=1499059
Groups like Consumers for cable choice for example are becoming so big and famous that even sometimes reporters for major papers treat this group as real consumer advocates.
How this whole thing affect us as a forum or a site you'd say? Simple, we're popular and as a result we're a target. Members of this forum are affected every day by people promoting products and they need to be vigilant. Members of the site are affected by people posting fake broadband reviews or promoting companies on the front page news, etc...
To me, it really doesn't matter whether they are good products or not. If they are being promoted through unethical means, then I'd avoid them. Just like I avoid buying things from spammers even if it means I have to live with a smaller penis.
I urge you to participate in this thread. Let's discuss this in detail and let's pay more attention to it. No moderator on this site can fight pseudo grassroots groups alone because they are hard to detect. But as a group of professional paranoids, we can find the suspects, and confront them. The only way to fight pseudo grassroots group is by creating real grassroots movements and by mass participation of those who're concerned. Those who don't want to be deceived and those who hate scumbags.
Question the products and services that are being promoted. Don't follow the crowd for the sake of following the crowd. Trust, but verify. And most importantly, at least in this forum, let's talk more about security and less about products. This way you won't have to keep second guessing each product and you will learn something as a result too.
This discussion and what you do today and in the days to come, could greatly affect and shape this forum and this web site as a whole in the near future. So take part in this real grassroots movement.
