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[News] The AstroTurfing Plague is Real

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China's Online Persuaders

,----[ Quote ]
| China's webspace is infamous for censorship, but increasingly, public 
| relations firms there are helping their clients "manage" online 
| conversations. China-based firms such as Daqi, Chinese Web Union and 
| CIC "charge $500 - $25,000 monthly to monitor postings and squelch negative 
| information or to create positive buzz," reports BusinessWeek.     
`----

http://www.prwatch.org/node/7451


Recent:

Now Hiring - Astroturfer, apply at Microsoft

,----[ Quote ]
| Evidently, a "Senior Marketing Manager" has the responsibility of:
|
|     * "assisting in defining and driving core marketing initiatives – most
|     specifically online & offline community-building"
|     * "further the dialogue on the value of the Microsoft platform to open
|     source audiences"
|     * "be a cornerstone for a global thought leadership website and will be
|     regularly featured in industry press around the world"
|     * "act as a visible external evangelist for Microsoft"
|
| Wow! That's all direct quotes from the job description. It is so blatant, I'm
| beginning to wonder if it's some kind of joke. Particularly the 'evangelist'
| line.
|
| Kind of like the famous Halloween documents, this posting really tips
| Microsoft's hand and shows us exactly what they're thinking. After all the
| smoke and mirrors over the deals with Linux distros Suse, Linspire, Xandross,
| and Turbo Linux, this shows that those distros were in fact acquired in order
| to be killed. It's not Linux that Microsoft wants, it's the customers.
`----

http://penguinpetes.com/b2evo/index.php?title=now_hiring_astroturfer_apply_at_microsof&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1


Related:

Microsoft Pays $200 for Mentioning Its Tools

,----[ Quote ]
| If you're a professor and you mention Microsoft programming tools in a
| scholarly presentation -- in fact, even if you just use the tools --
| Microsoft will send you a check for $200.  
`----

http://chronicle.com/data/articles.dir/art-44.dir/issue-33.dir/33a03001.htm


The Best Enthusiasm Money Can Buy

,----[ Quote ]
| We might think that spending several hundreds of millions of dollars every 
| year on commercial speech would be just about enough to allow any company 
| to "tell its story" to the public. But we would not be Microsoft, who the Los 
| Angeles Times revealed was gearing up a multi-million dollar public relations 
| campaign which included planting ersatz letters to the editor in major 
| national newspapers. The goal: to create the appearance, if not the reality, 
| of "grassroots" support for the company.      
| 
| "Spontaneous" testimonials penned by hired guns may not be an entirely novel 
| idea in the surreal world of public relations, but Microsoft's response to 
| having been caught in the act of committing such a crass act was certainly 
| uncommon. At first, the company denied their intentions to actually implement 
| such a plan. Then, a few days later, company spokespersons announced a new 
| spin: Microsoft has a perfect right to engage in public opinion manipulation 
| campaigns, if that's what it takes to "tell its story."      
| 
| Now, what exactly was that story, again?
`----

http://www.vcnet.com/bms/departments/dirtytricks.shtml


Microsoft pays star writers to recite slogan

,----[ Quote ]
| The stodgy old media industry has a rule that newspaper reporters, and TV 
| news hosts, shouldn't trade on their public trust to endorse products.
`----

http://valleywag.com/tech/federated-media/microsoft-pays-star-writers-to-recite-slogan-271485.php


Malik, Arrington and Battelle: X-22, come in [to Microsoft]

,----[ Quote ]
| What would possess a collection of online publishers and venture capitalists 
| to pimp a Microsoft advertising slogan?
| 
| Valleywag today reported about a site tied to a Microsoft ad campaign
| where the likes of Michael Arrington, Om Malik and others seemingly 
| lend their support to the "people-ready" catchphrase.
| 
| I sent e-mails both to Arrington and Malik and--surprise, 
| surprise--heard nothing back. (Obviously, they are not yet 
| sufficiently "Coop-ready.") Microsoft was still checking for me into  
| whether money exchanged hands. But even if not a single shekel exchanged 
| hands, I must wonder about the absence of common sense. Why would 
| ostensibly independent voices come across as Microsoft shills? If 
| they were hoping for a free dinner with Bill Gates, there are 
| smarter ways to go about it. 
`----

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9733995-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20


,----[ Quote ]
| "The main thing I'm pissed off about right now is that they pulled all the 
| ads, which mean we're taking a revenue hit. We're running a business here, 
| and have payroll to make. We run ads to make that payroll. Those ads have now 
| been pulled." 
| 
| Microsoft once again corrupts confidence in the blogsphere. They 
| turn 'citizen journalists' to marketing people in disguise. 
`----

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9734034-7.html?tag=head


How's the Reception at [Microsoft's] Channel 9?

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates emphasized the importance of blogging in a 
| May 2004 speech during the company's annual CEO summit. But Gates doesn't 
| blog; same for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
|
| [...]
|
| Many Microsoft employees do blog, reportedly more than 4,000 of them.
| The number of employee bloggers was comparatively quite small, about
| 300, before the launch of Channel 9 and the success of Scoble's blog.
| 
| Last year could be called year of the blog at Microsoft. Employee
| blogrolls swelled and Microsoft bloggers disseminated lots of 
| vital information about the company. Increasingly, employee
| bloggers are becoming Microsoft's primary evangelists. They are
| certainly a group over which the company can exact some control
| and which can spin information to Microsoft's advantage. 
`----

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/developer/hows_the_reception_at_channel_9.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535


Is Seven Renegade, Guerrilla Marketer or Fake?

,----[ Quote ]
| Some kudos for Microsoft: If Seven is a sanctioned guerrilla marketer, he or 
| she has been too long waiting to blog. Microsoft, you need to get some good 
| leaks out there to generate buzz. Please, let's see more of this. Be 
| aggressive, take marketing risks. A blog such as this is worth millions of 
| dollars in advertising, if it delivers the goods (meaning details) and 
| generates buzz.      
`----

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/operating_systems/is_seven_renegade_guerrilla_marketer_or_fake.html?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535


Recidivist M$ Up to New Tricks

,----[ Quote ]
| Unleash the Astro-Turfers!
| 
| Already on Apple oriented developer mailing lists one can see the 
| astro-turfing has begun. A really amateurish attempt by 'Mac Developer' (no 
| one uses a stupid handle like that) turned up today.  
`---- 

http://rixstep.com/1/20071004,00.shtml


Meet Thomas Brooks. He's a viral marketer for Microsoft. 

,----[ Quote ]
| It's unfortunate that paid blogging is becoming all the more prevalent in 
| communities like 1UP. And it's not just the blogs or reviews, it's also the 
| message boards. Microsoft, for instance, also has a person (or people?) who 
| is paid to post on some of the popular gaming boards (and no, Jeff Bell 
| wasn't part of that plan). But it's not just Microsoft -- I know of a few 
| other game publishers who pay users to blog. They don't necessarily require 
| bloggers to say positive things about their products, but it's certainly 
| implied with the paychecks.       
| 
| What bums me out about all this viral stuff is that, to some extent, you 
| don't know who to trust anymore. There was a time when, if you no longer 
| believed in what the professional editors where saying, you could at least 
| count on your fellow gamers for honest opinions. Not anymore. In a sense, 
| perhaps that helps elevate the importance of the professional word once 
| again, which I suppose is a good thing for us. But I'm still not happy about 
| it.      
`----

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8281416&publicUserId=4561231


,----[ Quote ]
| In 2001, the Los Angeles Times accused Microsoft of astroturfing
| when hundreds of similar letters were sent to newspapers voicing
| disagreement with the United States Department of Justice and its
| antitrust suit against Microsoft. The letters, prepared by Americans
| for Technology Leadership, had in some cases been mailed from
| deceased citizens or nonexistent addresses.
`----

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing


Microsoft Using YouTube To Promote Vista & Live, Leaves Comments Open

,----[ Quote ]
| The more interesting aspect is that Microsoft would use the Google owned 
| YouTube for such as promotion; it certainly demonstrates just how powerful 
| the market position of YouTube has become over the last 2 years that 
| Microsoft would use it to promote their products.   
`----

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/30/microsoft-using-youtube-to-promote-vista-live-leaves-comments-open/
http://tinyurl.com/2ghzzm


Notable examples of viral marketing

,----[ Quote ]
| # ilovebees.com - viral marketing for Halo 2
| # Hotmail, promoted largely by links at the bottoms of emails sent by
| its users, is the classic viral marketing example
| # Microsoft's Origami Project campaign
| # Microsoft's Xbox 360 campaign, called OurColony
`----

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_marketing


MSN Is Spamming The Blogosphere

,----[ Quote ]
| Mr. Youth LLC is a marketing firm and lists MSN as a customer.  Their
| website is here: http://www.mryouth.com/  Their phone number is
| (212) 779-8700.
| 
| I've talked to a couple of other bloggers who said they are receiving
| similar comments on their blogs.  This pisses me off because MSN/Mr.
| Youth should 1) be more upfront about their true identity, and 2)
| provide a real e-mail address so that I can request they take my
| blog off their marketing campaign.
`----

http://www.scott-o-rama.com/2006/12/06/msn-is-spamming-the-blogosphere/


,----[ Quote ]
|     "Some years back, Microsoft practiced a lot of dirty tricks using
| online mavens to go into forums and create Web sites extolling the virtues
| of Windows over OS/2. They were dubbed the Microsoft Munchkins, and it
| was obvious who they were and what they were up to. But their numbers
| and energy (and they way they joined forces with nonaligned dummies who
| liked to pile on) proved too much for IBM marketers, and Windows wont
| he operating-system war through fifth-column tactics"
|
|     Mr Dvorak wonders if Microsoft is today using reverse-dirty-tricks
| to promote the Xbox 360: pay people to create Web sites that slam the
| gaming computer in order to provoke a barrage of defenders.
`----

http://worldcadaccess.typepad.com/gizmos/2005/11/2_grassroots_an.html


Microsoft really loves Bloggers !!!

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft regularly flies customers and industry experts to its
| campus in Washington to listen to the feedback given by those
| people.The company invites dozens of key customers and partners
| to the event,where they spend brainstorming as a group.But as of
| late, Microsoft has changed it's strategy and the company is
| making extensive use of blogs to get direct customer feedback.
| 
| Within a year,more than 1000 Microsoft employee blogs featured
| developers and product managers talking directly to customers every
| day, instead of once a year.Microsoft employees read dozens of
| blogs every day to see how customers react to Microsoft products
| and services. In fact,Microsoft employees have taken a bigger leap
| and even contribute to other's blogs in the expanding space of
| Blogosphere.
`----

http://thoughtsprevail.blogspot.com/2007/03/microsoft-really-loves-bloggers.html


Microsoft Traps and Hunts for Bloggers in India !!

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has announced the "Microsoft BlogStars" contest, to Hunts
| for Developer Bloggers in India. After feeling the power and increase of
| the Bloggers community in India, Microsoft tries to trap and hunt Bloggers
| in India to buildup the blogging community, for writing blog posts
| supporting towards Microsoft Technologies.
`----

http://i5bala.blogspot.com/2006/10/microsoft-traps-and-hunts-for-bloggers.html


Seattle Area Bloggers Needed for Microsoft User Research Study

,----[ Quote ]
| For your participation, we'll give you your choice of retail
| software and hardware from our extensive list. Current titles
| include the latest Xbox, Xbox 360, and PC games, keyboards,
| Microsoft Office, Windows, productivity software and much more.
`----

http://blogs.msdn.com/usability_recruiting/archive/2007/01/05/seattle-area-bloggers-needed-for-microsoft-user-research-study.aspx


Bloggers meet Mr. Bill (Gates)

,----[ Quote ]
| That meeting is to help Web developers understand how to "unlock new
| revenue opportunities" through technology and content, which could
| include podcasts and blogs. The Microsoft sessions wraps up with a
| one-hour q-and-a up with Bill Gates.
`----

http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BD18F3BC9%2DF59E%2D4DB4%2DB978%2DD4651079E274%7D&source=blq%2Fyhoo&dist=yhoo&siteid=yhoo
http://tinyurl.com/yjaseg


Bribing Bloggers

,----[ Quote ]
| This is the most frustrating thing about the practice of giving
| bloggers free stuff: it pisses in the well, reducing the credibility
| of all blogs. I'm upset that people trust me less because of the
| behavior of other bloggers. Don't even get me started about PayPerPost.
|
| [...]
|
| Do not, under any circumstances, consider upgrading an XP system to
| Vista... even if it's fairly new and even if it's Vista Supremo
| Premium Ultra-Capable.
`----

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/12/28.html


Microsoft's Laptop Giveaway Becoming PR Disaster?

,----[ Quote ]
| This thing is starting to feel like a PR disaster. Bloggers are
| starting to smell blood and this thing very well may begin to
| turn into yet another episode of bloggers gone wild.
`----

http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/061228/23174_id.html?.v=1


Bribing Bloggers

,----[ Quote ]
| It's a bribe. Period. You say nice things about us, you get nice
| things from us. Heck, just say neutral things about us-we'll give
| you a killer new laptop and we know that you'll be inclined to say
| better things about us.
`----

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2077596,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03129TX1K0000616


Getting a Vaio [with Vista, from Microsoft, even in March 2007]

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Belgium rang me yesterday (I don?t think they realised it 
| was a public holiday here!).
| 
| [...]
| 
| The phone call yesterday was to confirm my address - the laptop (a
| Sony Vaio - dunno which model or spec yet) is en route with Vista
| Ultimate and Office Ultimate pre-installed.
`----

http://www.tomrafteryit.net/getting-a-vaio/


INQhack survives Vistability test in Volesville 

,----[ Quote ]
| The Vole (Microsoft) supposedly invited The INQ over for tea because
| we are notorious "Microsoft doubters" - and we were accompanied by
| other supposed Vole doubters such as the folk from lifehacker and
| a very nice man from Slashdot, as well as some Microsoft MvPs.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36312


Microsoft desperately wants my love -- and yours

,----[ Quote ]
| I spent December seventh, eighth, and ninth in Seattle as Microsoft's
| guest. Microsoft flew me there from Florida at its expense, put me up
| in a nice hotel, provided decent food, and comped me and four other
| invitees to this "special conference" with presentations about the
| marvels of Vista and other recent or upcoming Microsoft products. They
| didn't quite play the old Beatles song "Love Me Do" in the background,
| but it was the event's unstated theme.
`----

http://www.linux.com/article.pl?sid=06/12/12/085222


Microsoft funding bankrupt Live Search experiment with porn spam

,----[ Quote ]
| Dear reader, please tell me: what do you think of a search engine that steals 
| (bandwidth and AdSense revenue), lies, spams away, and is not clever enough 
| to stop their criminal activities when they’re caught?  
| 
| Recently a Live Search rep whined in an interview because so many robots.txt 
| files out there block their crawler... 
`----

http://sebastians-pamphlets.com/microsoft-live-search-the-downfall-of-a-tiny-search-engine/


Microsoft’s Club Live fiasco

,----[ Quote ]
| People were using the macro on more than 3 games at a time, on more than 2 
| accounts at a time, why Microsoft didn’t pick up on the fact that in the 
| first few days some people had accumulated enough for 3 Zunes each is beyond 
| us. Some were lucky, others, not so much.   
|
| [...]
| 
| So far no one has been banned from using their accounts, which they needed to 
| sign up, probably because they did not break any laws, or probably because 
| Microsoft didn’t want that hassle and liked their new found traffic.  
`----

http://www.blogthe.net/2007/07/16/microsofts-club-live-fiasco/


Bots Helped To Boost Microsoft Live Search Gains

,----[ Quote ]
| In a blog post, Compete analyst Steve Willis attributed Microsoft's 
| search gains to prizes awarded to users participating in Live Search 
| Club, which features games that post queries to Microsoft's search 
| engine.
| 
| [...]
| 
| Microsoft is essentially being DDoSed by thousands of people hundreds 
| of times per minute, but they are mistaking this rise in traffic for 
| people actually using Live Search."
`----

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201001092


EU cracks down on fake blogger astroturfing

,----[ Quote ]
| But back to the web, and with sneaky marketing campaigns likely to be more 
| effective than upfront marketing campaigns, what is stopping companies from 
| simply risking it and continuing existing practices?  
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/03/eu_flogging_ban/
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