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It's just a matter of time until the "marketers" catch on. Maybe they already know and just haven't found a way to prove the business case because there's no ea
by shpx 7y ago
It's just a matter of time until the "marketers" catch on. Maybe they already know and just haven't found a way to prove the business case because there's no easy way to measure how much some locked Reddit thread from a few years ago influences buying decisions.
I'm curious to see what kind of innuendo they invent for "astroturfing Reddit reviews".
- jmccorm 7y agoI believe we're already past that point. Search for the term "reputation management". Some companies ARE willing to pay money to rebut a negative viewpoint with a human voice, and Reddit is by no means immune to this. I don't think the question should be "if" it is happening, but how far some companies go (behind-the-scenes) to use human voices not only defend but advance their position.
- chrisdhoover 7y agoOn reddit today someone asked how much karma is worth or something to that effect. It could be worth a great deal to a marketer. Someone with an early sign up date and lots of karma could easily sell them selves to a marketer. I sense reddit is full of sock puppets and sell outs. How can it not be?
- TacticalTable 7y agoThey've definitely caught on. Depending on the community, lots of bots are appearing to shill for specific brands, some better than others. Example: /r/malelivingspace has a big interest in Eames Lounge Chairs, and every time they get mentioned, a few new accounts pop up like clockwork to say how much they love their specific brand censored replica lounger. A ton of other random sites get these astroturf responses too, if they talk about it. The worst part is that if they were a bit more skilled about it, it would be indistinguishable from an actual recommendation. Give it another few years.