Archive for the ‘Ethics’ Category
Viral marketing, referrals, astroturfing & plain old spam
“...I will delete (or edit out) any reference, or link, to a site which I believe exists solely, or largely, for viral or referral purposes.”
This blog has received a number of “comments” which I believe are actually nothing more than a way to refer traffic to the author’s own viral marketing or referral program. This is sometimes known as “astroturfing” (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing).
It would seem that a mini-industry has established itself – an industry that is solely based on directing referrals to various online backup providers (and other cloud-based services) and receiving payment for any subsequent sign-up. These sites often purport to offer “independent” or “unbiased” analysis, or comparison, of these cloud-based services.
Such sites can also be used to drown-out any negative comment, or to generate positive buzz around products. It’s an unethical way to do business – unethical for the owners of such sites, and unethical for those who pay for referrals. In the end, it’s unfair to any consumer who parts with their hard earned cash based on comments which have been concocted.
I am happy to allow fair comment from all, however, I will delete (or edit out) any reference, or link, to a site which I believe exists solely, or largely, for viral or referral purposes. Every comment posted to this site will be carefully reviewed for adherence to this policy.
If there are persistent efforts by individuals or groups to bypass this policy then such comments will be marked as spam and further action may be taken if required.
