DU is a great site

[kansasblue]

" it loads faster than other sites like FreeRepublic.com or Rawstory. They have better pricing on most items, the site looks better and it’s easy to navigate"


ok... send me some money.
getting paid to talk up a site!

" It looks like the folks at USWeb.com, a leading Internet marketing firm, have taken the idea of shilling one step further and could very well be in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act."

.

http://bravo411.blogspot.com/2005/05/usweb-remakes-art-of-shill-into-art-of.html

[brainshrub]

1. Google with punish those firms.

Google does not like these kind of strategies and are already adjusting their algorythims to prevent this kind of campaign from working.

I wish there was a way to get paid to post on DU 'tho.

Best. Job. Ever.

[Hello_Kitty]

2. Did you catch this reply?

"Fascinating stuff, but not at all surprising. Another area of paid posts is AOL chat, where I have encountered more than one member who says they are paid by the hour to be in the news and rebuilding Iraq chat rooms to post conservative viewpoints. It would be great to see the light of truth shone on the people who are behind tthis."


They really do this? I know they pay freepers to troll this and other liberal boards but wow! Aren't there enough conservative freaks out there who will post on these boards on their own?

[Wilms]

3. Saw that, too.

Sure would explain some things.

[icehenge]

4. Who pays someone to troll this site?

[NVMojo]

5. There is an association for Word of Mouth marketing that has ethics rules

http://www.womma.org/index.htm

excerpt dealing with this particular issue:

2. The Honesty ROI: Honesty of Relationship, Opinion, and Identity
Honesty of Relationship
We practice openness about the relationship between consumers, advocates, and marketers. We encourage word of mouth advocates to disclose their relationship with marketers in their communications with other consumers. We don't tell them specifically what to say, but we do instruct them to be open and honest about any relationship with a marketer and about any products or incentives that they may have received.
We stand against shill and undercover marketing, whereby people are paid to make recommendations without disclosing their relationship with the marketer.
We comply with FTC regulations that state: "When there exists a connection between the endorser and the seller of the advertised product which might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement (i.e., the connection is not reasonably expected by the audience) such connection must be fully disclosed."

more...

http://womma.org/ethicscode.htm