Social Search Spoofing
January 20, 2009
I remain on the fence about social search. I did notice that the hardware and gadget manufacturer engaged in some social spoofing. I read at OverclockersClub.com that “Belkin Issues Apology for Paid Review Incident” here. The idea is pretty simple. Belkin enlisted folks to write positive posts about Belkin’s products. Happily supporting the activity was Amazon.com (owned in part by the world’s smartest man). Why not outsource social information management? I wonder if Google’s new “preferred site” function has any applications within Google? The function exists for a user, so Google itself can boost certain sites up as well. There is no OverclockersClub.com post on this subject. I find it an interesting idea to ponder. And, inside an organization might not a coven of entitlement children cross post on the internal social system? If I were 22 again, I might think about this as a way to appear higher in the rankings when my superior searched for a project on which I worked. If it is social, it is bound to be spoofed. Agree? Disagree? Let me know. In the meantime, those rave reviews about Belkin products: that is what I call disinformation. Works pretty well until someone discovers the ploy.
Stephen Arnold, January 20, 2009
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