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Title: So, who's the mole? Post by: cevik on January 27, 2006, 02:38:16 PM Just saw this on Penny Arcade, it's most likely rubbish, but it's interesting and if it's not true now, I seriously doubt that it will remain not true in the future:
Quote We received the following from a young man who we will call "Mr. Smith." (CW)TB Hey guys, I interviewed for a guerilla marketing business in San Francisco that targeted web forums. I was told that if I accepted the job, I was to have at LEAST 50 identities on as many forums as I could muster (they wanted 100 eventually), with a goal of 5 posts an hour. The posts had to be well thought out, and the idea was that I was to establish multiple identities with a history on the forums, so that when the timing was right a well written but subtly placed marketing post could be finessed in. And regular visitors would recognize the post as coming from a long time poster. They had 12 people working there full time, and were hiring 10 more. You do the math. No wait, I'll do it for you: that's 880 posts a day (if minimum was met). However he said the better ones could do around 8 or 10 an hour. And they had different "verticals" so there was the sports guy, and the games guy, the hentai, excuse me I mean anime guy, etc. But the most critical point was this: develop and integrate the identity. No random "HEY EB GAMES IS AWESOME BUY THIS" stuff. Kinda spooky. Didn't take the job. It was a fucking mill. P.S.: I was shopping at EB games the other day and this girl came up to me and said "omg, people who shop at EB games are so hawt" and I got laid. I thought I'd let you guys know that you should check out ebgames. P.P.S.: I couldn't decide where to post this, and I thought "well, mmog companies are the lowest of the low, thus the most likely to do this, so it'll go in mmog discussions", feel free to move it to wherever (the den?). P.P.P.S.: Have you checked out the MVP NCAA Baseball '06? It rocks!!1! Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: WayAbvPar on January 27, 2006, 02:40:07 PM I seem to remember Schild getting an offer to do something like this, or heard about it, or something. Maybe not. It has been a long week.
Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: tazelbain on January 27, 2006, 02:41:28 PM > I was to establish multiple identities with a history on the forums, so that when the timing was right a well written but subtly placed marketing post could be finessed in.
That rules me out, I am barely coherent. Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: Samwise on January 27, 2006, 02:42:16 PM No, I definitely remember that. I lack the energy to look up the thread but I'm sure there's someone out there more energetic than I am.
I remember looking at the job posting and doing the math on how much they were paying per post vs. how long it would take to write posts of the quality that they were apparently looking for, and concluding that a very competent writer and swift typist could maybe make minimum wage. I'm amazed that they got 12 employees - I can only assume that the actual posts they churned out were subliterate spam that accomplished nothing. Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: Polysorbate80 on January 27, 2006, 02:43:15 PM Quote The posts had to be well thought out Fortunately, that rules out all the posters at f13. Quote I was to establish multiple identities Do multiple personalities count? Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: Margalis on January 27, 2006, 02:56:26 PM I started playing FFXI again. FFXI is better than WoW, and has seen numerous improvements since I stopped playing.
Now go about your regular business. :-P Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: schild on January 27, 2006, 03:10:35 PM I seem to remember Schild getting an offer to do something like this, or heard about it, or something. Maybe not. It has been a long week. Correct. Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: Krakrok on January 27, 2006, 03:42:44 PM You can get $8 per 250 word article. Or at least that is what one site is charging for labor.
Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: Swede on January 27, 2006, 03:47:48 PM Its a "common" if new practise in internet marketing - Christina Aguileras first album was almost solely marketed in this fashion in the earlier stages. (That is word of mouth by "established" profiles on major chewinggum pop boards/communities)
Im taking marketing major, and this have been discussed quite alot among different classes - its actually a very effective, if abit shady, way or marketing since it bypass the inherent dubiousness/sceptesism most of us have regarding conventional advertising. Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: Tale on January 27, 2006, 04:04:56 PM I have believed for some time that IGE has people do this. It may be Andraste or one of their other staff, or it may be outsourced, but there's always some low post-count person who will weigh into secondary market discussions to say "hi, I'm a gold buyer and it's cool, you should do it too".
Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: StGabe on January 27, 2006, 04:13:04 PM This is just an extension of existing practices with blogs. I've seen crap like that attached to products that I was involved with -- a random blog poster that starts out sounding legit and interested in the original article and then links to the, only marginally related, product with a glowing appraisal.
Title: Re: Am I the Plant? Post by: Lt.Dan on January 27, 2006, 04:50:05 PM Well they got smart and realized low post counts stick out like dogs' balls and either get deleted or thejeni'd.
The way I see it they'd have to post somewhere where they get enough eyeballs to justify someone paying them to advertise this way. Then the issue becomes how the hell is their promotion du jour not swamped by all the mindless chatter on a big, high-traffic board. Probably best application would be on technical boards where posters can actually build credibility and there's a lot of activity and searches. The gently posted "linksys is the more reliable option" might actually work. Title: So, who's the mole? Post by: Kitsune on January 27, 2006, 08:28:23 PM Penny Arcade (http://www.penny-arcade.com), much though I am loath to point at them, has put forth a rumor that was passed on to them that is rather disturbing but not wholly surprising. To the point, they have posted a mail from a man who claims to have interviewed for a job that involved infiltrating internet forums, getting chummy with the community therein, and then engaging in clandestine product placement once he's 'one of the gang'. He said that they had a good dozen employees who were doing nothing but posting on various forums to gain a veteran status so they could start trying to influence the buying patterns of others.
Daikatana was the most fun I've had in weeks. Starforce copy protection never once broke my computer. I really like in-game advertising, it adds a lot to the atmosphere. Makes one wonder. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Stephen Zepp on January 27, 2006, 08:41:26 PM Penny Arcade (http://www.penny-arcade.com), much though I am loath to point at them, has put forth a rumor that was passed on to them that is rather disturbing but not wholly surprising. To the point, they have posted a mail from a man who claims to have interviewed for a job that involved infiltrating internet forums, getting chummy with the community therein, and then engaging in clandestine product placement once he's 'one of the gang'. He said that they had a good dozen employees who were doing nothing but posting on various forums to gain a veteran status so they could start trying to influence the buying patterns of others. Daikatana was the most fun I've had in weeks. Starforce copy protection never once broke my computer. I really like in-game advertising, it adds a lot to the atmosphere. Makes one wonder. Ugh...guilty as charged I guess (although I have nothing to do with any drastic plot, nor when I joined the forums was I part of any company related to game dev! And for the record I cleared how to talk about GG stuff here on the forums well ahead of time with Schild/Shockeye...just wanted to be upfront about the whole thing! PS: And it's not like the bleeding red nametag gives it away or anything I guess :P Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Kitsune on January 27, 2006, 08:57:37 PM Um, no, not red names. They're above-board, people know they work on certain games, that's perfectly legit. What the guy described were people paid to join forums as everyday posters, talk on various threads until they're considered part of the 'in crowd', then use that status to help sell things by posting positively about those things. Sleeper agents, basically.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Righ on January 27, 2006, 09:04:57 PM It would be a dead giveaway on f13. We love to hate. If somebody were to talk up a games console that is fragile and overheats, or a portable games platform launched with next to no worthwhile games or a twitch-oriented reworking of MMOG that left it devoid of players, we'd see through it right away. Bwahahaha.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: MrHat on January 27, 2006, 09:19:05 PM It would be a dead giveaway on f13. We love to hate. If somebody were to talk up a games console that is fragile and overheats, or a portable games platform launched with next to no worthwhile games or a twitch-oriented reworking of MMOG that left it devoid of players, we'd see through it right away. Bwahahaha. <3 Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Stephen Zepp on January 27, 2006, 09:31:07 PM Um, no, not red names. They're above-board, people know they work on certain games, that's perfectly legit. What the guy described were people paid to join forums as everyday posters, talk on various threads until they're considered part of the 'in crowd', then use that status to help sell things by posting positively about those things. Sleeper agents, basically. Ah, gotcha (takes off guilty hat) I'm INNOOOCEENNNTTTT!!! Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Rasix on January 27, 2006, 10:01:45 PM Blizzard bought me an Acura.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: penfold on January 28, 2006, 04:19:46 AM I've noticed a few "the chinese gold farmer in our wow guild is actually a really nice guy" threads about on forums recently.
Are you sure these arent commie infiltrators ? Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: SuperPopTart on January 28, 2006, 05:37:51 AM It's me. I admit it.
I am the mole. :nda: Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Signe on January 28, 2006, 05:41:54 AM Now to infiltrate Corpnews! Soon the internet will be ours!
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: SuperPopTart on January 28, 2006, 05:43:28 AM We are all going to be taken over. All of us. It simply will be.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Lantyssa on January 28, 2006, 08:05:35 AM The Phantom will be the greatest console ever. You should all buy stock in Infinium Labs.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: NiX on January 28, 2006, 09:08:38 AM I think poptarts sig is appropriate for this topic.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Hoax on January 28, 2006, 09:33:09 AM It would be a dead giveaway on f13. We love to hate. If somebody were to talk up a games console that is fragile and overheats, or a portable games platform launched with next to no worthwhile games or a twitch-oriented reworking of MMOG that left it devoid of players, we'd see through it right away. Bwahahaha. The only person who comes close is Schild :-P can one infiltrate one's own site? P.S. IBM! Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Lantyssa on January 28, 2006, 11:47:59 AM I am burning my keyboard as we speak. :mob: Melty plastic hurts. Don't make jokes like that at home kids.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: schild on January 28, 2006, 12:00:36 PM I know some companies who do that. I think they call it guerilla marketing. I call it bad marketing.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Raging Turtle on January 28, 2006, 01:27:34 PM This has been going on in gaming for years, probably longer. Marketing techniques like this are applied to a ton of different products, and they're more effective than you might think.
The Onion even spoofed it a while back (http://www.theonion.com/content/node/43456) Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Strazos on January 28, 2006, 01:53:09 PM I know some companies who do that. I think they call it guerilla marketing. I call it bad marketing. Didn't we already declare marketing to be, in general, lame? Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: schild on January 28, 2006, 02:11:56 PM I love marketing. Good marketing. There's just very little of it.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Paelos on January 29, 2006, 12:01:49 AM It's me. I'm the mole.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: schild on January 29, 2006, 12:43:03 AM It's me. I'm the mole. No, you're the monkeh. They said mole. Despite popular belief, they're two different animals. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Paelos on January 29, 2006, 12:50:00 AM It's me. I'm the mole. No, you're the monkeh. They said mole. Despite popular belief, they're two different animals. But they have fur! Dammit! I was way off. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Llava on January 29, 2006, 11:29:13 AM I win.
http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=4744.0 Posted 4 months ago. Take THAT, Penny Arcade. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Shockeye on January 29, 2006, 11:48:15 AM I win. http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=4744.0 Posted 4 months ago. Take THAT, Penny Arcade. Nice. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Righ on January 29, 2006, 08:40:03 PM Nice to mole you...meet you! Nice to meet you, Mole!
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Abagadro on January 29, 2006, 11:23:45 PM Buck Melanoma, Moley Russell's wart. Not her wart. I'm the wart. She's my tumor, my growth, my pimple. I'm ''Uncle Wart." Just old Buck ''Wart'' Russell, they call me. Or Melanoma Head. They'll call me that. "Melanoma Head's'' coming.
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/Abagadro/unclebuck4.jpg) Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Sky on January 30, 2006, 06:25:51 AM Curses!
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Comstar on January 30, 2006, 09:09:19 AM The obvious ending to all this is that we all get paid by different companies, nay, different divisons of the same company, telling each other how good game X by company Y is and how game Z by company Y is so crap.
I will make the announcment that I am willing to be bought. You can send the money to my paypal account. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Murgos on January 30, 2006, 11:26:36 AM I am not a mole however, I am willing to recommend anyone's upcoming high-end video cards, CPU's, RAM, HDD's, and MB's in exchange for samples of such items.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Yegolev on January 30, 2006, 11:56:21 AM If we all turn against each other, the Cylons win.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Furiously on January 31, 2006, 10:22:25 AM The obvious ending to all this is that we all get paid by different companies, nay, different divisons of the same company, telling each other how good game X by company Y is and how game Z by company Y is so crap. I will make the announcment that I am willing to be bought. You can send the money to my paypal account. And why would cornered rat (WWII online) need to pay you???? Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: HaemishM on January 31, 2006, 12:34:21 PM I know some companies who do that. I think they call it guerilla marketing. I call it bad marketing. It's lazy marketing. Guerilla marketing is just a buzz word ego-centric creative directors use to make themselves seem smarter and edgier than they are or can ever hope to be. The gaming industry has used forum-whoring for years because it is lazy, uninventive and impotently ignorant of how to sell its own product to a refined audience. This is why games marketing revolves around gibs, tits and forum cum-guzzling. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: cevik on February 01, 2006, 08:02:10 AM It would be a dead giveaway on f13. We love to hate. If somebody were to talk up a games console that is fragile and overheats, or a portable games platform launched with next to no worthwhile games or a twitch-oriented reworking of MMOG that left it devoid of players, we'd see through it right away. Bwahahaha. The only person who comes close is Schild :-P can one infiltrate one's own site? I was thinking, if I were going to hire a mole, it would be the site admin. I mean, then you don't have to worry about being found out and banned. If you do get caught you can burn all the evidence in one mad "format c:" and you have a problem no more. Your admin 'mole' could go on lengthy diatribes about how everything on the market is the same, and then at the bottom point out that that doesn't apply to the awesome console games that are out there. If ever a competitor is stealing all of your market, you could have that admin spew hatred about said competitor, not having to worry that he'd ever be baned for trolling endlessly about his 'pet peeve' of the year.. You could hire him to spin endlessly about "blaming the right people" at a game company that has tried to do nothing but screw it's customer at every turn.. I mean it should be easy to find one right? Just look around for a site with a bunch of banners begging for advertising. Or maybe find a burned out site admin, buy the site from him, and install a new head that had barely been part of the community before. *shrug* I could think of a half a dozen ways to do it.. Nah.. it makes too much sense to be true.. :) Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Shockeye on February 01, 2006, 08:07:04 AM I am the mole, coo coo ca-choo.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: cevik on February 01, 2006, 08:13:14 AM Ban test!
EDIT: woo, passed! Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: tazelbain on February 01, 2006, 08:19:18 AM I am the mole, coo coo ca-choo. It's Online Paranoia, we're all the mole.Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: cevik on February 01, 2006, 08:22:27 AM I am the mole, coo coo ca-choo. It's Online Paranoia, we're all the mole.Do you doubt The Computer, citizen? Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Sky on February 01, 2006, 08:36:01 AM Uh-oh, I'm on my violet clone...
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Swede on February 01, 2006, 08:41:12 AM heh..anyone wanna bet on how long it takes before IGE starts selling "3000 post on Thisandthat forum account"s? Maybe i can finally make some money on my internetting skills.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Mesozoic on February 01, 2006, 10:18:02 AM I'm here to offer my excellent F13 forum reputation to the highest bidder. Watch ol' Mesozoic move your shovelware right off the shelves, folks.
Quote from: Me, working for you "Part of me actually hopes that these queues don't clear up - I've been giving a real hard look at Popular Franchise Online anyway." See? And that was off the top of my head. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Furiously on February 01, 2006, 10:31:02 AM You know I was at my local Burger King today and discovered you get free refills. Talk about a great place to eat!
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: WayAbvPar on February 01, 2006, 11:33:09 AM You know I was at my local Burger King today and discovered you get free refills. Talk about a great place to eat! Other than the food and the clientele, that is. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: penfold on February 01, 2006, 11:46:10 AM I'm the mole, and so's my wife.
sorry. If you check the games forums on Quarter to Three there's some posters about who could be classified as suspicious. Lots of overt marketing weenies, journos and industry types there tho so cant tell for sure. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Shockeye on February 01, 2006, 03:10:52 PM If you check the games forums on Quarter to Three No. So very no. I'd like to think you love yourself enough to not do that. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Llava on February 02, 2006, 01:07:06 PM I can't be the mole. I can't sell shit.
If I could, you'd all be playing CoV. Therefore, numerous companies should send me money to become a mole, because I am the least likely suspect. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Trippy on February 07, 2006, 05:38:20 AM From The Consumerist (http://www.consumerist.com/):
Did Nvidia Hire Online Actors to Promote Their Products? (http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/evil/did-nvidia-hire-online-actors-to-promote-their-products-152874.php) First followup (http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/evil/nvidias-derek-perez-responds-153011.php) Second followup (http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/evil/nvidias-perez-they-act-as-our-voice-153036.php) Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Ironwood on February 07, 2006, 05:50:36 AM I think it's time for a good ole fashioned witch hunt. With pitchforks and everything.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Murgos on February 07, 2006, 06:10:38 AM NVidia gives hardware away to create positive word of mouth, news at 11.
Heh, this (practice) is exactly what I was referring to when I made my post above. The only people that should be surprised by this are niave fools living in thier parent's basement thinking they are running a hard hitting expose news organ from thier laptop. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Sky on February 07, 2006, 06:16:55 AM I've got a hard hitting organ in my laptop.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Ironwood on February 07, 2006, 06:33:26 AM Snork.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Yegolev on February 07, 2006, 09:50:32 AM I've got a hard hitting organ in my laptop. Now I have to clean the keyboard. The one on my hard-hitting organ. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Signe on February 07, 2006, 11:08:08 AM NO ONE CARES ABOUT ANY OF YOUR DANGLY BITS.
Sheesh. Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Yegolev on February 07, 2006, 11:20:31 AM See, following my avatar with your wiggly-foot one is hilarious. It's a simple rule: post after me and you get "Ron"ed.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Murgos on February 07, 2006, 11:23:16 AM At the moment it's even a 'Ron' sandwich. A fate from which the real world has, thankfully, been spared.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Yegolev on February 07, 2006, 11:24:59 AM Looks like you signed up for the Ron cruise. Don't worry, there's plenty for everyone.
Title: Re: So, who's the mole? Post by: Murgos on February 07, 2006, 11:27:08 AM If you had seen what that unicorn had been getting on the other board you would know that a Ron sandwich is the least of it's problems.
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