Astroturfing - the online definition

Have you noticed how a "real life" term can sometimes get used for an online application? I came across one today - astroturfing which I am told by someone who really knows about these things is now illegal in the UK.

Let's start in real life. Have you even stood at a market stall, as the guy on the stand sells a job lot of meat at five quid to the audience ... "and I have more the same" and they all go for a fiver. Great fun to watch, lovely way to do things - although perhaps more historic than present day. But how to get the price up? How about introducing a stooge in the audience who bids, or taking bids "off the wall" from a fictitious bidder? Not quite the right thing to do.

"Astroturfing" is the same thing on line - setting up another site that's a forum or a chat room, and seeding it with posts and recommendations about your own products. You'll help your search engine rankings, and you'll help to persuade people who reach your site that others (!) recommend you. Hmm - sounds like deceitful advertising and a con to me.
(written 2008-06-17, updated 2008-06-23)

Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles

G910 - Well House Consultants - Scams
  [3859] Youve Been Selected for the 2012 Edition of the Global Registry - (2012-09-16)
  [3480] Direct Message: Really horrible blog about you ... a clever phishing trip, said to be from an MP - (2011-10-14)
  [3291] Pay and refund scam - alive and kicking against Melksham businesses - (2011-05-16)
  [3222] Clickjacking - another way to get you to follow a malicious link - Facebook issue - (2011-03-29)
  [2988] Not mugged in London! - (2010-10-08)
  [2895] Global Computer Maintenance Department - (2010-07-29)
  [2690] The World Company Register - is it another scam? - (2010-03-23)
  [2524] An update on legal changes from the FSB? - (2009-12-03)
  [2403] Hotel Booking Scam / Cost of calls to 070 numbers - (2009-09-12)
  [2373] Translation from Ghanaian to English - (2009-08-23)
  [1795] What have iTime, honeytrapagency and domain listing center got in common? - (2008-09-12)
  [1772] Ken Palm, iTime, and Domain Name Tasting - (2008-08-25)
  [1342] Google, wwmdirectory, Freshwater, ATP - new scam? - (2007-09-09)
  [1313] Tratum Technologies - (2007-08-21)
  [860] Warning - false emails, said to be from Paypal - (2006-09-09)
  [347] Frightening and from-friend viruses and spams - (2005-06-14)
  [178] Calling a spade a spade - (2005-01-15)
  [78] Domain Registry of America - (2004-10-07)

26eb

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Some other Articles

Two PHP include files to make easy web site indexing and navigation
Plenty of car parking at Well House Manor, Hotel, Melksham
Accounts in PHP - an OO demo
Adding a button to a web page to print the page
Astroturfing - the online definition
PHP - Sanitised application principles for security and useability
Software - changes and delays. But courses must run on time!
CSS training - Cascading Style Sheets (UK course)
A warm welcome for visitors from the USA
Comparing Objects in C++

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