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Zango Caught in Lies About MySpace?

An anonymous reader writes to mention that Zango's still under suspicion for problems on MySpace. ZDNet has the story, discussing rumours of multiple accounts, paid Zango hawkers, and mass emailings. From the article: "Boyd posted some choice snippets from the email, like this: 'Zango is fairly new with myspace sites and it took me some time to see what works and what doesn't ... more profitably, *go to a bunch of your friends* who have popular profiles and pay them (it's up to you so much. One of my partners said 5$..maybe offer to split the money with them?) to put a zango video into their profile through your site. This will give you hundreds of extra installs a day (this probably works even better than having them on your actual site).'"

22 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. I for one... by Neil+Blender · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...am glad I have absolutely no idea what that summary means.

    1. Re:I for one... by B11 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ask your kids

      --
      insert inflammatory anti-microsoft comment here
    2. Re:I for one... by 0racle · · Score: 5, Funny

      And beat them if they know.

      --
      "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
    3. Re:I for one... by Joebert · · Score: 3, Funny

      But only after you've gotten them to share the profits with you.

      --
      Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
    4. Re:I for one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Xerox.

  2. Tonight? Um, I'm busy.... by Itninja · · Score: 3, Funny
    One of the lines from the 'full text' of the original email:
    If I were you I'd do them tonight
    Good thing he's not me.
    --
    I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
  3. Braindead marketing practices by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The email contains the following fun snippet:

    2) MOVING GIFS. This really gets peoples attention and vistors love this shit. Heres an example of a perfect site: www.free-extras.com

    Look at the karate guy doing flips: its awesome. Click on it: it links to a gallery of a 100 zango videos. THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO. Its simple, cool, and WAYYYY more profitable. Find a moving gif online and put it on your site. Make it link to a gallery.

    Ok, what fucking planet do they live on, and more importantly, WHY HASN'T IT BEEN DESTROYED YET?

    1. Re:Braindead marketing practices by xXBondsXx · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I know these marketing execs seem stupid, but think about it. They wanted people to install their adware, and the ideal audience is one who is:

      -a frequent web user
      -not exactly computer savy
      -able to live with pop-up ads and flashing colors 24/7
      -unaware of the consequences of clicking yes to a dialog

      sounds a lot like the typical myspace user doesn't it?

      --
      The voice of the next generation. "In this tower, in my mind..." Babble - Tower
    2. Re:Braindead marketing practices by WilliamSChips · · Score: 3, Funny

      Here, put a Stargate on the planet and link it to a black hole.

      --
      Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
  4. Fer Shame... by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Caught in a web of their own lies, like common politicians.

    Seems to me it's up to MySpace to either condone this sort of thing or ban users for it, never mind what the weasels at Zango do or say.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Fer Shame... by Kesch · · Score: 3, Funny

      Profiles named Zango were found on MySpace and Zango later admitted an employee created the profiles and said it was a "mistake".

      See... it was all just an honest mistake. You know we have all accidently tried to force feed people adware at one time or another, it's a natural human thing to do.

      --
      If this signature is witty enough, maybe somebody will like me.
  5. Zango's underhanded marketing by 9x320 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This isn't the first time I've seen them engage in this. I first encountered Zango when its predecessor company, 180 Solutions, told me to install Install026.exe, which had 180 Search Solutions infect my computer with its spyware. I had been installing a video game at the time, while browsing the webcomic hosting site Keenspot, so I thought it was part of the installation process and clicked the button. My computer fell to the spyware and I had to end up doing a system restore. Since then 180 Solutions has merged with another spyware company to become Zango.

    Keenspot suffered massive outrage, and coldly responded that they outsource their advertising to the Burstnet company, which used iFrames to distribute their ads, so they had no control over it, and that everyone is evil and stealing when they use Firefox's AdBlock.

    The next time I encountered them was when I went to the website Newgrounds, which apparently had become infested with spyware since the last time I visited, and said I needed to install Zango to access portions of the site. This spyware problem was in the Wikipedia entry for a few months, but now it appears to have been removed?

    The last time, incidentally, was when I was searching Wikipedia. I came across this revision of a Wikipedia article on Zango Messenger, a spyware laden IM service made by Zango. Look how glowing its review is. Wikipedia records the IP addresses of every user that edits when they aren't logged in, and when you look at the IP address that made the edit, you will see that the address traces back to a company by the name of "180 SOLUTIONS HOOKED-2", with 180 Solutions being the company's old name!

    It's hosted by Time Warner Telecom, by the way. That's another reason not to use AOL.

    1. Re:Zango's underhanded marketing by 9x320 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Oh, my, I'm sorry if it looks like I'm karma whoring, but this post is much more urgent. The last post about Zango mentioned that they had created a Zango Messenger article in Wikipedia in 2005, which has since been fixed by Wikipedia administrators.

      It turns out that was not an isolated incident. If you look at this article revision from April 2006, you will see that they have been at it much more recently. I suspect that Zango is doing a full-out campaign on any "Web 2.0" website, any website that anyone can edit or contribute to. I would not be surprised if they had also been marketing on Digg---I think I have even seen them there, in fact!

      The evidence for a lawsuit against their company for their destructive marketing practices is mounting...

    2. Re:Zango's underhanded marketing by 9x320 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      More developments:

      Less than thirty minutes ago at the time of writing, Zango once again edited the Wikipedia article on Zango messenger. See this edit, which has been reverted by other users. They wrote in the edit summary, what Wikipedia asks its editors to write to justify edits and explain changes, "Fact checking and bias redirection."

      The same IP address wrote on the article's discussion page, "29 June 2006, reworked the corporate advertising copy for accuracy. I hope you don't mind me having a little fun with these shills. If you object to my copy, please exchange it for your own, so long as it is not advertising and/or misinformation in Zango's favour. Thank you and good night. [Anonymous]"

      They have just admitted to manipulating Wikipedia for corporate advertising. They think they are "anonymous," but this adware company knows not even the concept of IP addresses. I am opening a discussion with Wikipedia administrators at this URL with the intention of getting all Zango IP addresses permanently blocked from Wikipedia. Please observe and provide input if you feel you have something useful to say.

  6. Lies: How malware and politicians relate by tubapro12 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Lies, lies, and more lies. They've turned the internet into a US presidential election.

  7. What this is all about by Kesch · · Score: 5, Informative

    So apparently Zango makes some crappy adware toolbars. Then they get video's to link back to the Zango website and bring up installers when they try to play. Webmasters can sign up and push Zango crapware in return for $$$s per install.

    This is where that mangled piece of English in the summary comes in. That piece is from an email where Zango reveals there evil scheme to the Zango pushing legions. In the email, Zango tells its associates to target kids and make it easy to embed Zango vids in their MySpace profiles. Then all their friends come, have the installer pop up, and let it through so they can see the cool new video.

    There, just in case you were confused after trying to read only the summary like I was.

    --
    If this signature is witty enough, maybe somebody will like me.
  8. In a related story... by HAKdragon · · Score: 3, Funny

    MySpace told Live Journal to tell Zango that they are no longer invited to their party and that Zango doesn't have a boyfriend because she's a heffer.

    --
    "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
  9. WTF... by shawnce · · Score: 4, Funny

    Anyone have a decoder ring that works for this submission? I think mine is busted.

  10. Let's be fair by Joebert · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think it's only fair that since they give you a place on their systems & let you call it "myspace", that they get to take some space on your system & call it their space.

    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  11. Re:as a myspace user by identity0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Like, ohmygod, you haven't heard about ZONGO yet? Lol, it's, um, this really strange, uh, THING on MYSPACE!!1!! I TOTALLY had a huuuuuge problem with it the other day!!! :) It went like, this...

    I was blogging on myspace on the PC. And it was all, like, beep beep beep beep, and MySpace was, like, gone.

    And I was, like.... "Uunh?" (O_O)

    Zongo DEVOURED MySpace.

    It was a really good myspace. :-(

    And then I had to do it again, and I had to do it fast, so it wasn't as good (;_;)

    It's kind of... a bummer.

    My name is Ellen Feiss, and I MySpace...

  12. Decoded summary by Frenchy_2001 · · Score: 3, Informative

    A spyware company called Zango (formerly 180 solution) has been caught trying to infect user's PCs through an automatic download triggered by a video. Their latest scheme is to post and encourage to post those videos on myspace pages.

    As the user base of myspace is not that tech savvy, they click "yes" to the pop up that ask if they want the software installed (presented as required to see the video, or even automatic when the video try to load, i'm not sure) and they find themselves infected by the spyware.

    It seems some emails proving that scheme have been found.

  13. Re:Seriously... by Miniluv · · Score: 4, Informative

    Sadly no. MySpace seems to have achieved critical mass, and I know a disturbing number of otherwise reasonable adults who've become hooked. It combines everything they want: a profile, pictures, messaging, hooking up with people they haven't seen in years, and horny teenage girls.