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'Best' Fake Blog of 2006 Awarded

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the all-i-want-for-xmas-is-no-corporate-shills dept.

schwaang writes "Advertising is an integral part of the Web, and its revenues make the likes of Google possible for all of us. But when PR firms promote products by pretending to be real bloggers, some think it crosses the line into unethical 'astroturf'. The Consumerist held a contest for best 'Flog' of 2006. And the winner is... Sony for it's fake all-I-want-for-Xmas PSP blog (which Slashdot readers will no doubt remember). Runners up included Walmart and McDonald's. And the award itself? Well, it's something you might find on on a fake lawn."

74 comments

  1. tasty cake? by piotru · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ehem, what was the dominant opinion on Slashdot in the matter of a proposed legislation to force payed bloggers to register? eat your cake now... :( (not a flamebait)

    1. Re:tasty cake? by suckmysav · · Score: 2, Insightful

      hehe, You gotta love the monkeys with mod points on /. don't you?

      Marking a first post as Redundant indeed.

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    2. Re:tasty cake? by dangitman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ehem, what was the dominant opinion on Slashdot in the matter of a proposed legislation to force payed bloggers to register?

      I don't know, what was the dominant opinion? It seemed pretty divided. Anyway, what does making poilitical lobbyists register have to do with fake blogs for marketing purposes?

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
    3. Re:tasty cake? by iminplaya · · Score: 1, Troll

      ehem, what was the dominant opinion on Slashdot in the matter of a proposed legislation to force payed bloggers to register?

      I would hope that everybody is against it. Those who want to regulate the net are doing it for persinal gain, not to make the net "safe for the whole family". They stake their claim and try to keep newcomers out. Old immigrants want to keep out the new immigrants. It's an age old trick that works every time. For speech to mean anything at all, it requires action. Leave the speakers alone. Go after the "actors".

      --
      What?
    4. Re:tasty cake? by CrazyDuke · · Score: 1

      "I don't know, what was the dominant opinion? It seemed pretty divided."

      The initial opinion thanks to that first propaganda piece was definately in favor of striking it down. Only in later follow up stories did the opinion become divided. It's a good sign though that a great many people here at least check into such stories at some point.

      "Anyway, what does making poilitical lobbyists register have to do with fake blogs for marketing purposes?"

      Because, lobbyists are paid to market political ideas to polititians and their constituents. A lobbyist that pretends to be a "concerned citizen" (and sometimes a group of concerned citizens) and spreads disinformation should be exposed to the public.

      Personally, I have not made up my mind on that proposed amendment to that bill, however. The federal government has a way of fucking up even simple things...

      --
      Any sufficiently advanced influence is indistinguishable from control.
  2. Editors Living In Glass Houses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Speaking of corporate shills. Two words for you slahdot: Roland Piquepaille.

    1. Re:Editors Living In Glass Houses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who is Roland Piquepaille, and why does everyone hate him?

    2. Re:Editors Living In Glass Houses by Baddas · · Score: 4, Informative

      He paraphrases and regurgitates large quantities of articles onto his blog and tries to get them linked to slashdot to increase his advertising revenue.

      He doesn't actually add anything to the stories, merely acts as a middle man to siphon off some of the ad revenue.

      Thus, people are bothered because slashdot links to him when they could link directly to the primary source with no more effort.

    3. Re:Editors Living In Glass Houses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is he a corporate shill, or just constantly whoring for traffic (and hence ad revenue)?

  3. SP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Second post!

  4. Fake Steve! by Durandal64 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Fake Steve is, by far, the best fake blog ever.

    1. Re:Fake Steve! by noidentity · · Score: 1

      How is that any different than a "real" blog?

    2. Re:Fake Steve! by Darby · · Score: 1

      From the parent's link:

      "And I'm like, Dude, it's not bullshit, it's very real, there are definitely problems making iTunes work with Vista, and I should know, because our guys put them there. And you should have seen what we were originally gonna do -- was gonna be a popup window that says, Sorry your data got wiped out, loser. Guess you shoulda bought a Mac."

      FAFD (Funny as fuck, Dude.)

    3. Re:Fake Steve! by Tiro · · Score: 1

      I really enjoy Tony Homo, the fake blog devoted to [former] starting NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

  5. Zunies by Divebus · · Score: 1, Funny

    I thought for sure the Zunies would get the golden poop award.

    --

    Most of the stuff on /. won't survive first contact with facts.
  6. beaten in 4 posts. damn. by dangitman · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm like, You know what? It's PR. It's marketing. It's the battle for public opinion. Everybody else who gets in trouble like this, like Martha and Quattrone, first thing they do is clam up. And all it does is make things worse. It makes them look guilty. And I'm not guilty. So I'm not going to apologize. And I'm not gonna shut up. Honestly. I'm blogging, and they can eat my friggin shorts. They think they're gonna push me around? I'm friggin Steve Jobs!

    --
    ... and then they built the supercollider.
  7. Re:Is Slashdot still here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Michael? Is that you?

  8. Facing Foreclosure by back_pages · · Score: 5, Interesting
    This is admittedly a long shot, but if Casey Serin at http://iamfacingforeclosure.com/ turns out to be fake, it will be one of the best con jobs ever performed.


    My only reason for thinking that it's fake is because it's really, really hard to believe that someone with a lack of sense, intelligence, and decision making ability as catastrophic as Casey's could actually surive to age 24.


    With every update, I find myself asking, "This can't be for real. Nobody is dumb enough to be $2.2M in debt, unemployed, penniless, and sign up for $52/year roadside assistance just because the offer showed up in the mail." Yet that's exactly what this genius claims to have done. It may be a long shot, but I cannot convince myself that Casey Serin is 100% nonfiction.

    1. Re:Facing Foreclosure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's fake.

    2. Re:Facing Foreclosure by Tx · · Score: 3, Insightful

      With every update, I find myself asking, "This can't be for real. Nobody is dumb enough to be $2.2M in debt, unemployed, penniless, and sign up for $52/year roadside assistance just because the offer showed up in the mail."

      Which would you rather be:
      a) $2,200,000 in debt, and broken down in the middle of nowhere with no breakdown cover
      b) $2,000,052 in debt, having a cold one while your car gets recovered

      See, he's not so dumb ;)

      --
      Oh no... it's the future.
    3. Re:Facing Foreclosure by JourneyExpertApe · · Score: 3, Informative

      He was interviewed on NPR a few weeks ago, so surely they did some research to see if he's legit. I don't see your point about the $52/year roadside assistance. $52 isn't much, especially compared to the millions he owes. And he's obviously not penniless, since he can afford the fees for his domain registration and server space. However, I do think he's a greedy SOB who got what he deserved.

      --
      If you can read this sig, you're too close.
    4. Re:Facing Foreclosure by alphaseven · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He was interviewed on NPR a few weeks ago, so surely they did some research to see if he's legit.
      James Frey was a bestselling writer who had appeared Oprah and had done tons of interviews and a movie deal before anyone did the slightest bit of research to see if his memoir was legit. It's certainly within the realm of possibility of being fake.
    5. Re:Facing Foreclosure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you do not believe the blog is real head over to http://exurbannation.blogspot.com/ where everything Casey is uncovered.

    6. Re:Facing Foreclosure by back_pages · · Score: 1
      He can't pay his phone bill. He can't pay his 13 or 14 credit card bills. He's months behind on mortgage payments on his 4 or 5 houses (5-8 mortgages?). I think he has $600k+ in unsecured debt. (These numbers are all from recollection - I'm not looking this up at 2am.)

      He gets some junk mail for $52/year roadside assistance. It's crap that arrived in the mail. As many of his readers pointed out, he could get the same service for $12/year from his existing car insurance. He impulsively signs up for the $52/year junk mail service. -He can't even pay his phone bill-.

      If I were standing before my maker, I wouldn't say he's simply a greedy SOB. I think he has a mental or psychological problem. I think he's very similar to a gambling addict, except his addiction is debt or risky investment or something like that. You could honestly sell him the Eiffel Tower for $100. He's addicted to being a sucker, not necessarily greed. He's still in debt for millons and he's unfortunately worth literally nothing. Society can never extract from him the damage that he's done.

      Or he's a very, very clever con artist. I give it less than a 1 in 1000 chance, but it's hard to believe that such a miserable and dumb human could really secure $2M+ in loans.

    7. Re:Facing Foreclosure by Kierthos · · Score: 1

      Wait... this moron has multiple houses that he can't afford, and he's surprised he's in debt?

      Someone fetch me a claw hammer.

      Kierthos

      --
      Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
    8. Re:Facing Foreclosure by Darundal · · Score: 1

      Looked at a couple of posts at the blog, and then looked at some of the photos on the blog. The posts seem fake to me (can't put my finger on any one thing, but boy do they ring as fake) although very good fakes. The photos, however, have two things that for me seals the deal; A, they look like they were professionally taken quality wise (although that alone really doesn't prove anything) in so far as framing of the shot and the actual image quality (although I am not a photo pro, so I digress to anyone with more knowledge than me on this) and B, they look like they were staged.

    9. Re:Facing Foreclosure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >> it's hard to believe that such a miserable and dumb human could really secure $2M+ in loans.

      Lending standards have fallen drastically over the last few years. It's what you have to do when all the people with good credit have been used, and you need some fresh meat to prop up the "house prices always go up" (more than inflation + wages) pyramid scheme.

    10. Re:Facing Foreclosure by abb3w · · Score: 1

      Last time I checked NPR maintained a marginally higher standard of journalistic professionalism than Oprah. Not all that much higher, perhaps, but enough that Walter Cronkite is still willing to talk to them on-air.

      --
      //Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
  9. Foot-shooting fun by Nullav · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I don't really see why people try this (fake blogs to promote their products). How can the chance at getting a few thousand people to think "Hey, that looks like a decent product." when they also risk alienating countless more if their plans were to come to light?

    --
    I just read Slashdot for the articles.
    1. Re:Foot-shooting fun by Bob+of+Dole · · Score: 1

      1. Who's to say it will ever come to light?
      2. Who's to say that by the time it comes to light, the advertising campaign will still be going? "Hey, it turns out that zune blog from three years back was fake!" "What's a zune?"
      3. Who's to say that if it does get out, anyone will know? A dozen blogs decrying your astroturfing means nothing if the people you're advertising to are reading YOUR blog, not THEIRS.

      --
      I respond to your sigs
  10. 20721? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How about 20721 (aka Slashdot)? Ok that was five years ago.

    1. Re:20721? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      vlad far... ah it's just not the same anymore

  11. Pot... kettle... black by buckeyeguy · · Score: 3, Informative
    So why does Consumerist get to say who's a fake blog, when Consumerist itself is just one of about a dozen front-ends for privately-held company Gawker Media? It, and the others, maintain the look of either personal or group blogs, and make no mention on their front pages of the business behind them.

    How much business? From Wiki: While Denton does not go into detail over Gawker Media's finances, he has downplayed the profit potential of blogs[1], declaring "Blogs are likely to be better for readers than for capitalists. While I love the medium, I've always been skeptical about the value of blogs as businesses" on his personal site[2]. However, in the February 20, 2006 issue of New York Magazine, Jossip founder David Hauslaib estimated Gawker.com's annual advertising revenue to be at least $1 million two years ago, and possibly over $2 million a year[3]. Combined with low operating costs -- mostly web hosting fees and writer salaries -- Denton is believed to be turning a healthy profit.

    --
    I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
    1. Re:Pot... kettle... black by iminplaya · · Score: 1

      Pretty much closes down the thread. The guy reporting the fakes is fake. I wonder if somebody out there is trying to see how many layers deep they can take it. The best fake fake fake fake fake blogs.

      --
      What?
    2. Re:Pot... kettle... black by glindsey · · Score: 5, Interesting

      What, you can't be bothered to click a single FAQ link where they clearly state that they are published by Gawker Media? And you compare this to fake blogs which actively try to deceive the reader as to who really writes them? Give me a break.

      I suppose you'll now say that CNN, TBS, Turner Classic Movies, Adult Swim, and the like are all "fronts" because they're all published by a single company.

    3. Re:Pot... kettle... black by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And nevermind that one of their top stories is Gawker Responds To Lycos' Aluminum Foil Sword Rattling... about their response to a legal threat from Lycos...

      And nevermind that half their ads say Gawker Artists on them...

      You're an idiot if you think they try to hide they're published by Gawker.

  12. The award is a football team? by artifex2004 · · Score: 1

    What better use for astroturfing? :)

    1. Re:The award is a football team? by that+this+is+not+und · · Score: 1

      What better use for astroturfing?

      Well, they are probably using a few square yards of it for the Lawn Mower retail display at the Sears in Billings, Montana.

  13. Ettiquette by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm friggin Steve Jobs!
    A handshake is considered more traditional in a business context.
    1. Re:Ettiquette by gardyloo · · Score: 1

      Good. Wish I had mod points :)

    2. Re:Ettiquette by that+this+is+not+und · · Score: 1

      You're forgetting Steve Jobs' first business experience was obtained selling blueboxes to phreaks.

    3. Re:Ettiquette by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 3, Funny

      Now he sells white boxes to freaks.

    4. Re:Ettiquette by that+this+is+not+und · · Score: 1

      Naw. Now he sells white boxes to the kind of conformists who mill around in shopping malls.

  14. what else is new? by tsoldrin · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sony has been dominating this arena since the beginning. I remember that phony giantology blog promoting Shadow of the Collossus a while back making huge ripples. (google giantology). I'm half tempted to make a fake blog condemning fake blogs, but that'd be nearly as bad as giving out fake awards for making fake blogs, wouldn't it? I mean... get real.

  15. All time greatest... by svunt · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...has to be the livejournal of the Illmatic, North Korean president Kim Jong-Il.

    1. Re:All time greatest... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Personally, I miss Saddam Hussein's 2003 blog at Saddam's Cyber Palace. Not a great start, but really got rolling once the war began.
      I thought it was ended with his capture, but it re-appeared with "Episode II" in 2004, and I never realized until recently. Cartoons break up the flow of Ep. II entries. Found it just in time for it to be discontinued again, probably permanently.

  16. so what by icepick72 · · Score: 1
    All arguments about the dishonesty of companies aside, do people actually get fooled by these fake blogs? The company names and products are blatantly displayed, combined with the unrealistic content, there's no doubt somebody is trying to push the product. And who else?

    I watched to PSP Xmas video and its obviously an advertisement, nothing less.

    What about the stupidity of handing out awards for something so obvious, as if something unknown has been revealed. That kind of thing doesn't deserve any credit because it's not even bordering on smart. I really think few people care that McDonalds has a fake blog, except the people who don't eat there anyways. They will have just another excuse to complain about the company, just make some more noise for the people who are making noise regardless. Then you have the people who say the corporate offenders have been revealed as liars and therefore the marketing ends up hurting them ... well, that's a wish, not reality.

    1. Re:so what by xylo36 · · Score: 1

      I think you are giving people too much credit. Most people are conditioned to think of blogs as a personal opinion. It is not part of their thought process to assume that a blog might be an advertisement. If an average person sees a personal testimony ranting and raving about a product in some sort of banner ad, he probably wouldn't give it a second thought. But when seeing it in a medium that usually has little or no direct advertising, he will see it differently. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with this advertising tactic, but I like the exposure it is getting with the fake awards. Hopefully it will help people think a little bit out side of their normal thought process.

  17. Microsoft's attemp in Brazil by ESqVIP · · Score: 1

    Some time ago a blog called Boring Boring appeared, claiming to seek the "uncoolest" things around. While its miscellaneous articles looked ok, even if you don't understand Portuguese you might note the computing-related articles (the ones on the right) are always commenting about Office 2007, even spreading some mild FUD saying the best format to save your files is Open XML because it is open, and thus guarantees interoperability.

    1. Re:Microsoft's attemp in Brazil by Jugalator · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well, contrary to popular opinion on Slashdot, Windows fans do exist (you'll find throngs of them on popular sites like Neowin) and do believe Windows Vista is better than both OS X and Linux, so I think you'll need to provide something more than someone liking MS technologies to say it's about Microsoft themselves. It's like saying an Ubuntu hacker is automatically an Ubuntu developer.

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
    2. Re:Microsoft's attemp in Brazil by Jugalator · · Score: 1

      LOL, OK, I checked up on this further and it even says it's from Microsoft on the front page:
      ©2007 BORINGBORING - Um projeto Microsoft ... so I guess you're right in that it indeed is from Microsoft, but it's hardly astroturfing either...

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
    3. Re:Microsoft's attemp in Brazil by ESqVIP · · Score: 2, Informative

      Sorry, I should have written that on the original message. The simplest proof is (very surprisingly, to me) right there in the footer, in small letters: "©2007 BORINGBORING - A Microsoft project". Also, others have already investigated further, and the domain was registered by a guerilla marketing agency, not just some random person.

  18. Sony propaganda Strong by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    In Capitalist West Sony propaganda makes you need psp. In Soviet Russia kgb obtain Sony psp for you!

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  19. post title by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    why is 'best' in quotes?

  20. A message to the world by ChromeAeonium · · Score: 3, Interesting

    After viewing the PSP blog, I would like to say this to every soul on the planet: If you are instant messaging/on a chat room/any other real time communication method that involves typing, by all means, do type crap like u instead of you. If you are not, than DO NOT use that AOL pseudo-leet garbage. While you're at it, use proper grammar, not that 'urban' slang crap dreamed up by some rich white guy (gasp!) to gain a death grip on a demographic by taking control of their lifestyle and thought patterns. I'm not sure how butchering the English language has helped to sell overpriced clothes, but it has. Also, the Shift key is there for reason. Use it! That being said, Sony really overplayed their part, and I now have an urge to run out and buy a DS.

    1. Re:A message to the world by meme+lies · · Score: 1

      After viewing the PSP blog, I would like to say this to every soul on the planet: If you are instant messaging/on a chat room/any other real time communication method that involves typing, by all means, do type crap like u instead of you. If you are not, than DO NOT use that AOL pseudo-leet garbage.

      This was obviously a thirty-something copywriter trying to write like a fourteen year old. Of course he missed two points; one is that most modern fourteen year olds don't actually write that way outside of IM or WOW, the other is that to really write like a fourteen year old the entries would have to be filled with profanity and lame racist jokes.

      By the way... Who uses "AOL pseudo-leet" anymore? Isn't that kind of, well, 1998? I don't think modern teens would even get the reference...

    2. Re:A message to the world by LuckyEdBoy66 · · Score: 1

      "By the way... Who uses "AOL pseudo-leet" anymore? Isn't that kind of, well, 1998? I don't think modern teens would even get the reference..."

      nope. i didnt...

      --
      remember- if the world didnt suck, we would all fall off!
    3. Re:A message to the world by The+Benefactor · · Score: 1

      They do write/type like that outside IM, WOW, etc. My wife's always complaining about it when she's marking essays written like that .

      --
      To err is human, to arr is pirate.
  21. Can I :P by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    can I submit my own site?
    http://www.sirus20x6.com/

  22. not much different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The vast majority of main stream news "tech articles" are the same thing, rehashes of corporate and academic press releases. So if you link to some big company that has a summary and rehash, it's news, but if it is some guy's blog..it's what? Both have ads to support them. Most of the time the main stream news, yes even including the large syndicates, don't provide any external links at all, and they try even harder to make it look like their reporter just dug the stuff up him or herself. Go to google news, click on one of the links that have all the references to a single story-you'll see most of them are near identical, and that's because they all reference one source for the most part, and when it comes to tech news-it is the press releases mostly. Not all the time, but mostly.

  23. Not to mention... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...He used to routinely commit plagiarism. Not so sure if he still does, although I heard that stopped, possibly after the threat of a lawsuit.

    It's also been stated that Slashdot (or some "Editors") are benefiting financially from Roland's adblog. You'd have to ask Zonk, kdawson, or ScuttleMonkey if that's true. I certainly don't know if it is, but it would explain why Roland's adblog continues to show up here when there are far better sources (such as the sites of the original researchers, et al).

  24. And the nominees are ... by sgunhouse · · Score: 1

    Considering the subject, I'd actually consider Asa Dotzler as the best fake blog ... well, okay, you know right away who Asa works for.

  25. Bestest fake blog ever by anotherlogan · · Score: 1

    Chewbacca!Chewbacca!

  26. Sony the #1 fake blog? by gamer4Life · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The parent company of the Consumerist is Gawker media, which controls some pretty anti-Sony gaming blogs, Kotaku.com and Gizmodo.com.

    Perhaps Microsoft paid some money to Gawker to help them advertise/astroturf the XBox 360? And perhaps this "story" is actually part of that FUD campaign against Sony (and the PS3)?

    It's not unreasonable to expect Microsoft to engage in such tactics.

    Granted, Sony is as evil as Microsoft in many ways, it's just that Microsoft is much better at it (and Sony innovates more than Microsoft).

  27. Roland Piquepaille? by fabu10u$ · · Score: 2, Funny

    Um, hello ...

    --
    They say the mind is the first thing to ... uh, what's that saying again?
  28. Drew Bledsoe's Tony Romo Blog by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.tonyhomo.com/

  29. Why Sony (and others) do this kind of thing by netbuzz · · Score: 1

    Can't think of a more deserving campaign or a more deserving company. However, it's worth noting that Sony does this kind of thing because they are confident -- and apparently have good reason to be confident -- that the public at large won't notice or doesn't care, witness these poll results:

    http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/1026 7

    At the very least, they can be sure that the benefits of such deceitfulness will outweigh the costs. Too few people pay too little attention.

    1. Re:Why Sony (and others) do this kind of thing by el_munkie · · Score: 1

      Too few people pay too little attention.

      Shouldn't that be "Too many people pay too little attention"?

    2. Re:Why Sony (and others) do this kind of thing by netbuzz · · Score: 1

      Doh! ... And to think that I get *paid* to edit others.

  30. Slashdot Opinion Center by g8oz · · Score: 1

    Ok, so it is obviously fake, but come on Taco, I prefer the banner ads to press releases masquerading as Slashdot entries.

    In the top left corner of Slashdot is the "Opinion Center" heading. Click it, you'll see "Intel". Click that and there is a bunch of PR nonsense.

    http://intel.vendors.slashdot.org/

  31. Please help! by SisyphusShrugged · · Score: 1

    This is only remotely related, but here we go anyway.

    http://igerard.co.uk/tin?key=Odck6dMA&formname=Que stionnaire

    I am working on a MSC in Computer Science and we need some feedback on what people consider a blog to be. We would be grateful if you could help us out!

    --
    Post apocalyptic gaming goodness
  32. "Insightful", after addmiting being irrelevant? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mods are worse than usual.