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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."

4 of 74 comments (clear)

  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 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.
  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 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.