The Effects of Astro-turfing and Carpet-Bombing

With the advent of the Internet, word-of-mouth referrals, written recommendations and printed reviews have spread into the online world.  All manner of websites now allow consumers, experts and trusted sources to write reviews about any product or service… or person, for that matter.  Such sites abound including Linked In, Yelp, Trip Advisor, Angie’s List, Urbanspoon and countless others.  They allow people to rate everything from restaurants and hotels to retailers and professionals.  The problem is that as much as a quarter to a third of all online reviews are totally fake. Continue reading →

The Spread of Astro-turfing

It’s been said that people do business with people they know, like and trust.  That is considered by many to be a basic truth of business.  The key ingredient of that formula is trust.  Customers want to do business with companies that they trust will do a good job and treat them fairly and courteously.   Long before the Internet, consumers used the old-fashioned but reliable method of identifying worthy vendors:  Word-of-Mouth.  It was understood that past performance was the best indicator of future behavior.  From doctors to department stores and from Realtors to restaurants, people would frequent nearby businesses recommended by a family member, friend or colleague.  A business that was highly recommended generally could be trusted to deliver a good product or service.

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