Comments on: The End of Fake Avatars? http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/social-media/the-end-of-fake-avatars/ Internet marketing blog Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:50:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Joshua Dorkin @ BiggerPockets.com http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/social-media/the-end-of-fake-avatars/#comment-571 Joshua Dorkin @ BiggerPockets.com Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:30:53 +0000 http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/?p=500#comment-571 As someone who runs a real estate social network (BiggerPockets.com), this is an extremely important discussion. We frequently have people come on to our site, purporting to be people that they are not, in an effort to promote a business, course, or website. Is that okay? Doing this is extremely manipulative and can in one full sweep, alter the online image of a company. Think of all the review sites out there . . . I've worked with several companies who've had angry people create multiple identities in an effort to do a bad review on one company. One bad review on a restaurant and I start looking the other way. What about this? Something must be done here, but I'm just not sure what exactly that is. BTW - When we determine that someone who has written some kind of testimonial about a company is in fact a representative of that company, we 1) call them out 2) ask that they come clean 3) remove them from the site if they fail to do so. In almost every occasion, they have come clean and end up looking like jerks - that's the price you pay, right? As someone who runs a real estate social network (BiggerPockets.com), this is an extremely important discussion. We frequently have people come on to our site, purporting to be people that they are not, in an effort to promote a business, course, or website. Is that okay? Doing this is extremely manipulative and can in one full sweep, alter the online image of a company.

Think of all the review sites out there . . . I’ve worked with several companies who’ve had angry people create multiple identities in an effort to do a bad review on one company. One bad review on a restaurant and I start looking the other way. What about this?

Something must be done here, but I’m just not sure what exactly that is.

BTW – When we determine that someone who has written some kind of testimonial about a company is in fact a representative of that company, we 1) call them out 2) ask that they come clean 3) remove them from the site if they fail to do so. In almost every occasion, they have come clean and end up looking like jerks – that’s the price you pay, right?

]]> By: James http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/social-media/the-end-of-fake-avatars/#comment-570 James Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:57:55 +0000 http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/?p=500#comment-570 I don't think that taking away the avatars will really help anyone. I don't mind having an avatar. In fact I think that is half of the fun being on the internet. You have the ability to be someone else that you aren't outside of the internet. I think avatars help give a face to what you would want to look like. I agree with you completely, however about using your secret identity to cause harm to someone. Why would you do such a thing, I don't know. I don’t think that taking away the avatars will really help anyone. I don’t mind having an avatar. In fact I think that is half of the fun being on the internet. You have the ability to be someone else that you aren’t outside of the internet. I think avatars help give a face to what you would want to look like.

I agree with you completely, however about using your secret identity to cause harm to someone. Why would you do such a thing, I don’t know.

]]> By: Lisa Barone http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/social-media/the-end-of-fake-avatars/#comment-569 Lisa Barone Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:26:13 +0000 http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/?p=500#comment-569 Maurice: I really wasn't trying to take away from the severity of this situation and all. And I don't see this post as "link bait". Instead, my goal was to open a discussion about something that I think really does affect this community. I've long been passionate about my distaste for fake avatars and the deception that sometimes plays into social media. This post was intended as a forum to again revisit that situation. If you took it a different way, we apologize for that but it was never my intention. Maurice: I really wasn’t trying to take away from the severity of this situation and all. And I don’t see this post as “link bait”. Instead, my goal was to open a discussion about something that I think really does affect this community. I’ve long been passionate about my distaste for fake avatars and the deception that sometimes plays into social media. This post was intended as a forum to again revisit that situation. If you took it a different way, we apologize for that but it was never my intention.

]]> By: Annie Cushing http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/social-media/the-end-of-fake-avatars/#comment-568 Annie Cushing Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:54:59 +0000 http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/?p=500#comment-568 @Maurice, I think the discussion is relevant to this blog b/c of the involvement of social media in the crime, as well as the resulting ruling. The Baby P disaster involved neither of these elements. So, if I'm interpreting your comment correctly, I think your concern of WBP using this tragedy as link bait is a bit unfounded. @Maurice, I think the discussion is relevant to this blog b/c of the involvement of social media in the crime, as well as the resulting ruling. The Baby P disaster involved neither of these elements.

So, if I’m interpreting your comment correctly, I think your concern of WBP using this tragedy as link bait is a bit unfounded.

]]> By: karalynia http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/social-media/the-end-of-fake-avatars/#comment-567 karalynia Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:59:13 +0000 http://www.internetmarketingninjas.com/blog/?p=500#comment-567 I think punishment is necessary for harassment. I think punishment is necessary for harassment.

]]>