Know your sock puppets: Watch out for Astroturf comments
Mark Olaser on the rise of paid Astroturf commenters on blogs, specifically on the recent spate of anti-net neutrality ops.
Happily, Astroturf commenters haven't been a problem at this blog so far.
Still... Vigilance!
I prefer the term "imposter."
Posted by: MT | June 06, 2006 at 02:17 PM
Dang...where do I sign up to get paid for commenting on blogs? Sounds like a sweet gig.
Seriously, though...it doesn't sound like such a great use of their money. How much impact does a blog commenter have on opinion, anyway? I mean, who listens to Fred Jones (for example)?
Posted by: Tom Hilton | June 06, 2006 at 03:48 PM
I'd hate to think that my trolls were making more money off the blog than me. Unlikely.
We've got 100% free-range pro-bono trolls around here producing certified organic bullshit.
Posted by: Lindsay Beyerstein | June 06, 2006 at 05:44 PM
Love the poster.
Astroturf campaigns are always transparent, though. When I was working for an ISP, there was some local legislation pending that would have helped us, but hurt one of the telecoms. Our company sent a delegation to speak at a city-hall meeting, but the telecoms hired a bunch of "concerned citizens" to sit in the audience. They gave free "stop the legislation!" caps and probably ten bucks each to a bunch of old guys from Chinatown, who plainly could speak no English and had no idea what the caps meant. The old guys all came in and sat down at the meeting with their caps, and then left en masse, without even really listening to what the people at the meeting said. Ridiculous.
For another recent offline Astroturf experience, I love (because it's never rebutted, only swept under the rug and ignored, by the trolls) to cite the rent-a-rioters that Karl Rove hired to yell, "Stop the Recount Now for Some Reason! Stop the Recount Now for Some Reason!" at the 2000 elections. Since then, I've assumed that a certain percentage of trolls and "serious" commenters, who nonetheless advocate in a highly partisan manner, and in defiance of all logic, are paid political operatives. There is no way that Karl Rove and his ilk would fail to have a few people on staff, trolling the blogs to "get the message out," or more usually, to obscure someone's common sense.
Posted by: 1984 Was Not a Shopping List | June 06, 2006 at 07:14 PM
I've pimped your blog a few times in the comments sections of a select group of blogs, Lindsay. For FREE. But after hearing about this scam those days are over, sister. From now on I want to see da benjamins. Your high class, so I know you got the greenbacks. Don't make me put you back on the streets.
Posted by: John | June 07, 2006 at 12:29 AM
Pretty big talk for a NINJA! Arrr.
Posted by: Lindsay Beyerstein | June 07, 2006 at 02:41 AM
I like to think of myself more as a dandelion. I post uninvited on blogs that don't really want me there, but I bring a touch of green to the arid right-wing landscape.
On the other hand, one righty blog has banned me. And I didn't even post a didjeridu soundfile.
Posted by: didjman | June 07, 2006 at 10:51 AM
Hey, nice to see the swedish, I'm actually watching one of the games right now and found this link through dkos!!! Really nice!! Suprisingly, I haven't seen it here in Sweden yet:(
Where'd you find it?
Posted by: borkitekt | June 09, 2006 at 04:50 PM