Joel at BBG has found a bunch of threads from MGOODE08, apparently a shill for Motorola who posts comments to gadget sites about the Motorola Krave.
I’m so glad my boss isn’t like that! I’m working with Motorola right now, and became a huge fan of the Krave (motorola.com/krave). I especially like the full touch screen display and html web browser. It’s awesome!
And before that:
Oh man this looks awesome! I hope they release a version for the Krave by Motorola. Ever since I started working with Motorola I have became a huge fan of the phone (motorola.com/krave). With a full list of features, like a full touch screen, I can’t stop obsessing over it.
UPDATE - I found that MGoode is now appearing on CrunchGear as well. Read on.
UPDATE - His email is mgoode08@gmail.com. Do what you will.
Whenever I talk to PR people about their work, I remind them never, ever to astroturf and to never let their CEO reply to troll threads. It makes the company - in this case, Motorola - look like it’s run by rubes who pay big bucks for “Social Media Consulting.”
Most of you guys are really nice and don’t do that stuff except in the name link section, but this is pretty egregious. I say if we see MGOODE around these parts we make a posse and give him/her/it a taste of Internet justice. Incidentally, I really love the Motorola Krave (motorola.com/krave). It has a touch screen and web browser!
UPDATE - Just when I thought we were safe, I find:
It’s good to see that console move so many units! I think the same is going to be said about the Motorola Krave. I’ve been a fan of the Krave ever since I started working with Motorola (motorola.com/krave). I especially like the touch screen display and 2 megapixel camera. It’s definitely worth checking out.
You should also check out the Krave (motorola.com/krave). It has a digital QWERTY keyboard and its narrower then the iPhone. It’s a flip phone that has a clear top and its touch sensitive, so you can use your phone without even opening it…
R.
And many more.
Did you guys hear the rumor that the Motorola Krave is really bad and causes cancer?
no, but i heard your mum gave you bad AIDS
bad AIDS? Is there such thing as good AIDS?
You never saw that episode of South Park, did you?
South Park? Brass Eye did it years ago.
@brian, your mom comments usually mean you have lost the argument.
kushal, it was a joke. don’t be ignorant.
@Kushal H, not knowing what a reply link is usually means you have failed at the internet.
I heard the Motoral Krave gives you telepathic abilities and x-ray vision.
Definitely worth checking out the Krave (motorola.com/krave)
That’s really a shame… and you know what else is a shame? To buy a cell phone that is not the Motorola Krave (motorola.com/krave)! Since I started to work at Motorola I fell in love with this phone, it got touch screen, a 2 megapixel phone, a dishwasher and a 42′ LCD monitor!
There’s only one problem with this phone… it’s a Motorola. :-(
So what’s wrong with Motorola phones? They invented the forking thing. If anything they overbuild their phones… and suck up to their customers, like Verizon in this case…
What are you, like 14 and subscribe to some ‘cool brand’ line of peer pressure mind-washing? Or have you actually gone into a Verizon store and interacted with a Krave versus say a Storm or some LG P.O.S. ? Huh?
Oh wait you - are some pile of quivering impulses in where? India? Indiana? Indonesia?
Go lie down - it’s nap time junior.
That’s really a shame… and you know what else is a shame? To buy a cell phone that is not the Motorola Krave (motorola.com/krave)! Since I started to work at Motorola I fell in love with this phone, it got touch screen, a 2 megapixel phone, a dishwasher and a 42′ LCD monitor!
There’s only one problem with this phone… it’s a Motorola. :-(
it also has a built in espresso maker, did I mention its a Krave(motorola.com/krave)? if you buy any other phone, you’re a loser!
The Krave is actually being discontinued, Motorolo may have broke child labor laws in its development and rumor has they are under investigation. Please pass this on to all your friends to make sure we let Motorola how you feel about the exploitation of children
They weren’t actually breaking child labor laws, they were breaking actual children. You see, the Krave is actually composed of 12% genuine child parts per phone.
Whilst I don’t think this is a very effective way of trying to engage in social media marketing, I would not call it astroturfing. He’s saying he works for Motorola, so he is not pretending to be a random consumer loving a product.
Having said that, it’s a pathetic attempt at trying to create some hype.
In general you’re right, however he does slip at times into “forgetting” to mention he works for Motorola, which kind of deflates that particular argument. Including in one of the examples above and a couple on the BBGadgets post.
tkx 4 da laff :)
That’s so bogus. Everybody knows that “push” marketing doesn’t apply to the new generation of consumer. I thought your idea of rounding up an internet posse was hilariously appropriate, though.
Sounds like somebody should contact Motorola to tell them that they’re doing it wrong.
Oh, wait. Technically, we already have by posting all this here…if they’re listening.
If its so cool, motorola should have named it Chuck Krave. Another oportunity would be in this case that nobody would dare to say something bad about it.
if it was called the Chuck Norris of cell phones i might look at it.
That’s awful. I can’t believe anybody would shamelessly astroturf like that. Besides is the Krave really that great? It can’t have an html web browser and a cool touch screen and be rockin’ a 2 MP camera, could it? (motorola.com/krave)
No it doesn’t have a HTML browser and the interface is very inconsistent. It actually….kind of sucks. At least it does have a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Mototroll spotted. Commence anti-troll operations.
There is a funny thread about this guy over on BoingBoing too:
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/11/25/boing-boing-gadgets-14.html.
This is exactly the wrong way to engage social media. What these people don’t understand is that if you do this crap it will blow up in your face. Think about it this way: In the old days you’d blast a press release out and anyone not interested would ignore it or circular-file it. Now, if you send something fake or irrelevant the reaction is to publicize how stupid you are.
This isn’t minor- marketing is changing in radical ways driven by social media. The problem is that many marketers can’t deal with change so they keep doing stupid stuff.
Motorola has enough problems without this idiocy.
While you all may be laughing about the astroturfing… it worked… I looked at the website. Did you?
nope
Nope. Sucker.
Way too obvious to be an astroturf.
My guess is that it’s a search engine optimization technique. Notice the padding of keywords in right next to the URL.
They’re trying to place their site at the top of the list for “touch screen”, keyboard, iphone, qwerty, etc etc etc.
I think you might be on to something.
Yes, that’d explain his (usual) disclosure.
That’s not even clever astroturfing. Geez, what an embarassment to the trade. Pure rube.
I agree with a few people here - that’s not astroturfing. The guy is very open about who he works for.
Regardless of what you call it, though, comments like that are a horrible way to engage. It’s not genuine, it’s not helpful and it’s bound to annoy people.
Hey guys, I would not call this astroturfing anymore then I would call this thread the authority on the topic. However, I will say that responding to this thread has been made much easier now that I have Vista. I mean, back when I was on my apple, I always had problems with blogging and joining in on hot topics. But now with Vista, Man! I am totally hooked.
By the way, you should check it out here(http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/default.aspx) - But not if your using a mac :) Hardy Har!
That’s nothing compared to Robin’s article a few days ago about LeapFish, a company run by some shady CEO named Ben Behrouzi. The astroturfers call themselves geniuses and then the CEO proceeds to start name calling and making threats to others in the comments!
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/20/leapfish-launches-another-meta-search-engine-no-one-will-ever-use/#comments
This same clown spammed the Escapist magazine forums, so I searched for “mgoode Krave” and found he’s been active on Hellforge, Starfeeder, and many other forums — without identifying himself as a Motorola employee. Here he is on Gizmodo:
http://gizmodo.com/people/mgoode
I think the best way to fight this is to set up a Googlebomb on Motorola’s vice president of global marketing, Jeremy Dale, that links him to “mgoode Motorola Krave forum spam.”
Google bombing of well-known or important people is much less common as compared with what goes on in the dark underbelly.
‘Em intarwebz aren’t ruled by no one, man!
It’s quite easy to get on the wrong side of a few gray-hats and get your disks fried for that.
“Measure up or shut up” seems to be the law of the land .. er.. webzz..
(Reluctant) disclaimer:
I’m not affiliated/opposed to anyone in this discussion.
well, sending the guy direct email would probably have been better than doing the regular TC move and out him. He’s not personally insulted by this I’m guessing, it’s his job. TC gave him just what he wanted: more visibility to the Krave (www.motorola.com/krave). There, now the page has plenty of links to help the company. This was a great idea on Moto’s part. The guy didn’t necessarily say he worked FOR Motorola, he said he worked WITH Motorola, a slight difference to me, and makes him more an astroturfing truth-skewer. He’s leaving it open that he might just be a shipping distributer for Moto or a phone salesman and was so awed by the Krave (www.motorola.com/krave) that he just HAD to let everyone know. If he had just made it sound less like an advertisement, he just might have slipped through.
Yeah, they should leave the hyping to official Bloggers.
Motorola phones are done. I had a RAZR that died after only a year. I wonder how long this phone would last? They’re playing catchup with the other phone makers, and they’re still way behind.
I heard that the Krave has a great feature helping you astroturf
The phone market of Motorola is now reducing quickly. AS it cant become with the custome requirement.
Am i astroturfing?
Oh btw
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New Jobs. SK+G. Frog Design. Blue Fang Games. HCA. Dror.
at least he reveals his affiliation. so ok it’s poorly done, but it’s not completely pathetic.
utyuttuyur
utyuttuyur
Thanks man!
Thanks man!
Get lost u idiot!
Get lost u idiot!
so, what is “astroturf” ?
i love my motorola phones..its very useful..