Advocacy Or Astroturf?

[mantic]

Every once in a while I will perform an "ego surf" on Google, searching for the keyword "mantic59" (plus a couple variations). I do it partly out of curiosity and partly to make sure some commercial site is not trying to "sell" my videos. Over the past few months I've also used Google's blog search function (blogsearch.google.com) to search for shaving-related topics. And indeed I do find an occassional posting from random bloggers (not Leisureguy or Kafeneio or qhsdoitall) about the lousy shave they're getting or that they "discovered" some new trick to shaving (typically someone we here have known for ages). I have responded to a few of these postings, suggesting the shaving forums (or some other source) to address their needs. The responses from the bloggers, when I get them, usually fall into either "hey, that's interesting" or "WTF Dood" buckets.

I want to "spread the word" of traditional shaving to these folks. But is it truly advocacy or would it be more like astroturfing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing)?

--Mark

[Chairman Nemo]

Your videos are very informative, easy to follow, and entertaining. I do NOT consider them "astroturfing." I would consider them more to follow under the advocacy realm if not more into the reference realm. Your youtube channel was the metaphoric door that got me into wetshaving and the whole DE experience. Your posts and your video "why are we all here" reflect that you seem to be a normal down to earth kind of guy, which makes your videos that more appealing, hence the term advocate. I guess you can say, you have become the "poor richards almanac" to DE/Wetshaving. Everyone has one and everyone uses it when they need it (or don't... I just watch for the fun of it now).

Cheers and I will look forward to a new video soon!!

[brooklynlou]

You're not Astroturfing, you're prosletyzing ... :biggrin:

[itsbaker]

I don't think that what you are doing is astroturfing at all. you are providing a resource as a member of a community for the benefit of that community, and further you are spreading the word to others. That is truly the definition of grassroots.

Now, if you were actually a marketing person working for one of the companies making shaving products or razors and your ultimate goal was to raise awareness in order to boost sales, then that would be astro-turfing.

[castlecraver]

Let me get this straight... you think you might be astroturfing? Really... When you mention yourself that there are bloggers out there who aren't exactly strangers to our forums and other resources who post about "discovering" a better way of shaving? If that's not astroturfing, it's at best disingenuous.

I don't think you're the least bit in the wrong to put your videos out there and link people to the forums... make it painfully obvious that the aforementioned random blogger isn't the first to "discover" some new trick to shaving. I feel like this like one of the reasons people dislike Corey Greenberg so much, in that he took credit and pontificated on a lot of topics that actually developed out of the entire wetshaving community.

Mark, you videos are so far the single best instruction resource on wetshaving there is, period. You've got no reason to be modest about that fact at all, bro! Toot your horn!

[mantic]

You're not Astroturfing, you're prosletyzing ... :biggrin:

An excellent point. But is that a "good" thing or a "bad" thing (in the context of a blog reply)??

--Mark

[brooklynlou]

An excellent point. But is that a "good" thing or a "bad" thing (in the context of a blog reply)??

--Mark

Good thing Mark.

As an aside, I'm a IT training manager 9-5. I made one of my junior trainers watch your videos to see how to effectively present the operation of hardware. We'll be doing similar videos soon to explain the operation of laptops to new users.

[ouch]

Have I got a custom title for you. :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXjxzGRBoj4&feature=related

[Hoos]

IMO, it's neither prosletyzing nor astroturfing.

You're sharing information. Just because some tweener blogger gets his diaper in a bunch because he hasn't discovered something shouldn't dissuade you, Mantic.

Your vids are great, you're not trying to sell anything, you're simply helping educate.

Heck, I recommend your YouTube videos on a couple of different, non-shaving forums when the topic comes up.

[mantic]

As an aside, I'm a IT training manager 9-5. I made one of my junior trainers watch your videos to see how to effectively present the operation of hardware. We'll be doing similar videos soon to explain the operation of laptops to new users.

Cool!! :w00t:

--Mark

[Must Dash]

When the Maharishi of Merkur shines his guiding light, the people have much to be grateful for.


Cheers


Jeremy

[duckintheface]

I think it was William Gibson in his novel "Pattern Recognition" who introduced the idea of astroturfing (he called it viral marketing) to the general public. But I think that the distinction means less and less as the internet becomes the dominant media for both personal and commercial communication.

We all have an opinion.... it's just that with the internet blog we can reach a much bigger audience with our opinion. You have as much right as anyone to spread the word and after seeing your videos, I'm glad you are doing it!

[DirtyDave]

I have never heard of the term "Astroturfing," and here is the definition of it according to Widipedia:

Astroturfing is a neologism for formal public relations campaigns in politics and advertising that seek to create the impression of being spontaneous, grassroots behavior, hence the reference to the artificial grass AstroTurf, initially developed for the Houston Astrodome.

And another source, catb.org (what ever that is)

astroturfing: n.
1. The use of paid shills to create the impression of a popular movement, through means like letters to newspapers from soi-disant ‘concerned citizens’, paid opinion pieces, and the formation of grass-roots lobbying groups that are actually funded by a PR group (AstroTurf is fake grass; hence the term)...

2. What an individual posting to a public forum under an assumed name is said to be doing.

Based on these definitions, no you are not astroturfing, so go for it and spread the good word.

You aren't a paid shill, right? :lol:

[Holton181]

I wonder how Leisureguy's book sales are going... Mantic, I know you've read this a million times, but I got turned on to shaving with a DE thanks to you. I did't buy anything from you afterwards. In fact, I did more research and brought my products from other sources than you mention in your videos. Once you start selling stuff or disclosing your recent investment into Merkur, you will be astroturfing.