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POSTED April 29, 1:32 AM

I’m laughing and shaking my head at the comment spam (above) I received on my very first Examiner post.

This kind of thing is truly reprehensible.

My company specializes in social media seeding and counter-posting. What that means is we help companies to build conversations and relationships with blogs and forums that are relevant to their marketing targets. When a blogger trashes a client, we try to steer the conversation in a more positive direction. And when a company wants exposure in influential gathering places, we seed the relevant online outlets. Before we even begin to engage social media, though, we work closely with our clients to create consistent, valid messaging.

The key to success in the conversational media arena is authenticity:

We only seed blogs and forums with messaging that’s relevant to that posting or website.
We don’t go for the straight pitch or the hard sell; we believe in creating cross-chatter by engaging readers and bloggers in conversation, and building relationships.
We are always, always transparent. We disclose that we’re working for our client, and we are clear about our reasons for posting.

The best way to generate ill will in the Cloud is to ignore these guidelines, and the internet is paved with the dead bodies from poorly executed viral campaigns.

Which is why I was stunned and a wee bit disgusted with the comment spam on my very first, ever, Examiner posting. I mean, do they really think their signature spam product has legs? And did they not think that a guy who’s writing about social media wouldn’t rip into their comment spam?

Oh crap…maybe that’s what they wanted. I did click through to their site, and even re-posted the link in this blog posting. Did I just drive traffic to their website? What a sucker.

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Eric Elkins
Eric Elkins has an online connection addiction. Good thing his job is harnessing social media strategies to help his clients engage consumers. Read along as Eric explores the latest developments in online community building.