I try to refrain from being a spelling nazi here, but "So, I shot back this brisque email" made me laugh. It's like a portmanteau of "brusque" and "brisk."
For a more daring approach, try sending a brisqué email.
Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
11–20 of 161 posts
Re: Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
#12You realize you're promoting it on HN now right?
It doesn't exactly put it in a good light. It's quite stomach turning actually. Having said that, I'm a little tired of HN's never ending ability to find something to be outraged about, so despite this particular thing pushing everyone of my buttons I'm going to pass. The internet is a big place, filled with lots of people doing things, and there's probably enough material out there to always be outraged every day of…
They explicitly just wanted visibility, even if it will be downvoted.
This is an awesome post and it is fair to be in HN, but in some way just gave to Samsung what they wanted.
Re: Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
#13You realize you're promoting it on HN now right?
Everyone keeps saying this, but what's the option? Discourage exposing scammy behaviour whenever someone could theoretically profit from the attention?
Re: Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
#14You realize you're promoting it on HN now right?
Merely discussing something is not promoting it. The GLBT community has fought this battle again and again, when various parties sought to suppress any mention of homosexuality in public schools, because that would be "promoting the homosexual lifestyle". This discussion may make more people aware of the Samsung contest, but it is in no way a promotion of it.
Re: Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
#15This is, in my mind, evidence that companies like this are out of touch. They want to treat Stack Overflow like a search engine and marketing tool to be optimized, and, in their ignorance, don't see it as something different than what it actually is: a community of people passionate about their craft and helping others with it. Eventually people are going to learn that the way you leverage a community like that towar…
Out of touch? This guy maybe, but I would be surprised if SO, like most other communities, wasn't already successfully being gamed by marketeers a hell of a lot smarter than this clown.
And let's not have the illusion that HN an pg are too smart to be manipulated by people that are at least as clever as we are but who have specialized themselves in manipulating people instead of bits and bytes.
No place where human beings gather, virtual of physical, is safe from this. It's only the clueless an lazy ones that get caught like this.
Re: Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
#16[deleted]
Re: Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
#17Gumtree (Craigslist equivalent in UK) offered me money to do similar kind of stuff for the sake of "Word of mouth" marketing. They offered bonus if I could post a blog on my personal blog too.
Re: Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
#18You realize you're promoting it on HN now right?
Merely discussing something is not promoting it. The GLBT community has fought this battle again and again, when various parties sought to suppress any mention of homosexuality in public schools, because that would be "promoting the homosexual lifestyle". This discussion may make more people aware of the Samsung contest, but it is in no way a promotion of it.
> Merely discussing something is not promoting it.
But in this particular case it is. There will be people who are interested in the contest, and doesn't mind that dishonest promotional tactics was used.
Re: Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
#19That's sleazy, but it's to be expected now SO is such a significant player in the online developer market. The interesting thing being a question along those lines would be flagged, and closed pretty sharpish.
I can't imagine that this is the last time we'll see people trying this trick though.
Re: Samsung agency is buying off StackOverflow users
#20I'm very interested in how this plays out. Right now I add Stackexchange to search queries in Google, precisely because the SEO effects haven't hit.
The morality question may not be so black and white, though. If it's ok to accept goodies to monetize a Klout score, why not for StackExchange? Unfortunately, it only takes a small amount of people doing this for a variety of products to ruin the site.
My impression of this as an outsider hearing only one side of the story is Samsung asked an agency to help get the word out in the tech community. The agency probably knows more about advertising than digital, or views digital advertising as Twitter and Klout. I think their less than subtle approach will backfire.