The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall

janeth · #1 (**permalink**) 10-25-2006, 09:33 PM

Blogs can be both a blessing and a burden and the rise and fall of Richard Edelman makes that very clear.

Richard Edelman from what I understand is a stand up guy whose blazing a trail for marketing with blogs and wrote the WOMMA rules of ethics.

He has said things like;
"We rise to a higher level: We believe that word of mouth marketers have a special relationship with consumers and must go above and beyond the normal expectations of marketing ethics and honesty.

"We believe in honesty and transparency at all times: Honesty of relationship, opinion, and identity, respecting the rules of the forum, rising above the minimum requirements in privacy and permission."

But that was not the case when he was hired by Wal-Mart and created the fake Walmarting Across America Blog.

Now he's been caught and a lot of bloggers are not wanting to forget and forgive.
I'm thinking that a lot of the problems come from his being a member and writing the rules of ethics for WOMMA.

Either way you can read more about it here.

weslinda · #2 (**permalink**) 10-25-2006, 10:36 PM

Perhaps it's just the fact that he's a fake, maybe that's what people really aren't a fan of.

janeth · #3 (**permalink**) 10-25-2006, 11:47 PM

I agree and thats what I meant by

Quote:

I'm thinking that a lot of the problems come from his being a member and writing the rules of ethics for WOMMA.

I guess you said it better by saying he is a fake.

mymusic1234 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janeth

I agree and thats what I meant by

Quote:

I'm thinking that a lot of the problems come from his being a member and writing the rules of ethics for WOMMA.

I guess you said it better by saying he is a fake.

A timely reminder for us all.
I remember confronting my supervisor (who advised me to "bend the rules" a few years ago - I refused, kept my job and had respect) Telling the truth always is the best policy.
You really can't put a high enough value on a reputation of integrity.

Ps loved your site & blogs too.

weslinda · #5 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 12:32 PM

Well, maybe it's the fact that I grew up as a Preacher's kid, but I thought it was a given to do high quality ethical work, and a learned thing to be unethical.

kgun · #6 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 01:27 PM

Yes, did you think of these three posts:

GreenEagle.

WebProWorld are spammers

Irrefutable proof of fraudulent websites

There is a Norwegian saying,

"There is a women behind every war."

My intention is not to start a war. I adviced PhilC to delete the last post since I think that is worst. Since he has not followed my advice, I take the oportunity to post here since WPW and their members are involved. I will only answer this post in an exceptional case, since I have more important things to do. I will not participate in your war Janeth.

weslinda · #7 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 01:42 PM

Okay, I have no idea how this fits in. What's the thought pattern here KGUN?

janeth · #8 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mymusic1234

Ps loved your site & blogs too.

Thank you very much, it's a work in progress. (-:

janeth · #9 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weslinda

Well, maybe it's the fact that I grew up as a Preacher's kid, but I thought it was a given to do high quality ethical work, and a learned thing to be unethical.

I agree that a lot of the unethical things are learned but I also believe that the ethical is also learned.

One is learned at a young age and the other at an older age.

What if your dad had been a thief instead of a preacher, which would you have learned first?

weslinda · #10 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 02:00 PM

But, I'm not big on anything unethical, and I think that lying, gossiping, or anything along those lines will only come back to haunt you as a person or a business in the future.

janeth · #11 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weslinda

But, I'm not big on anything unethical, and I think that lying, gossiping, or anything along those lines will only come back to haunt you as a person or a business in the future.

I agree 100%

orangemike · #12 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 07:30 PM

His behavior, to most bloggers, just confirms the deep-seated suspicion that marketing and blogs are mutually incompatible: that all marketing through blogs is inherently fraudulent by intent, and those who pretend piously to be ethical are merely whited sepulchers. Has he been expelled from the organization he founded and wrote the ethics code for?

janeth · #13 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangemike

Has he been expelled from the organization he founded and wrote the ethics code for?

Did they kick him out?

I missed that.

orangemike · #14 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 09:30 PM

Nope, he just said, "We won't do it again" (which of the three "its" is involved, I don't know) and blamed poor training of his minions.

AjiNIMC · #15 (**permalink**) 10-26-2006, 10:38 PM

Isn't all marketing guys and girls liars? I have started a new topic "Are you a liar? If not then how come a marketer?"

texxs · #16 (**permalink**) 10-27-2006, 01:42 AM

I tried to sell out and join their legions (new baby on the way I'm DESPERATE for money) cause after all if people are getting paid by the repub-a-nazis and walmart and mcdonalds etc - Why not get some!

So I went to their web site and fill out the "more information" form and they made me a member and wanted me to post good things about Walmart for free! I told them I didn't really wany to be a memeber and
"You also didn't give me the information. I want to know how I can get paid for blogging for you. Either on my own blogs or yours or a new one. This is a capitalist world and I wish to join you in your capitalist success. But i'm certinley not going to do it for free."

So how does one become a corporate shill anyway? I've kinda had enough of being Poor and Proud. It doesn't put shoes on the kids feet and it doesn't keep ya out of jail! Honest hard work only made me partially disabled and unable to do manual labor. Corporate america doesn't want anything to do with me because I have a common name (James Smith) and the background checks are too "troublesome" for them (flat out just told me to stop trying after 3 years of the run around!).

O well, my "micro-business" is steadily improving, one day I'll be able to live ya'll (maybe).

janeth · #17 (**permalink**) 10-27-2006, 10:58 AM

Hi texxs,

I'm thinking this may be the year for the blogger as more and more companies come out like payperpost.com.

I don't think it will last long but there might be some money to be made this year doing it.

I would not use a site I wanted to keep. (-;

texxs · #18 (**permalink**) 10-29-2006, 04:32 PM

Your right, I'm not seeing the pay per post method working oput for bloggers. Their top earner has nly made about
$2k at $12 a post who wants to sell themselves out like that. I mean the repubs and the bush admin pay tens of thousands of dollars to hundereds of thousands of dollars for people to write positive things for them, but they'll only do it if you a respected official or have a wide audinece already or you can get on TV perhaps and I quess that makes sense (not that they should be doing it or thaqt people should be taking thier money to do it). But $12 - I don't think so.

Maybe if you were clear it wqasn't a review but instead an advertisment. But again why? You can easily make two or three times that for a text link. Perhaps even more for a google advert. So why sell yourself out for $12?

I can sure see why advertisers like it. In fact when I get a little extra money I'll probably payfor some posts. Heck if the page has PR then it's worth it just for the link.