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Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills

Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills

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FTC goes after jerk.com for misleading consumers on “people reviews”

Posted: 08 Apr 2014 06:53 AM PDT

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ftc-clrAs you guys know I follow the FTC pretty closely especially when it comes to web commerce or services.

Complaint sites and reputation management are big business. Ranking for people and companies names, especially when the title is in a negative result gets a lot of traffic.

On the other side when most consumers see their personal information come up in Google with negative information or “feedback” they will pay whatever it takes to get it removed. And when the same site provides both of these as a service, in my opinion, it’s extortion.

I haven’t really ever seen any litigation from the government on these issues but I think we all figured it was coming eventually.

The Federal Trade Commission charged the operators of the website "Jerk.com" with harvesting personal information from Facebook to create profiles labeling people a "Jerk" or "not a Jerk," then falsely claiming that consumers could revise their online profiles by paying $30. According to the FTC's complaint, between 2009 and 2013 the defendants, Jerk, LLC and the operator of the website, John Fanning, created Jerk.com profiles for more than 73 million people, including children.
The defendants also told consumers they could "use Jerk to manage your reputation and resolve disputes with people who you are in conflict with," according to the FTC's complaint. They allegedly charged consumers $25 to email Jerk.com's customer service department, and also falsely told consumers that if they paid $30 for a website subscription, they could access "premium features," including the ability to dispute information posted on Jerk.com, and receive fast notifications and special updates. But according to the FTC, in many cases, consumers who paid the customer service or subscription fee often got nothing in return.

Interesting stuff.

The FTC generally isn’t very proactive about pursuing anything but rather reactively waits and watches consumer complaints about a website or service before it goes after them.

I gotta think the monthly subscription for nothing part was what crossed the line and triggered all the complaints.

Will be interesting to follow.  You can read the full press release on the FTC’s website here.

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Social Networks: Should You Go for Quantity or Quality? - DailyBlogTips

Social Networks: Should You Go for Quantity or Quality? - DailyBlogTips

Social Networks: Should You Go for Quantity or Quality?

Posted: 08 Apr 2014 05:14 AM PDT

If you've launched a blog, you've got plenty of work to do already – writing regular posts, moderating comments, reading and commenting on other people's blogs, sending out guest post pitches …

… so how can you find the time to join every social media site going?

My answer is that you probably can't – and shouldn't.

Although every network has a slightly different audience, and different possibilities, it's definitely best not to spread yourself too thin.

Focus on One or Two Networks

There's no rule that says, as a blogger, you need to have a presence on every single network. Of course there's nothing stopping you – but you'll probably find yourself struggling to keep up with them all.

(Yes, there are tools you can use to update and/or manage several social networks from one place, but think about it this way: is anyone going to want to follow you on Facebook and Google+ if you post the exact same things to both networks?)

I'd suggest picking one or two networks to concentrate on. Think about:

  • Where your target audience hang out. What networks are most familiar to them, and where do they tend to engage? If you're writing for techy 20-somethings, Google+ might be a good choice. If you're writing for women aged 40 – 60, Facebook will be a better bet.
  • Which networks you personally prefer. Some bloggers love the relative simplicity and to-the-point nature of Twitter; others enjoy using Facebook to connect with family and friends.

By concentrating your efforts on one or two networks that are popular with your audience, you'll have more time to craft really good updates, build a following, and engage with your readers.

But … Register an Account on Other Networks

It's a good idea to secure your name (or blog / brand name) on networks that you don't plan to use regularly. You could register on Twitter, for instance, and put up a single tweet directing people to your website.

That way, you've got a good account if you do want to use Twitter in the future – and if someone searches for you on Twitter, they can still find you. This doesn't just apply to Twitter, of course; you can do the same with other networks.

Google+ is a special case here, as you need an account to activate Google Authorship (which we strongly recommend). This adds your name and photo alongside any results from your blog in Google. If you've got a Gmail address, you automatically have a Google+ account.

 

So that's my advice: establish a strong presence on one or two networks, but secure your name or brand on major networks that you're not yet using. Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments.

 

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