AstroTurfing

AstroTurfing is the practice by which a company pretends to have a following but actually fakes it.

Posts on the subject:
 * Consumer Watchdog (AstroTurfing Group)
 * Astroturfing Examples: Learning How Microsoft Tames the Internet

2007

 * Manipulation, Astroturfing, and What Governments Can Do

2008

 * Beware the OOXML AstroTurfer: “The Wraith”, “multivac1”, “hAl”, Among Other Nyms
 * Microsoft May Have Bribed India for OOXML Pressure
 * Microsoft Has Been Rigging Votes/Polls for Ages
 * LawMedia Group May be Another Confirmed Microsoft AstroTurfing Agency
 * The Microsoft Connection with Dewey Square Group and DCI/New Media
 * Microsoft ‘Bribes’ Mac Bloggers to Slam Apple, Gartner Hosts Google FUD
 * Microsoft, TCS, DCI, Edelman, and Those Fake Letters About IP/SCO/Monopoly
 * James Plamondon: Microsoft Guerrilla
 * FullSIX and Mr. Youth LLC May Be Ruining the Web (AstroTurfing) on Microsoft’s Behalf
 * Microsoft: 800 lb. Guerrilla
 * Waggener Edstrom, Maureen O’Gara and Other Microsoft Shills
 * Partial Index: Summary of Bribed Sites, Journalists, and Bloggers (Vista 7)
 * Waggener-Edstrom Behind the 2008 Laptop Bribes, Edelman Behind 2006’s
 * Former Microsoft Shill Openly Confesses, Alleges Microsoft Still Does This
 * Respecting AstroTurfers?
 * Some New (But Very Old) Microsoft AstroTurfing Examples
 * Joe Barr, Linux.com Editor - My Obituary
 * Joe Barr Knew Microsoft’s Tactics All Too Well
 * Microsoft/Munchkin ‘Breaks’ the Web to Break Open Document Standards (Again)
 * Rob Enderle Guarantees “Amazing Numbers”, Show E-mails to Microsoft

2009

 * Gary M. Stewart (aka “Flatfish”) About Microsoft AstroTurfing: “It’s made me A LOT of money….
 * 66 Pages of Microsoft Evilness
 * Another AstroTurf Scam Exposed?

2010

 * New AstroTurfing from Microsoft Philippines, Increased Pressure on Businesses
 * AstroTurfing for Vista 7 Still Alive
 * Microsoft MVPs Nymshifting, Pretending to be Other Gender, Accepting Bribes, and Libeling GNU/Linux Users
 * Microsoft PR Presented as ‘News’
 * Microsoft Partners Hail Microsoft Without Disclosure, More AstroTurfing
 * Apple Lies About “Open Source” (and More on Apple/Microsoft AstroTurfing)
 * Microsoft AstroTurf May be Linked to the Notorious “Dr. Evil” (Richard Berman) or Grassroots Enterprise
 * How Microsoft/Proprietary Software Bullies Ruined Digg for GNU/Linux
 * Microsoft Employees Push Vista Phone 7 {sic} in Twitter, Without Disclosure

2011

 * The Partly Microsoft-Owned Facebook is Doing Microsoft’s Dirty Job With Microsoft’s PR Firm
 * Microsoft and Nokia Caught AstroTurfing, Abusing/Attacking Genuine Posters

2012

 * Apple Whitewashing With Anti-Google AstroTurf Firm
 * Microsoft is AstroTurfing for Vista 8
 * Vista 8 AstroTurfing Not Enough, Other Tactics Used

2013

 * Microsoft Crime Persists: AstroTurfing a Regular Practice, Reddit Full of Paid Microsoft AstroTurfers
 * Microsoft Talking Points Planted by Microsoft Staff in the Geek Press
 * John Dvorak Complains About Microsoft AstroTurfing Intended to Shape Vista 8 Perceptions
 * Microsoft Takes AstroTurfing to New Levels, Co-opting Grassroots and Bribing People

2014

 * Microsoft Caught AstroTurfing Again, But Is Criminal Prosecution Imminent? (Unlikely)
 * Federal Trade Commission Should Launch Legal Action Against Microsoft Over Bribes to Bloggers in Exchange for Coverage

2015

 * Caution Needed When Microsoft Copywriters Flood the Media With Microsoft Propaganda

Other related pages:


 * Plamondon on schmoozing the Computing Society

This list is very incomplete, but some of the above cross-references other examples.