Don't Try to game the Interwebs

Look at me, I'm a cool CEO.  I'm Hip.  I can talk to the kids....

    Just last night I was talking to Julie about why I think Reddit is awesome and unique.  I pointed out a IAMA that the CEO of Nissan was doing.  I explained that I think it is awesome that we have this CEO of this huge company, and I have the chance to talk to and if I wanted to, make fun of this powerful man, with out any negitive consequences.  There are few people in the world, not even people on his Board that could say the things that redditors where saying to this guy.  Sometimes he would comment, sometimes not.  But no one got fired or put in jail for voicing their opinion.  True free speech.  No where else can you get this level of access.  Where else can a Mcdonalds fry cook and the CEO of Nissan geek out on how great the 240x is.  We live in a great time.

And, then I was made a Liar. Again

    So, as I was praising how well this IAMA was going and how awesome it was.  I started to noticed something.  Every question that was asked had perfect grammar and spelling.  And super, like top hat like polite.  Like over the top, political correct, office pansey type polite.  It lacked Reddit's trademark streight-forwardness.  They read like a office memo.  I was not the only one that noticed that something was, off.

  Then the Reddit detectives were called.  Here is what they found.  http://www.reddit.com/r/bestof/comments/2s95yb/redditor_points_out_that_the_majority_of_the/

Well, it turns out, more than 3/4ths of the questions that were answered by the Nissan CEO were made by accounts that were made that day.  And most of the questions were made and answered within the first 15 min.  It was so planned, and so sad.  Who on the marketing team thought this was a good idea?  What were they thinking.  This might have worked on Twitter or Facebook.  But Reddit has been notoriously resistiant to marketing teams trying to manipulate them, or game the system.  They are really good at sniffing out the BS.  Now, am not saying that reddit is not marketed to.  Some firms are able to get into the hivemind undetected.  But I give these guys kudos, they are sudtle and not in your face.  I am okay with it.  

So, this sucks, we have had powerful people do a good IAMA, so we know that it can be done.  It is sad when you see done badly, because it doesn't need to be this way.  At least it's not as bad as Rampart.