Some of Alan's views on this digital marketing malarkey ... there's more on: AlanCharlesworth.com

Monday, September 24, 2012

leading edge?

I came across this online and thought I'd share it with you youngsters out there. It is the home page of Microsoft.com from 1995.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

review ... or sales copy?

I was considering the purchase of a floor cleaner, and ended up on Amazon checking some out. As is the case with all products on Amazon, after the description there are reviews written by folk who own and have used the products. However ... as I describe in a section on the consumer generated content my book, the origin of some of these reviews might be, well ... suspect.
 
Take a look at the first few reviews on the Amazon page for this Vax S2S Bare Floor Pro Steam Mop with Detergent. Am I the only one who thinks these are kind of professional? How they seem to address all the FAQs a potential buyer might have? For example; it cleans parquet floors and tile grout. How to use it ["... release steam and to slide the cleaner back and forth ..."]. Fits in a cupboard. One even has a bullet point list of advantages.
 
And if you are not as naturally sceptical as me - take a look at the '1 star' reviews.

Footnote: Although Amazon could be a bit more editorial about the reviews they feature, the nature of CGC is that it is not edited - and so my complaint in this entry is not aimed at them, it is aimed at the marketers of the product ... who have benefited from the reviews. Or have they?




Thursday, September 6, 2012

CAPTCHA catch

A lot of writers have commented on the fact that many CAPTCHAs are un-readable - well the one that Ryanair presented to me just to check on a flight price was also un-seeable.