Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by terra_t 5735 days ago
The people who do things like this, those who do any social media operations (SMO), are smart enough to use it to promote 'acceptable' content that won't be flagged as spam.

If it comes down to a war with the operators of the site, you will lose. If it gets personal, they'll burn you.

Successful SMO promotes content which, plausibly, you'd imagine succeeded organically. Sometimes the content is excellent and sometimes it's a little substandard, but it doesn't stick out as spam. It decorates itself in a pretty cloak to look legitimate.

Unethical tactics in SMO are like steroid use in sports: Steroid users aren't lazy people taking a shortcut, they're people who train hard, can play a good game honestly, but are looking for an edge that will keep them in the market.

It's a tough business because social traffic isn't good traffic for people who play the numbers game. You've got to relentlessly produce fresh content and relentlessly promote it. If you stop, you could be left with little permanent traffic. You'll get hooked on social traffic, however, by the ego rush you get the first time you get a burst of it and it crashes your server.

2 comments

If you replace SMO with propaganda, your comment makes an even more thought provoking read.
Good insight. My thinking today has moved beyond SMO more in the directions of public relations.
Good point, I stand corrected.