{"id":516,"date":"2023-03-14T16:19:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T16:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/?p=516"},"modified":"2023-03-22T18:45:50","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T18:45:50","slug":"dear-cision-manipulative-comments-are-neither-seo-or-social-media-they-are-spam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/dear-cision-manipulative-comments-are-neither-seo-or-social-media-they-are-spam\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Cision: Manipulative Comments Are Neither SEO Or Social Media, They Are Spam"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post\">\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<div class=\"entry\">\n<p>Well I\u2019ve been on a tear lately sharing examples of bad marketing. It\u2019s hard not to do this when\u00a0people\u00a0keep\u00a0lobbing\u00a0them\u00a0at me. But blatant SEO \/ social media spam? From a major B2B company that should definitely know better? How can we\u00a0<em>not<\/em>\u00a0share?<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s example of doing it wrong comes courtesy of\u00a0public relations\u00a0software\u00a0provider\u00a0Cision (the artist formerly known as Bacons). BTW Cision, why, oh why would you ever change your name away from something so delicious?<\/p>\n<p>So what has Cision been up to? Spamming the blog comments here at The Future Buzz, for one.<\/p>\n<p>A company who produces software and services for PR people doesn\u2019t even understand their own market. Yeah, you read that right: let\u2019s call a spade a spade.<\/p>\n<h2>Exhibit A: Spam Comments With Manipulative Links<\/h2>\n<p>They left a first comment which was a bit fishy, but I approved it anyway because it would be fun to use as an example of what not to do. Here\u2019s\u00a0that comment:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Small businesses should focus more on the quality of their marketing campaigns because consumers are, indeed, conducting more research now than ever before. Cision has tools that can help you monitor your results and offers insight on your campaign success! Here is a link to some of the\u00a0PR-Tools from Cision.<\/p>\n<p>Meri A is an advocate for Cision<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Really Cision? Thanks for blatantly trying to sell to my readers when you haven\u2019t\u00a0<em>earned<\/em>\u00a0any\u00a0permission\u00a0or built a\u00a0relationship\u00a0with any of us here. Do you see the quality of\u00a0other\u00a0comments\u00a0from this community? It is inappropriate of you to leave a comment like this when the discussion section is respected by everyone else who contribute thoughtful, valuable comments and not simply try to push their wares. You are trying to take but not give.<\/p>\n<p>I have underlined the anchor text Cision hyperlinked in their comment, but stripped out the link. That is because Cision\u00a0<em>does not<\/em>\u00a0warrant editorial link love: they are link spammers! How do we know they are link spammers? Read on!<\/p>\n<p>After this comment was left, I figured I\u2019d give them a biting chance to respond. So\u00a0I Tweeted\u00a0that I was going to use their comment as an example on my blog.<\/p>\n<p>Note I wasn\u2019t very snarky, and in fact even smiled at them. It was my hopes that the discussion would actually be positive. Except after leaving this Tweet, another spam comment appeared. This one I haven\u2019t approved because enough is enough. Here\u2019s the second comment:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Another junk comment of no value + link spam. This does not help SEO (the link is no-follow anyway) it merely cheapens Cisions brand. What do you think about them when you see this nonsense?<\/p>\n<h2>Exhibit B: Email Response From Cision<\/h2>\n<p>I went about the rest of my day, but not without another piece to this puzzle floating into my inbox. This time from Cision\u2019s social media manager who filled out my\u00a0contact form\u00a0(emphasis in her comments mine):<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Dear Adam:I saw your tweet earlier today with some feedback regarding some Cision-related spam in the comments section of your blog. First and foremost, I want to apologize for the frustration you felt after a comment was left on your post, An Introduction To How Digital Branding Campaigns Work. We\u2019re constantly\u00a0<strong>working to find the right balance between authentic social media engagement and SEO best practices<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>With this particular comment from Cision, I would be interested in opening a conversation to get your unique perspective on SEO vs. social media. Since you have experience with TopRank and are quickly becoming an authority on social media, I think we could all learn a lot from the insights you have\u00a0<strong>regarding this somewhat murky territory!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Again, as a fellow blogger, I understand your frustrations. Please know that we\u2019re constantly working to refine our interactions in the social media space. Have a good night,<\/p>\n<p>Andrea WeinfurtSocial Media Marketing Manager, Cision<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>At first I thought this comment was\u00a0benign. But then I thought about it more on my walk home from work and realized Cision has\u00a0<em>definitely<\/em>\u00a0put SEO and social media into silos. Exactly the wrong thing to do.<\/p>\n<p>Further, blog comments like these are neither \u201cauthentic social media,\u201d whatever that means, nor SEO. They are spam. They\u2019re also no-followed. Is your SEO firm reporting these links as results? I hope the chart looks pretty, because your marketing is shameful for such an esteemed B2B company. There is negative value here: it takes you down a peg mentally to any\u00a0savvy digital marketing and PR pros.<\/p>\n<p>So my immediate next thought was back to the two comments. Cision couldn\u2019t be outsourcing commenting on marketing industry blogs to solicit link spam. Or could they?<\/p>\n<h2>Exhibit C: IP Trace Of Cision\u2019s Outsourced SEO Spam Firm: Vivid Ascent<\/h2>\n<p>A little IP sleuthing of the address of \u201cMeri A.\u201d quickly uncovered the source of these comments: an SEO spam shop called Vivid Ascent (spam shop in that beyond these comments, I found their IP in a few databases that report spammers):<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Check their website,\u00a0vividascent.com (no link love, obviously). Video (self-playing when the homepage loads!)\u00a0by their CEO is laughably bad and blog content is hypocritical \u2013 seriously who would hire these snake oil salesmen? Their website screams spammers. Well, Cision for one, amongst these other companies:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So: AllState, Rust-Oleum, Cision, CBOE (College Board Options Exchange), Hudson Professional Services, CDW, Ice, TruePartners Consulting, Meb Options, Trading Technologies, Trinity Internation University, NYSE Liffe, and Recognia \u2013 you are all with a firm employing spam tactics to try to game search engine results pages and in blatant opposition to any smart,\u00a0holistic digital marketing. I really hope you don\u2019t get penalized\u00a0like some recent examples\u00a0but you run a real risk with an agency like Vivid Ascent (has anyone even heard of them?) who employ these shady tactics. And your risk is not just in search, but also in social.<\/p>\n<p>Also I noted their blog content is hypcritical. Well, here\u2019s your moment of zen:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Almost makes you want to fall out of your chair laughing, right?<\/p>\n<p>What both Cision and Vivid Ascent don\u2019t realize is the internet does not happen in silos. And what they also don\u2019t realize is that users and search engines are fighting back against manipulative tactics like this. In the end I am confident users and communities like you and top search spam teams\u00a0are going to do the right thing. Until that happens if you see examples like the above you should continue to call them out so they change their ways or lose clients. They are at the detriment to the rest of our industries:\u00a0<em>both<\/em>\u00a0SEO and social media.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For those who want the TL;DR version:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cision hires shady SEO firm.<\/li>\n<li>SEO firm spams my blog with anchor text link comments and copy-pasted sales messages.<\/li>\n<li>I Tweet to Cision that this happened.<\/li>\n<li>Cision SEO firm\u00a0<em>continues<\/em>\u00a0to link spam me even after this because Cision has put SEO and social media into silos. Their separate digital teams clearly have no idea what anyone is doing. Except the web of course sees it all.<\/li>\n<li>Cision social media marketing manager follows up via email, noting they are trying to find the balance between \u201cauthentic social media and SEO.\u201d What?\u00a0This stuff isn\u2019t new, and\u00a0being in the industry they are in there is no excuse for misunderstanding\u00a0how the intersection works.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Funny that Cision\u2019s social media manager mentions my former employer, TopRank Marketing (a\u00a0<em>legit\u00a0<\/em>SEO shop). My previous CEO there,\u00a0Lee Odden, recently\u00a0wrote a good\u00a0post about this subject. Clearly none of these parties read that.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, also my current employer LEWIS PR is a Cision customer. Letting a cheap vendor spam your own customer\u2019s team members? Come on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Over to the community:<\/strong>\u00a0what do you think of major brands hiring spammers to abuse our discussions? SEOs \/ social media pros \u2013 what do you think of digital chop shops injecting low value, spammy, sales-oriented links throughout the web?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-after-single\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: 29px; font-style: inherit;\">If You Found This Useful, Also Check Out:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"yarpp-related\">\n<div class=\"related\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"related-odd\">Social Spam Reactions: A Cultural Issue, Not Technological<\/li>\n<li class=\"related-even\">SEO And Social Media Myths Busted<\/li>\n<li class=\"related-odd\">reCAPTCHA \u2013 Spam Protection with a Purpose<\/li>\n<li class=\"related-even\">Don\u2019t Let Social Media Comments Ruin Discussions On Your Blog<\/li>\n<li class=\"related-odd\">Social Media Before SEO Is Putting The Cart Before The Horse<\/li>\n<li class=\"related-even\">Dear ReadWriteWeb: WTF? Signed, SEOs Globally<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sub-box\">\n<div class=\"sb-left\">\n<h4>JOIN 25,000+ DIGITAL PROFESSIONALS<\/h4>\n<p>Stay up to date with the latest trends for free. Enter your email<br \/>\nbelow to join The Future Buzz community of more than 25,000<br \/>\npassionate marketers, bloggers, developers and entrepreneurs<br \/>\nacross platforms. Your information will never be shared.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sb-right\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"comments\">\n<h3 id=\"comments-title\">Comments<\/h3>\n<ol class=\"commentlist\">\n<li id=\"li-comment-32413\" class=\"comment even thread-even depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32413\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">adam<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(2 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>I think one of the thing a lot of agencies and organizations \u2014 large and small \u2014 still struggle with is the level of effort required to do the manual work necessary to build relationships through social media. To me, that\u2019s one of the key things in building a meaningful online presence and becoming recognized as an authority.<\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t just stamp that effort out like on an assembly line, nor do I think you can farm it out. It takes time to build.<\/p>\n<p>Great post, BTW. We use Cision too, and I was disappointed to read about this terrible tactic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"gold\">Adam Singer<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(633 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Thanks for the comment Adam. And I agree, it doesn\u2019t make sense at all for Cision to implement this tactic. It is totally wrong for their brand.<\/p>\n<p>I expect it from a cheap affiliate .com, but not a tier-1 B2B company.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32416\" class=\"comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32416\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Adam<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(2 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>I guess unless or until companies see the value in the time and effort it takes to cultivate those kinds of relationships, we\u2019ll continue to see this kind of garbage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32417\" class=\"comment odd alt thread-even depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32417\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Robert Diana<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(4 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>This is really disappointing considering what their business does. They could have been considered a leader with their combination of PR, SEO and social media. Now they are just a disappointment. Excellent teardown, Adam.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32418\" class=\"comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32418\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Joe<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(2 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>I\u2019m by no means excusing this tactic because they should know better. But part of me thinks they genuinely believed what they did was ethical, or else why would they sign it \u201can advocate for Cision\u201d?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32419\" class=\"comment odd alt thread-even depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32419\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Alan Bleiweiss<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(4 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Great take on the problem Adam. At this point I\u2019m so used to seeing big name PR and marketing firms butcher online efforts because they either buy into the \u201cits worth the risk\u201d mentality, or put zero effort into validating or confirming what they\u2019re being offered by their own vendors. It\u2019s easy for them to just blindly hire a vendor rather than expending the resources for due diligence.<\/p>\n<p>Well, it WAS easy. Hopefully this year enough main-stream exposure will force them to acknowledge the need to become more savvy when it comes to social media and SEO.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32420\" class=\"comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32420\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Vanessa Bugasch<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(2 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Adam,<br \/>\nReading your blog post has encouraged us to reevaluate the marketing mix Cision chooses to employ on a regular basis. As a large brand, we are continually working with a number of agencies and experimenting with different marketing tactics. In this case, the tactic was not executed well and as a result, we have elected to drop it from our marketing approach. Your blog pointed out the need for authentic, honest and meaningful engagement and the comment in question fell short of these standards. We always strive to maintain the closest possible oversight over engagement and we will continue to work diligently to embrace the best practices you regularly champion.<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa Bugasch<br \/>\nSVP, Marketing &amp; Product Marketing<br \/>\nCision<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"gold\">Adam Singer<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(633 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Thanks Vanessa for commenting. Cision is more than welcome to be a part of this community so long as the contribution adds value. If you ever want to leave useful comments or even guest post to provide tips, trends or your viewpoint, we\u2019re open to it. I think readers here very much appreciate when a brand is willing to reevaluate their approach to the web and share lessons learned. Pete Cashmore of Mashable did a great job of that previously (see this thread:\u00a0http:\/\/thefuturebuzz.com\/2010\/01\/08\/pete-cashmore-mashable-responds\/\u00a0).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"green\">Danny Brown<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 16, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(20 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Great to see you stepping up to the plate and accepting \u201cblame\u201d and moving forward, Vanessa \u2013 not many do, so kudos.<\/p>\n<p>One thing I\u2019m curious about \u2013 how do you vet agencies? I\u2019m guessing this one offered how they\u2019d approach their marketing for you, and I wondered if the pitch was the same as the physical?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Vanessa Bugasch<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 17, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(2 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Thanks Danny \u2013 it isn\u2019t always easy to be transparent about mistakes, but is almost always worth it in the long run. To answer your question regarding how we vet agencies, we are comfortable with our selection process which can vary depending on the project. In this case it wasn\u2019t that the agency in question delivered something different than their original pitch, but that Cision did not dig deep enough into the exact methods used to reach the business objectives. If there is one thing we will do differently in the future, it will be to have a better understanding and management of our agencies\u2019 specific activities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32422\" class=\"comment even thread-even depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32422\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Lee Odden<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(3 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>There is no lack of passion from you Adam and that makes us all better. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>While I do think this is certainly one of those \u201cthey should have known better\u201d situations, it is good to see the quick response by Vanessa. Hopefully they follow through \u2013 although hopefully not too good because Vocus is our client \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, my blog Comment Spam post at Online Marketing Blog that you pointed to (\u00a0http:\/\/tprk.us\/eDUiJR\u00a0) just received a comment signed as the name of a PR firm (Airfoil PR) linking to a specific service page on the Airfoil web site. But the commenter (Angie) uses an email address from an Internet Marketing agency Oneupweb.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s either incredibly bold or fundamentally stupid to comment spam a blog post about comment spam. By any account it\u2019s certainly questionable in the transparency department. Who does the commenter REALLY represent? The PR firm or the Internet Marketing agency?<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s really unfortunate is that these companies have the resources to earn the best links of all, yet resort to the kind of activity that no one would want to admit to publicly. And they do it in public!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32423\" class=\"comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32423\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">John Barlowe<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(2 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Nice save, Vanessa. I was about to do my share of hurtin\u2019 on Cision\u2026 but now I\u2019ll just go away quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Love, John (new fan of Adam Singer, Internet Cop!)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32424\" class=\"comment even thread-even depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32424\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">LJ Jones<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(3 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Comments on a blog are a discussion and are not intended for self promotion. Anytime a PR firm, SEO firm or spammer joins the conversation with the purpose of promoting something, they become spam. Are they joining the conversation or hijacking it for promotion? Its not a discussion if your comment includes phrases like \u201cCompany X has tools that do Y\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32426\" class=\"comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32426\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Tim \u2018Gonzo\u2019 Gordon<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(1 comment)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Disappointing\u2026but very revealing. I\u2019ve used Cision for about three months to do SM research for a client. Good tool, certainly, but from the beginning they\u2019ve been all about the deal and not so much about the service. This post reinforces some of the vague feelings I\u2019ve had about them for the past 100 days\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32427\" class=\"comment even thread-even depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32427\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Maggie McGary<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(1 comment)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>I don\u2019t understand why any company would still even offer blog comment spamming as an SEO technique. I mean, does ANYONE click on that crap? How can it possibly be worth the negatives of having your company tied to such stupid and shady practices? The sad\/scary part is that your\u2019e totally right about the silo thing\u2013it\u2019s easy to see how this could happen when social media is in one silo and marketing is in another (as it is where I work).<\/p>\n<p>Also, what LJ said\u2013there\u2019s no murkiness at all when it comes to what\u2019s spam vs. not spam when it comes to blog comments. A comment should be a comment for the sake of adding to the discussion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32428\" class=\"comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32428\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"comment-no-url black\">JD<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 15, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(1 comment)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Interesting that this \u201cSEO\/PR\u201d company hasn\u2019t come to its own defense after such a vicious blog post about their work. I applaud Cision for doing the right thing after the fact: admitting fault and joining the conversation. Kudos for behaving like a real media company.<\/p>\n<p>One of the problems with emerging media is that many people don\u2019t understand it. I wonder if vivid ascent (what\u2019s up with that name by the way?!) is reluctant to reply because they know they have been exposed or because they don\u2019t know any better?? From looking at their website it seems to be the later. I think Joe is right, these people are just clueless. This \u201cSEO\u201d company has a website that has many flaws, including a horribly low page rank. The comment SPAM techniques also demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding about marketing. The best part of this article is that the comment in question was on a page with \u201cno-follow\u201d tags! Classic.<\/p>\n<p>Key take away \u2013 do research on every agencies you work with and carefully vet ALL of the tactics they employ. This is where Cision was at fault.<\/p>\n<p>Wonder if the agency will jump in with a comment on this thread that includes a link to their website?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32431\" class=\"comment even thread-even depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32431\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Hilary<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 16, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(3 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Great post Adam! This is why I LOVE the Internet! BS is so much harder to get away with. Gotta love transparency and authenticity!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32436\" class=\"comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32436\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Lisa Thorell<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 16, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(4 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Amazing story, Adam. And even better analysis. ( I also loved your response to Vanessa and open invitation to participate \u2014 i truly look forward to their taking you up on that. ) You know, I was looking for a superb example of \u201cblack hat social media\u201d and here it is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32502\" class=\"comment even thread-even depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32502\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"comment-no-url black\">Tad<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Mar 22, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(1 comment)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>I would be more worried about the SEO shop than the purchaser. Many times budget-conscious brands buy SEO or other digital marketing and wind up with services like this. It should be a lesson to all of us that digital isn\u2019t a minor affair, and it sure isn\u2019t going away, so those responsible at the home office should: 1. educate themselves; 2. take an active role; and 3. remember you get what you pay for.<\/p>\n<p>That said, it\u2019s also worth remembering that Google has an algorithm because it cannot replicate the human brain. The algorithm is designed to emulate the relevancy decisions our brains make. As time goes on and the algorithm gets better, it will be able to emulate our relevancy judgments more, and SEO will have to become progressively more genuine. IE: no more link spamming, no more directories in Bangladesh, no more reciprocal links with your church or kid\u2019s school\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line, the SEO firm should have known better.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32599\" class=\"comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32599\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Otis Gheewala<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Apr 3, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(1 comment)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Have you ever considered about adding a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is important and all. Nevertheless just imagine if you added some great visuals or video clips to give your posts more, \u201cpop\u201d! Your content is excellent but with pics and videos, this site could definitely be one of the most beneficial in its field. Fantastic blog!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"gold\">Adam Singer<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Apr 3, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(633 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>yeah \u2013 it\u2019s something I\u2019m considering. Video takes more time to produce \u2013 easier to write articles. But you\u2019re right, it\u2019s nice to have some dynamic content too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32793\" class=\"comment odd alt thread-even depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32793\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Pervara Kapadia<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Apr 26, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(1 comment)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Thanks for this great post Adam. Indeed an eye opener for persons who spam. I have shared this on my Page as an example of how you can get negative image by spamming. Thanks.<\/p>\n<p>Regards<br \/>\nPervara<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"li-comment-32807\" class=\"comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1\">\n<div id=\"comment-32807\" class=\"comment-container\">\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"black\">Michael Webster<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Apr 26, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(2 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>Adam, I wonder if it just wouldn\u2019t have been better to a) for you to do the research, and then b) pick up the phone and contact someone at Cision about this type of comments.<\/p>\n<p>I understand the difficult in writing for the machine that is Google and for real people, and agree that this crossed the line.<\/p>\n<p>But I wonder if there wasn\u2019t a better solution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"reply\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-meta\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-main\">\n<div class=\"comment-author-ie6\">\n<p class=\"comment-author\"><span class=\"gold\">Adam Singer<\/span>\u00a0replied |\u00a0Apr 26, 2011<span class=\"user-comments\">(633 comments)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"comment-content\">\n<p>That would have been a quieter solution. Although one of my objectives is to push the envelope with the media I publish. It\u2019s tough to ignore an opportunity to do so. And actually, I\u2019d argue this is good for Cision (although I know not everyone sees it that way). This is because we are at least talking about them in some way, shape or form. Because of that, they\u2019ve won awareness today even if people didn\u2019t like it. Cision has sparked an emotional connection with us, which is great \u2013 because anger turns to love much easier than indifference. What Cision should do next is take this discussion to their blog and continue it!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Well I\u2019ve been on a tear lately sharing examples of bad marketing. It\u2019s hard not to do this when\u00a0people\u00a0keep\u00a0lobbing\u00a0them\u00a0at me. &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Dear Cision: Manipulative Comments Are Neither SEO Or Social Media, They Are Spam\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/dear-cision-manipulative-comments-are-neither-seo-or-social-media-they-are-spam\/#more-516\" aria-label=\"More on Dear Cision: Manipulative Comments Are Neither SEO Or Social Media, They Are Spam\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz","category-digital-marketing-and-pr","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=516"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":518,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516\/revisions\/518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}