Guerrilla Marketing, Facebook and the Highjacking of ‘Official’ Class of 2013 Groups

Fascinating post on the systematic, mass highjacking of incoming Class of 2013 Facebook Groups by an online marketing company posing (repeatedly) as the ‘official’ Facebook Group for XYZ University Class of 2013.

Raises some very interesting questions about what is official in social media realms; the role of transparency (versus obfuscation) in the equation; how smart people can and are gaming the system; and whether the genie is out of the bottle (so get over it) OR whether social networks like Facebook have a more productive role to play in setting clear boundary spaces for their user base.

Read the full post HERE, and make sure to skim the comments.

Comments

[Geurilla Marketing]

This is so smart! Thanks for sharing, very entertaining.

[Phillip Batz]

Has anyone thought that most of these services (Facebook, College Prowler, etc.) could be replaced with a DIY approach much like Wiki or Linux? Trusted links, friends and Alumni could become Admins of a total -system- that you could actually

TRUST?

[Mark Sigal]

@Phillip, while technically what you are saying is true, that's akin to saying that most restaurants can be replaced by using simple ingredients and recipes that are widely available.

Getting the experience just right, putting the butts on the seats and bringing them back for seconds, while garnering favorable word of mouth, is far harder than it looks.

That said, if Facebook destroys that trust, by virtue of the things that they are doing in the name of "privacy," someone else just might outflank them.

Thanks for the feedback.

Mark

[Guerilla Marketing]

Just think of the networking opportunities for these students once they graduate? Although it may bombard their page with unfamiliar profiles, some may find it beneficial to their future success.