Marketing Land: How To Corrupt Social Data

The trend du jour for virtually bringing people together (with no actual physical or emotional commitment) is inside the protective walls of a secret, members-only group on a certain social network.

Sometimes this is under the aegis of a brand, while, at other times, the group forms spontaneously — creating a ready-made focus group for marketers. But whether you’re running one of these groups or simply “listening” or participating, marketers must be fully transparent to avoid becoming a cautionary tale — like the one I’ll tell you about in today’s column.

Read the article here.