On November 27, 2008, Robert started sharing his history of bad luck with keys, locks and the locksmiths he loves working with.  His soapbox: online reviews.  Let’s take a look.  His problems all took place in Arizona, all ten of them.  Here’s a few below:

If that wasn’t enough, just about a week later Robert had more problems with his keys and locks, and more locksmiths to provide feedback on.  All the reviews were good, just like the one’s in Arizona.  All of the reviews point to another string of bad luck in Seattle.  Twenty-eight reviews of locksmiths were all added on December 5th.  Here’s a few of the reviews:

Robert has had some really bad luck with keys and locks.  But, he’s had great luck with locksmiths apparently.  Every one he’s worked with he’s given a five-star rating.

Okay, everyone’s figured it out by now (I hope).  There’s obviously something wrong with this user profile.  And, in reality, there probably is no “Robert,” so who cares about his reviews on Google.

Well, the reviews actually play a part in a bigger scheme.  Who cares about these reviews?  Google’s Local algorithm, and the spammers know it.  These reviews, and many, many others point to scores of sites that appear to be (to Google at least) different, individual local businesses.

In reality, they are not.  They are lead aggregators or call centers that are reselling leads to the locksmiths that perform the actual work.

Here’s what the Google results looks like to a consumer doing a search on Google for “Phoenix emergency locksmith”.  Note the local listings specifically (the ten listings accompanied by the map).

They all look pretty similar, don’t they?  The only thing that is different is the phone number and web site addresses.  The local listings all point to one (or a handful) of companies that are aggregating leads and reselling them to locksmiths.

Leveraging fabricated user reviews are a part of how the lead aggregation companies can secure all, or most, of the local listings Google suggests.

The average search engine user likely never sees the reviews either. You don’t see them unless you click on the link that states the number of reviews.  If you do so, and then take a look at the reviewers themselves and see all the reviews that an individual made, the fake profiles and reviews are easy to spot.

If you look back at the reviews we’ve been talking about, the clearest indicator is that “Robert” is reusing the same reviews over and over again.  He also signs a few reviews as “Nicole.”

Upon doing a quick web search you can find the reviews repeated again, and again, and again. Different users, different listings, same exact review. Here’s an example.  I searched Google for the phrase “He was quick and did not try to sell us stuff we did not need,” a phrase used in one of Robert’s reviews.  It returned 105 results.  All reviews.

That path I went down to demonstrate this was easy.  I’m not bringing anything to light that online marketers haven’t seen in one form or another.  It’s been known for quite some time that the local listings for many trades (including locksmiths) are dominated by lead resellers who are taking advantage of the simplistic, under-developed algorithms that rank local search results.

Chris Johnson, Partner at Terralever blogged about the hijacking of Google Local Business Listings earlier this year.  It’s not the same tactic I’m speaking of here, but is to achieve a similar end-game.  Blogger and Local expert Mike Blumenthal has been talking about this issue for some time. Here are a few posts from his blog:

• 2007: Google Maps being used for Philly fraud update
• 2009: Google Maps vs Locksmith Spammers: Spammers winning?

What’s unfortunate is that, when gamed, both the consumer and legitimate businesses lose. Businesses with legitimate listings cannot compete and get placement in the local results.  The consumer, instead of seeing ten different local choices, really only has a few, or just one, depending on the extent of the exploit.

The manipulators who are creating the multiple listings are, of course, winners, as is Google, whose AdWords advertisements become more enticing to the small business who cannot get into the top local results.

Google has reported that they are working on the problem, but its hard to gauge how important it is to them.  The locksmith example has been around for quite some time, and manipulated results propped up by spam are still easy to come by.

It is concerning, though.  If I can do a few quick Google searches and find irregularities which could easily be handled mathematically, Google’s Local algorithm has some gaping holes in it.  We can only hope they’re working the problem and are close to a solution.

The study, which questioned 200 panel members between the ages of 18 and 24, reported that while 99 percent of respondents have a profile on a social networking site that only 22 percent of the group say they use Twitter.

While there’s a barrage of articles speculating on why, I personally don’t find this to be all that surprising.  Considering the nature of the networks, and the Millennials themselves, Facebook makes sense.  Twitter does not.

High on the list of Millennials core values are authenticity and transparency.  And, what do Millennials utilize social networks for?  To build and nurture relationships.  Stopping right there the preference toward Facebook over Twitter seems obvious.

On Twitter, you can hide behind a profile and be anyone you want to be.  Don’t want people to know who you really are?  Open a GMail account and sign up.  Create your fake bio and go for it.  Parade around as whomever you want and say whatever you want.  If things don’t work out, start over.

Facebook couldn’t be more different. Facebook is decidedly focused on creating a network of people, not profiles.  While it is possible to make it through the registration process with a made up name and empty bio, what’s next? Its akin to showing up at a black-tie party in a bozo the clown suit.  You’ll definitely find yourself short on friends let alone interaction.

In terms of servicing their users, Facebook also aligns more closely with Millennials needs than Twitter does.  Twitter is a simple messaging platform that allows the broadcast and receipt of 140 character messages.  Yes, Twitter has utility.  One utility.  It does one thing, and not especially well.

Facebook’s offering provides a far richer set of tools, allowing members to interact in a far more dimensional context.  Twitter is a simple messaging system, and not one that Millennials have much of a need for in its current form.

According to an article posted on DailyTech, local media was made aware of the request by a city job applicant citing the City of Boseman’s “Consent and Release to Conduct Criminal Background and Reference Checks” form (available online for download).  The single page document confirms the section the applicant spoke of and includes clear directions.

Please list and and all past, and present, personal or business website or web pages, memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube, MySpace, etc.

An article posted on MontanasNewsStation.com quotes the City attorney as saying “So, we have positions ranging from fire and police, which require people of high integrity for those positions, all the way down to the lifeguards and the folks that work in city hall here. So we do those types of investigations to make sure the people that we hire have the highest moral character and are a good fit for the City.”

The attorney added that no one had exited the recruiting process due to the social network information request.  While the City attorney seems confident about the stance, a poll accompanying the story on the same website shows readers disagreeing: 98% saying the policy is an invasion of privacy.

I took a look on Facebook to see if the City had a City of Boseman Fan page to gauge what, if any, lash back there was on the social site to discover there is no Fan page for the City of Boseman on Facebook.  No surprise there.

Photograph by Mushroom and Rooster

If you’re looking for some reliable social media sources, here’s a few places to start:

• Chris Brogan – Chris Brogan is a fixture in the social media community who keeps a very active blog with insights, tips and strategies for leveraging social media.
• Social Media Explorer – Social Media Explorer is Jason Falls’ site.  Jason’s blog also provides valuable insights on social media, and features the perspective of other social media bloggers as well as his own.
• Convince and Convert – Convince and Convert is run by Jason Baer, an online marketing consultant, consultant adn trainer who specializes in social media marketing.  Jason teaches agencies and companies how to excel at social media marketing, and his blog provides fresh, valuable insights (without the consulting fee).
• Read Write Web – Likely the most trafficked site of the five, Read Write Web publishes on a variety of topics, and social media marketing is a more-than-recurring topic.  They’ve been at it since 2003, and the site is updated at a furious pace.
• Social Media Today – Social Media Today aggregates information from various bloggers covering social media topics and publishes the ones they deem worthy of their readership.  I’d recommend this as a good way to get advice from a variety of bloggers while being confident that the content is being reviewed by a human that green lights it before you read it.

There’s plenty more out there; I just wanted to provide a few for a friend in need.  If you have a favorite which didn’t make the cut give it a shout below.

Photograph by Birger Hartung

First, what’s ToldYa’s pitch?

ToldYa is a web based software platform for creating, hosting, and managing widget-based Portable Stores. Our Portable Stores enable everyday consumers and businesses to sell their goods and services through the most advanced widget technology available anywhere.

So far so good.  A bit more specific:

The ToldYa eStore™ lets you buy and sell among friends on social networks, blogs and web sites. You can create and copy your store directly to your profiles (such as MySpace, Facebook and others) as well as your own blog or website. And you also get a custom store page here at toldya.com to link to. Your customizable ToldYa eStore widget features an integrated secure checkout system that lets you accept major credit cards for purchases. And you can personalize and promote your store to help you sell your stuff fast. You can even earn money by telling your friends. And best of all, it doesn’t cost you a penny until your item sells!

Commerce in social context, huh?  I’ve heard this line before and been disappointed when I’ve surveyed the experience from the perspective of the buyer, the seller, or both.  Before we get much farther, here’s what the eStore widget looks like embedded into this post:

My verdict on ToldYa? I like it.  Here’s why:

1. Seller setup was was easy. I grabbed an item off my bookshelf that I could part with, went to the ToldYa site, and had my product listing on my Facebook page in less than ten minutes.  That included creating my ToldYa account.  The ToldYa seller user experience was anticipatory, straightforward and thoughtful.
2. It was simple to distribute the eStore widget (and would be for a novice).  ToldYa provides cut-and-paste code and click integration to quickly get the eStore onto social sites like Facebook or a personal blog.
3. The pricing model is fair.  Selling requires no up-front payment, and ToldYa has a flat-rate structure ($.99/sale and a 5% transation fee on credit card sales).  There are obvious limitations in that pricing structure, but their overall pricing model is fair.
4. The eStore looks good.  I’m not 100% on the look of the base eStore widget (the dark blue-black with the super-gel buttons), but this is something that ToldYa can easily overcome (templates).  What was a pleasant surprise was how the eStore looked when placed on my Facebook profile and/or Wall.  The eStore looks like it belongs (they dropped the dark blue-black scheme and kept it simple).
5. Buyers can buy the product right on your site.  There’s not linking out to complete the transaction elsewhere.  Checkout occurs right in the widget.

Take a look at my eStore on ToldYa.

• A phishing site exists at the domain: tvviter.com
• Look closely – that’s two v’s above parading as a w… and we’re shy one t
• Users are being lured to the site by shortened URLs on Twitter and other sites
• When unsuspecting users attempt to login, their account information is captured

Once your account information is captured, your account will likely be used to spread the spam about the phishing site.  Twitter users beware.

Below: it may look like Twitter, but it’s not. The URL cleverly replaces the w in Twitter with two v’s and drops that last t.  Pretty convincing at a glance.

Rule of thumb: if you don’t recognize the URL in messages you’re receiving in your Facebook Inbox, don’t trust them.  There’s likely scores of web addresses (probably all .at addresses) setup for the same phishing function.

If you feel that your account may have been compromised, visit Facebook’s Security page (it is viewable even if you cannot access your Facebook account).

Beyond Facebook’s advice, I’d have to also suggest that compromised account holders monitor their banking, credit card and cellphone accounts.  Scam artists often attempt identity theft with as little information as a full name and date-of-birth.

I received one of the messages this morning, and was instantly suspicious as it came from a contact that I haven’t spoken to in quite some times, and it was a very brief/terse message.

If you’re a computer novice, you might click through.  What happens next, is you’re presented with what looks like a login to Facebook.  While it’s easy to shrug this off and say “you’d have to be stupid to fall for this,” barring the missing Facebook logo (which  might be my experience and not everyone’s), I could see people clicking through or even cutting-and pasting this into their browser’s address bar and subsequently giving away their Facebook login and password.

The best way to stop the scam?  If you get an email on Facebook like the one I got, inform the person who sent it to you that their account has been compromised.  The emails are being sent from actual Facebook accounts, so someone out there has their login.  Second, pass the word about the phishing scam so other’s don’t fall for it.

Facebook users are now reporting the same scam directing users to the following Facebook phishing pages:

• areps.at
• kirgo.at
• bests.at
• brunga.at
• nutpic.at

If you feel that your account may have been compromised, visit Facebook’s Security page (it is viewable even if you cannot access your Facebook account).

Beyond Facebook’s advice, I’d have to also suggest that compromised account holders monitor their banking, credit card and cellphone accounts.  Scam artists often attempt identity theft with as little information as a full name and date-of-birth.

• twibs
• Twellow
• twtBiz

twibs

What’s twibs?  Accorinding to the source, it was created with one purpose: “Give twitter users a place to find businesses online.”  Fair enough.  The directory currently (at the time of this writing) is a couple of hundred businesses shy of being thirteen thousand strong.  If you don’t want to fight your way to the top, or have ulterior motives twibs also offers advertising in the form of page sponsorship.  Listing is free.  Get listed on twibs.

Twellow

If you’ve heard of only one Twitter business directory, it’s likely Twellow.  The tagline reads “The Twitter Yellow Pages,” and their homepage is reminiscent of just that.  The directory is clearly meant to be surfed by category (or searched).  If you’re looking for volume, go to Twellow.  I poked my head into the first category, Aerospace and Aviation, and there were almost a thousand people in that category.  I did a quick search on “online marketing” and it returned over four thousand results. Something tells me they’ve got twibs’ user base covered in spades. Learn more over at Twellow.

twtBiz

The final in the roundup today is twtBiz.  Their tagline/angle has a bit more of a startup flair to it: “Find businesses, entrepreneurs and investors on Twitter!”  If you’re looking to add your business, you’re in luck; I think twtBiz has the same intention.  Landing on their homepage you’re offered a search box to search their twitter business directory.  Right below it: not a link to, but the form to add your business.  Have multiple twitter accounts for your business, such as several employees who all twitter, twtBiz has you covered in that situation, too.  Visit twtBiz.

Any other Twitter business directories out there?

The updates include Search Options and enhanced search results featuring microformats for content such as reviews. Google provided a brief video introducing new functionality:

Search Options

Search Options allows the user to quickly refine search results by providing additional context to the search being made.  After making a query, a user has several options to further clarify or modify their search results, including:

• Refining results to videos, forums or reviews
• Specifying the time frame from which to display results
• The ability to augment search results with images from the sites returned
• Lengthening the amount of copy shown for each result
• Showing related search phrases
• Displaying related topics to the subject searched upon (”Wonder Wheel”)
• Viewing results on a timeline

The options above are available when viewing “all results.”  As criteria are applied, the user’s scenario changes.  For example, if the searcher specifies video results only, the options change, removing criteria which is not relevant, but adding other opportunities, like the ability to specify the duration of the videos displayed.

Search Result, Snippets and Microformats

In search results, Google is now also returning different information depending upon the the context of the information searched upon.  In Google’s words:

We call the set of information we return with each result a “snippet,” and today we are announcing that some of our snippets are going to get richer. These “rich snippets” extract and show more useful information from web pages than the preview text that you are used to seeing.

The example which Google provides shows a restaurant search in which the results display star ratings of a result right in the search result listing (as opposed to needing to go to a review site).  Snippets fundamentally change the function of search results.  How and what information to display regarding a particular topic or result is unclear, but what is clear is that this will be a feature which continually evolves.  Google’s blog posting continues to explain the role of Google and the community in defining the feature:

We can’t provide these snippets on our own, so we hope that web publishers will help us by adopting microformats or RDFa standards to mark up their HTML and bring this structured data to the surface. This will help people better understand the information you have on your page so they can spend more time there and less on Google. We will be rolling this feature out gradually to ensure that the quality of Google’s search results stays high.

These new enhancements to Google Search are highly significant; the most significant changes since Universal Search was introduced.

The impact to the Google searcher are clear: Search just got better.  What impact will this have on the SEO community?