Stay F---! | December 13
Carrie McLaren
stay.free at verizon.net
Mon Dec 13 15:32:59 EST 2004
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
"The Hidden (in Plain Sight) Persuaders"
From the New York Times Magazine, 12/5/04
http://www.nytimes.com/
http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/public/nyt-rob-walker.html
Excellent cover story by Rob Walker about agencies that enlist
everyday joes to buzz products. By now most Stay F---! readers know
about viral marketing, but what makes this piece so good is Walker's
attention to the social relationships involved. The agencies Walker
profiles have been able to get people to work essentially for free,
with only product samples and the promise of bolstered egos as
payment.
The one thing missing from this piece is an acknowledgment that the
companies' claims are no doubt exaggerated. Marketers routinely
inflate their numbers, and these guys are already on record as
encouraging their charges to lie (asking agents to call book stores
pretending to be customers searching for a desired book, etc.).
Besides, anyone who has worked with volunteers before (especially
volunteers operating independently from a distance) knows that 95
percent of them aren't doing much of anything; thus, you can forget
BzzAgent's claims of 60,000 and Tremor's 240,000 -- my guess is that
they each have a few hundred active agents. Still, the success of
their business model is no less terrifying; and this quibble
shouldn't detract from an otherwise solid article. (Thanks to Salim
Virji)
NEW WAL-MART PLANNED FOR QUEENS (NEW YORK)
This week's announcement that Wal-Mart plans on opening a store in
Queens brought mixed response from local residents, including aches,
pains, and vomiting. Yeah, yeah we realize that Queens already has
its share of retail giants, but when it comes to driving down local
wages and gutting local businesses, no one beats Wal-Mart. We'll keep
you posted as the opposition gains steam.
http://www.nypost.com/business/21141.htm
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13524654&BRD=1864&PAG=461&dept_id=152800&rfi=6
CONSUMER REPORTS' BEST BUY DRUGS
A few weeks ago I mentioned my fantasy for an independent resource
that compared prescription drugs, a la Consumer Reports. Turns out
that the Consumers Union (which publishes Consumer Reports) has
launched a website for this very purpose. At the moment, it only has
reports on three categories of drugs--cholesterol/statins, arthritus
& pain/NSAIDs, and heartburn/PPIs--but a new report will be appearing
every month.
http://www.crbestbuydrugs.org/
Also: Help Consumer Reports make drug trial info public:
http://www.prescriptionforchange.org
PART-TIME OFFICE HELP NEEDED
Stay Free! is looking for a smart, reliable human to help out a few
hours a week with some of the day-to-day duties of running an
independent, nonprofit magazine. Hours are flexible and will run
anywhere from 2 to 10 hours per week.
Primary duties will be taking care of mail orders. The ideal
candidate will be tech-savvy, familiar with FilemakerPro and Mac OS,
and live in or around Park Slope, Brooklyn. Exceptional high school
students are encouraged to apply. We can pay $10/hour to start. Send
a cover letter and resume to cm at stayfreemagazine.org.
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