I was reading Cracked the other day when I stumbled across the hilarious, depressing and informative article 5 Despicable Things People Do for Good Online Reviews.  Seriously, you guys should check it out if you haven’t already.  Just be aware that Cracked is an adult humour site and the language reflects it.

My Thoughts

Meh, nothing really that shocking when you think about it.  Companies and authors alike can be highly unscrupulous when it comes to reviews and their online images.  Honestly, I’ve encountered a lot of the things on the list already, other than the threat of being sued.  I’m sure that will come too.  (Knock on wood.)

Taking quotes out of context, creating fake reviews and paying for positive reviews, though?  Even just a year as an admittedly minor book blogger has exposed me in some way to all three.  I suppose you could say I’m a rather cynical human being, but really, nothing about reviews and the publishing industry surprises me anymore.

But what do you think about the article?  Were you shocked/surprised?