Thread

Does Reddit have an astroturfing problem? What the data suggests

312 points · 408 comments · p-s-v

PyWoody · 1790603374 · focus · HN ↗
I gave up on any product related reviews on Reddit a decade ago. It can still be useful for guides that may describe what type of products you should look into, e.g., woodworking tools, skincare, etc.
For product reviews, I've been using GearLab (<a href="https://www.techgearlab.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.techgearlab.com/) for years with pretty reliable results. I have no affiliation with them.
1. HaloZero · 1790603721 · focus · HN ↗
  I imagine they only review places that will give them affiliate points. I was curious if they tested the mattic in the robot vacuums category and they didn’t.
  1. rafram · 1790604742 · focus · HN ↗
    These days there are central clearing-houses for affiliate links that support basically every store, for the rare case where a product isn't available on Amazon/Best Buy/etc. Matic seems to use something called Impact.com. I don't see why that would be a concern.
    HaloZero · 1790611721 · focus · HN ↗
    Are you suggesting that all retailers even boutique/smaller ones use affiliate codes regularly?
    That's an interesting development. I was under the impression that outside of larger retailers, affiliate codes weren't as common.
    I'm curious then why did techgearlab not choose to review the matic which is certainly a new interesting player in the robot vaccuum game. I'll have to reach out!
    rafram · 1790614313 · focus · HN ↗
    Most items are available from retailers like Amazon or Best Buy that have affiliate programs that work on all items. (They may not have the very best price, but that at least gives the review site something to link to, and more price-conscious people will shop around.) Other retailers participate in clearing-house programs like Impact, and others with charming names like Skimlink, Geni.us, etc.
    For the minority of products that are only sold directly by the manufacturer (which includes Matic), yes, I think it would be very unusual not to have an affiliate program. Matic even has a crappy one for consumers. For one thing, YouTubers, who keep absolutely no distance between business and editorial, aren’t gonna talk about your product unless they can put an affiliate link in the description. Sometimes manufacturers will use something like Impact, other times a publisher will need to reach out directly.

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