The sad thing is that along with the “Citizen Marketers” come the “Citizen Abusers”.
Any form of user(citizen)-powered marketing will always eventually be subject to abuse, and then the distinct line between a legitimate “volunteer” citizen and a “paid” citizen suddenly becomes very thin. Point in case: Digg.com, BzzAgent.com or a PayPerPost.com.
As time goes by and more “citizens” go up for hire, all user-driven marketing will be viewed through colored glasses.
So, that’s where trusted networks like LinkedIn will come into the picture.
Ravi Jayagopal, “No Business Like E-Business“
