Viral Corporate Marketing in Online Forums? What's next? Political spam?

[eg101]

"Forum spam" is where corporations such as TV networks pay spammer-posters to go online into forums and post about TV shows, or to pump up some celebrities. This thread on metafilter discusses it and has a couple of links to forum spam:
http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/38963

THe question is: Do political entities (e.g., politicians, parties) also do the same thing?

[Cooley Hurd]

1. I don't know about political entities, but I do know this:

Choosy Moms Choose

:D

[mirandapriestly]

2. I always wonder that too.

It would be a good way to start rumors or thought processes.

[Tempest]

3. Petition to get Ashlee Simpson to quit singing all together

To: Geffen/DGC Records & JT Simpson Entertainment

We, the undersigned, are disgusted with Ashlee Simpson's horrible singing and hereby ask her to stop. Stop recording, touring, modeling and performing. We do not wish to see her again.

She cannot match the sound of her voice that can be found on her CDs, when she sings live. She simply yells the words (sometimes the wrong ones) into the mic.

We are so sickened by her "performing" that we are taking this opportunity to demand that she stop.

Sincerely,

http://www.petitiononline.com/StopAsh/petition.html


It has 198,855 signatures.