Further to my earlier post on the Edelman thing, here are the details finally.

If you’re into the whole PR thing, then you’ll likely have noticed recently that Edelman have got themselves into a bit of a pinch by helping create a fake blog for Wal-Mart. Called ‘Wal-Marting Across America’, it purported to be a blog by a couple who decided to go on a cheap holiday in an RV (that’s camper van to us Brits), staying in Wal-Mart car parks overnight. What the blog failed to mention was that the project was a publicity stunt and that Wal-Mart were paying for their petrol, food, and the RV. This trick is known in the trade as ‘astroturfing’ (i.e. faking grassroots). Another way of describing it is ‘lying by omission’, and we all know lying is bad.

Source: Edelman: Must try harder. Strange Attractor: Picking out patterns in the chaos

This really makes the point there is no grey when it comes to online social networking/ blogging/ online marketing.  Its a black and white transparent world for online consumers and the trust in Internet is each brands to lose.