Catch-22 when it comes to articles bashing e-cigs / vaping

[Gato del Jugo]

Seems like a lot of these articles attract a lot of comments defending vaping -- which means these articles are probably getting a lot of views..


From what I understand, a good chunk of what determines the subject matter & slant of what to write & publish for online MSM is the number of views & comments a particular piece gets.. Why? Because views = ad revenue..

So they'll just keep cranking out articles bashing vaping, knowing that it makes them more money..


And whoever is behind these bogus studies & misinformation (BP, BT, etc.) already knows this, & will just keep pumping that out, already understanding that the MSM will do the rest of the dirty work for them..

It's like this whole little system that feeds itself, hurting us & enriching them...


The catch-22 part? If vapers don't refute these things in the comment section, then the original piece will stand as is.. And others who don't know better will simply take what's being written as gospel..

I hate to say this, but on some levels we're getting played like a fiddle...


We have to start fighting this war more on our terms & on our choice of battlefield.. Otherwise, we'll just keep feeding the vicious cycle...

YouTube is a great place to do this, as one example..

Check out this recent video.. I believe there are more like this on their way from the same group (Dimitris & vape Team Media)...


"One woman's thoughts on the FDA proposal, who licked a 53-year cigarette habit by vaping.."

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/fda-regulations/564009-i-think-theyre-crazy.html


And nothing is preventing us "common folk" from doing the same exact thing..

Shoot a video, upload & share..


The woman featured in the video (an ECF'er!) was taken by pleasant surprise that it's received so many views so quickly..

If you have Facebook or Twitter or something, sharing that awesome story there will help get out the positive word to a wider audience.. As we already know, social media can be quite powerful.. We have to use that to our advantage...


Another plus? See that ad near the start of that video? Vape Team Media is making money off that -- funds that can be used to further help our cause (& not hurt it)...

 

[Berylanna]

Can we ask the moderators to add another yellow sticky on this subforum "Positive articles need your stories" and pointing out this catch-22? We need to reward responsible media outlets who tell the truth, and if their advertising prices are affected by comment #'s (they would be if i was in their Accounting departments!) then this is a way to donate to the cause of Truth in the Media -- comment!

 

[Gato del Jugo]

Can we ask the moderators to add another yellow sticky on this subforum "Positive articles need your stories" and pointing out this catch-22? We need to reward responsible media outlets who tell the truth, and if their advertising prices are affected by comment #'s (they would be if i was in their Accounting departments!) then this is a way to donate to the cause of Truth in the Media -- comment!

Would a blue sticky suffice..?

 

[sonicdsl]

Done

 

[Berylanna]

Done

Thanks!

Now if only I could find more positive articles that are not behind paywalls.......

 

[Stosh]

One way to work around this catch-22 is with a couple browser add-ons. "Do Not Track Me" and "Ghostry" will block the Goole Adsense and other such revenue generating trackers from the sites. Both are free, and very easy to install and configure.

The add-ons do allow you to white-list sites such as "e-cigarette-forum.com" as trustworthy and allowed.... They give you the option to control which websites you support. You can then comment on any site you like without helping their bottom line, while still being able to assist the "good guys" sites, (just remember to white-list the sites that are pro-vaping)

 

[Berylanna]

One way to work around this catch-22 is with a couple browser add-ons. "Do Not Track Me" and "Ghostry" will block the Goole Adsense and other such revenue generating trackers from the sites. Both are free, and very easy to install and configure.

The add-ons do allow you to white-list sites such as "e-cigarette-forum.com" as trustworthy and allowed.... They give you the option to control which websites you support. You can then comment on any site you like without helping their bottom line, while still being able to assist the "good guys" sites, (just remember to white-list the sites that are pro-vaping)

For web-only stuff yeah, but we are mostly commenting on media including print media and broadcast media. They can see how many comments they have on a story and use that in their calculations of what stories to assign next week. Reporters have told some vapers that they do in fact know better and are writing the BS because they were ordered to on pain of losing their jobs.

But I'll take a look at those addons, they could also be a big plus.

So now I'd like to see as many comments on positive as negative articles...but so far in 2 days I've only found 2 that were not behind a paywall or required joining something weird, or had closed comments.

 

[Stosh]

Some print and broadcast media have websites that have "comments powered by Disqus." and you can use a FaceBook or Google account to sign in to comment. The paywalls and individual "sign in" sites (they want far too much personal information) drive me nuts, even worse are the articles without comments. You have to try and find an e-mail address to comment, I keep a separate free e-mail account for those, keeps my real address private.

I'm a bit of a nut about internet and computer security, but having worked in the field since it began and never having caught a virus or malware infection, I'm sticking to it...