Definition of "Deceptive"

[2c63875e]

Hello there,

I own few blogs that review tech products

Since September last year, I find in my office frontdoor every day several packages of products sent by whoever from the world that wants to appear on my pages

Some of them i love to review, some of them get 1 star for wasting my time, some of them do end up in the trash directly

As this is my life business for me,  sometimes i seek help for reviewing these products or i won't be able to follow up. I posted a job here but was banned for being deceptive marketing, black hat

Now, for me blackhat is something completely different, link spamming, guest posting and so on. Could someone explain me if i'm doeing something wrong?

Other websites like cnet, i don't think the CEO there has time to review a chinese blender but i guess someone "expert" is paid for this...

Please make the point, i've spent more than 50k usd on upwork and i'm in a fight with this CS girl that mispelss my name. 1 step away from closing up all and goodbye

BR

M

[petra_r]

Hi Michele,

I think this is where you want to ask the CS rep to please escalate the issue to either her Team Lead or to phone support so you can explain the situation properly.

Essentially there can be a misunderstanding as to what kind of reviews are allowed and what kind of reviews are not.

If you want someone to write a paid review for Amazon, for example, that is NOT allowed.

Asking a freelancer to try a product and then write a review which you publish on your own blog, that is absolutely fine.

The rule they are concerned about is "jobs which violate the terms of service of another website or business" - which would be the case with a paid Amazon Review, but not the case on your very own blog.

If you can't get that through to the CS rep you are currently dealing with, calmly ask for it to be escalated to someone who understands the finer points of the rules AND has the capacity to spell your name correctly..

[albina-alivitsa]

Sorry Michele for what happened. I also have interests in writing unbiased reviews. I was impressed by your business life. I hope upwork resolved this issue.

[kochubei_valeria]

Hi Michele,

Sorry about the delayed response. We followed up with the team and they have just updated your ticket with more information.

Thanks for reaching out.

[gerrys]

If your name is on the blog, and you said you reviewed the product when in fact your "sub-contracted", that is being "deceptive" ... and hardly qualifies for a "white hat" ... like the "good guys".

The fact that "everyone does it", does not make it right; and arguing that way does not help your case.

[2c63875e]

 Dear Gerry,

My name is not in the domain name but even in that case, as long you mention the author, you have green flag (at least here in UE). Who uses his own name can also register it as a brand and is fine in some regions. 

Again, not my case.

Assuming your case was valid under the terms of the community, would have been fine for me. As I got 3 bounces with no answer rather than “We might deactivate your account” for something you read not deceptive on post #2, is none of your business how I “argue” as customer when policies forced me here.

I understood that because of a war against Amazon shops, everything is black by default in here. Fun to me is, you can hire a "SEO Expert" that 95% will be a keyword stuffer no-brain spin rewriter with no knowledge on the topic.  At least I provide the material to write on. If BIAS, the freelancer is not good and you find a new one. Yes, "everyone does it" - this is how the industry works and is legal not my imagination.

sourcing found somewhere else.

topic can be closed

BR

Michele

[tlsanders]

In the U.S., the FTC has very specific requirements about disclosure of compensation, including having received the product for free in exchange for the review. Posting a paid review on your own blog without the required disclosures is generally a violation of federal regulations.

[sam-sly]

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@Tiffany S wrote:

In the U.S., the FTC has very specific requirements about disclosure of compensation, including having received the product for free in exchange for the review. Posting a paid review on your own blog without the required disclosures is generally a violation of federal regulations.

Maybe I am missing something as I read the early posts a while ago. Where are you seeing that the OP isn't following FTC disclosure guidelines?

If the OP has a multi-contributor blog or publication, I don't necessarily see a problem with this as long as:

- The OP's blog follows FTC endorsement guidelines (I know the rules may be different in different countries but as someone who previously published reviews on my own blog, I personally wouldn't  risk writing for a site that doesn't appropriately disclose).

- The review will be published on the OP's own media, not on sites like Amazon where compensated reviews are a T & C violation or illegal.

- The reviewer actually tries the product, I think it is more credible if the reviewer has a byline. But I have seen reviews in magazines that are just attributed  "staff writers."

- The OP pays the freelancer as otherwise, it would be an Upwork T & C violation (and a waste of the freelancer's time).  After all, this is a paying platform.

I think the problem is that most "review" jobs posted here involve sham Amazon reviews or other sham "reviews" on sites like Yelp. Upwork should ban those "reviews" just like they ban academic plagiarism type "jobs." Unless I am missing something, It doesn't sound like this is the case here?

[reinierb]

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Samantha S wrote: 

I think the problem is that most "review" jobs posted here involve sham Amazon reviews or other sham "reviews" on sites like Yelp. Upwork should ban those "reviews" just like they ban academic plagiarism type "jobs." Unless I am missing something, It doesn't sound like this is the case here?

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 Academic fraud/plagiarism has been banned? 

[yitwail]

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@Reinier B wrote:

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Samantha S wrote: 

I think the problem is that most "review" jobs posted here involve sham Amazon reviews or other sham "reviews" on sites like Yelp. Upwork should ban those "reviews" just like they ban academic plagiarism type "jobs." Unless I am missing something, It doesn't sound like this is the case here?

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 Academic fraud/plagiarism has been banned? 

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In https://www.upwork.com/legal/terms-of-use/

under Examples of prohibited uses of the Site or Site Services,

• Seeking, offering, or endorsing any services that violate the academic policies of any educational institution;

[kfarnell]

>  Academic fraud/plagiarism has been banned? 

It's banned in a special way - just like erotica. Meaning it's simultaneously not allowed but also recommended by the talented specialists.

[reinierb]

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@Kim F wrote:

>  Academic fraud/plagiarism has been banned? 

It's banned in a special way - just like erotica. Meaning it's simultaneously not allowed but also recommended by the talented specialists.

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 No wonder then that so many people get confused by what the specialists with so many talents recommend, but shouldn't. 

[yitwail]

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@Kim F wrote:

>  Academic fraud/plagiarism has been banned? 

It's banned in a special way - just like erotica. Meaning it's simultaneously not allowed but also recommended by the talented specialists.

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 You're saying it's do as I say, not as I do?

[versailles]

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@Kim F wrote:

>  Academic fraud/plagiarism has been banned? 

It's banned in a special way - just like erotica. 

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I love this feeling of guilt when you hide to read some dirty academic fraud magazines, full of arousing pictures.