Half Monk 697 Report post Posted June 8, 2013 Update: This article has been updated to include Microsoft's response. Shortly after Microsoft announced its Xbox One console last month, social media users posted negative comments about the device on various outlets after the company didn't address digital rights management requirements. According to an anonymous Reddit user, Microsoft is attempting to fight back by paying marketing specialists to make positive comments about the console, but Microsoft calls the claim untrue. Reddit user "mistysilver" claims to have visited Microsoft's Remond, Wash., headquarters for a business meeting this week when members of the company's marketing team were busy voting up positive comments about the Xbox One and voting down negative comments. "I noticed [a Microsoft employee or contractor] was mass-downvoting a ton of posts and comments, and he kept switching to other tabs to make posts and comments of his own," mistysilver wrote in a post on Reddit. "I couldn't make out exactly what he was posting, but I presumed he was doing RM (reputation management) and asked my boss about it later. According to my boss, MS have just brought in a huge sweep of [social media marketing] managers to handle reputation management for the Xbox One." A post by another user revealed a Reddit account that was created a day after the Xbox One announcement that only posts positive comments about the Microsoft console. The Reddit account for mistysilver was created Friday and has no other posts. Microsoft issued the following response saying the allegation is untrue: "There is no coordinated or sanctioned effort by Microsoft employees, or anyone paid by Microsoft, to unduly influence Reddit or other online forums." According to mistysilver, however, many "high-profile" marketing firms are being hired by the company to post positive messages about the Xbox One on social media outlets. The anonymous user claims Microsoft is "dishing out the big bucks" to the firms in order to maintain a positive image for its upcoming console, which took a large hit to its public image Thursday when the company finally released information about its DRM requirements. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
