The number of Chinese netizens has reached 420 million, covering nearly 1/3 of the total population of China.

As of June this year, the number of Chinese netizens has reached 420 million, covering nearly 1/3 of China's total population. Among them, 330 million netizens read the news through the network, 320 million netizens use the search engine to obtain the information, 231 million people use the blog. Nationwide, there are 2.79 million websites that are always spitting information about it.

In this so-called whole society can be "moved" to the Internet era, the network and the reality is so not divided. For any enterprise, the network public opinion of a little feng shui grass move, may let their goodwill in the consumer heart ups and downs.

Under this background, the organization that deals with the network public opinion of each enterprise--"network PR" comes into being, and expands rapidly. According to Chen Xiangyang, Deputy secretary general of China International Public Relations Association, the annual output value of the 2008 network PR is as high as 880 million yuan, and it has become the fastest growing field in public relations service.

At the same time, however, online PR is becoming synonymous with "spending money to delete posts" and "to be a fraud." What is it that makes the network public relations become a "gray industry chain", or even become darker? The reporter tries to uncover the secret of the grey world through case analysis and expert interview.

The Xinhua News agency, which is widely reproduced by the major websites, has lost sight of most netizens at the same time. Reporters to interview the news is puzzled, the deletion of the site is "have". In response to this strange matter, the reporter immediately launched an investigation. As the investigation deepened, a forged "Xinhua news agency" Letter, and its reflection on the network of public relations chaos, gradually surfaced.

"Xinhua" asked to delete the post: From or not from?

August 11, 2009, Xinhua published a "Zhuhai:" The first case of China air-conditioning energy efficiency signs "by the court to accept" The news report, the report was subsequently China's network, the Internet and other sites reproduced. However, a few days later, the author--Xinhua news agency journalist Cai--accidentally found that the article disappeared on most websites.

"In addition to the Xinhua and some small websites, in China Network and other large sites, my article is only a topic." Either the point is not open, it is opened, there is no content. Cai in an interview with the Chinese youth Daily, said he was puzzled. "Xinhua is very strict in withdrawing manuscripts. If the report itself is wrong, Xinhua will remove itself and notify the author. "He said," but I did not receive any notice, Xinhua also kept the article, how can other websites say withdraw? "This is in the normal procedure" impossible situation ", now appear in Cai, make him feel strange. "I guess someone's got a relationship and I'm a little dizzy," he said. Cai admits.

The Chinese Youth Daily correspondent then contacted the Chinese net that had withdrawn the report, who wanted to reply to the Chinese network responsible person more unexpectedly. According to China's network, August 13, 2009, the site has received a letter covered with the official seal of the "Xinhua News agency," the letter requested the Chinese network to delete its reprinted Nangwa trillion report. According to the person in charge, the website received the letter "more than one." Therefore, according to the "Xinhua News agency" Request, most of the communications site will be Chua's report "timely clearance."

Has the Xinhua news Agency requested the web site to remove Nangwa's reports in the form of a fax letter? This reporter calls the Xinhua news Agency secretariat to verify. The staff of the Xinhua news Agency secretariat clearly told the Chinese youth Daily that the Xinhua news agency had related records for each letter, and confirmed that no letter had been issued on the "air conditioner" report for 2009 years, and that the "Official seal" style of the fax was not in conformity with the true official Xinhua seal. Therefore, the Xinhua news Agency secretariat said positively that the "flowers more than" "Xinhua" Fax Letter "is undoubtedly forged."

"Who dares to forge a letter from the Xinhua news agency?" "For this" Xinhua news agency False Door, the general public may be surprised, but in the senior network PR plan Liu June (alias) looks, behind the scenes of counterfeiters know.

Liu June in the interview with the Chinese youth newspaper reporter said, now enterprises can use the network PR operation to "delete negative online information", which in the industry has long been not a secret.

In Liu June's view, although the network PR activity how much and "gray" leave the relationship, but openly in the name of "Xinhua news agency" Deceive the webmaster, in his career is also the first time heard. This made him sigh with regret: "This part of the people are too bold, has crossed the bottom line." ”

So, when a letter claiming to be the "Xinhua news agency" in front of you, you choose from is not from it? Obviously, Nangwa trillion reports almost overnight out of the public's view, indicating that many sites have been using action to give a positive answer.

Senior network administrator and famous Netizen "North Wind" told reporters, he in the golden Sheep net and NetEase work, also received a large number of "delete post" requirements, but the PR company he "ignore". "Encounter the site always do not cooperate with the situation, the PR company's ' delete post ' commitment is not sure to achieve, which drove them to pretend to be ' originating unit ' in the name of the fake. He said, "because the site and the originating media in the subscription agreement, the general commitment to the unconditional deletion of their specified information." Therefore, the deletion of the manuscript site requirements, reproduced in general will be compatible with the site. "The counterfeiters caught it."

All the information you don't want to see disappears.

According to Liu June and well-known Bo main "border" introduction, commissioned by the enterprise, to help enterprises in the online "clean up negative information", has become a lot of network PR companies "conventional business." China Youth Daily Reporter also found in the survey, many network PR service providers will "monitor and eliminate the network negative information" as a part of its crisis public relations services, commitment to professional technology and services, "to control the negative information within the scope of control."

A "negative positive" network PR company, its core business-"Delete stickers" expressed more straightforward. The company said on its homepage that it would provide customers with a holistic solution to ensure that "all the information you don't want to see can be lost in front of you".

And from the means, "public relations", "manpower" and "technology" is its three main weapons.

Take "negative information" as an example, "negative negative positive" company on its homepage, introduced a complete set of operating procedures and means: first of all, to blog Group Building, BBS mass, etc., a short period of time to release a large number of positive information to dilute the negative information, and then, directly to find the site requirements "root", but also the use of Search engine optimization technology, To optimize the positive information of the enterprise, to squeeze the negative articles into the position of the latter, and finally achieve the purpose of public relations.

"Delete Information", "Shielding information" and "Change search results", is the majority of network PR basic general business, and these actions, unless by illegal intrusion Web server, it must be through the site manager to achieve. Therefore, the network PR must first "PR" website after accepting the entrustment, achieve the goal.

Tianya Forum editor-in-chief Hu Bin and Kaidi network editor-in-chief, "Mu Mu" to the Chinese youth Reporter said, regular website generally will stipulate, ignore network PR company "Delete paste" requirements. As for the makeover, wearing a legal cloak of all kinds of negotiations, the site managers will also distinguish the authenticity of the basic, cautious treatment.

Still, the "delete post" requirement is still being sent to web editors. "Grazing mu" revealed that November 11 this year, there is a network of public relations companies even openly have their ability to paste from Baidu, Tianya and other "delete posts" ads, sent to the interactive community of Kaidi, "also left the QQ number, mobile phone number and other contact methods, can be seen how rampant."

For this kind of network company how to operate "delete a post", Hu Bin and "Mu Mu" two editor-in-chief in the mind All "is clear". They point out that online PR is not "Avatar", but most hiding in the dark, or posing as "victims" of the unit or the parties to contact the Web site, alleged that the information posted on the website is "slander rumors", request to delete, or directly with the online editor to delete a post how much money as bait, trying to "buy" on duty editor , the power of a larger PR, may be directly to the executive branch of Law enforcement authority, the directive website "Delete post"; The worst means is "hacker intrusion", relying on technical means to steal post parties or on duty edit work password, directly modify or delete information.

In addition to passive challenge, the enterprise may entrust the Network PR initiative to attack. For example, the public relations will hire the nest to help assemble the "network Navy" to create false information, false public opinion, to the customer's information "positive hype" or belittle the customer's competitors.

So how many of these online PR companies are in the country? Liu June called "a Dime". When asked about specific figures, he said, "more than thousands."

The grey interest chain has been formed

Behind the Visible Web page lurks an invisible network of lakes. Network PR not only in a variety of "gray" means, frequently played "edge", but also to a certain extent, prompting enterprises, websites and public relations between the three formed a huge interest chain. In the interview, a number of web site managers to reporters that the current part of the network PR and the site or its staff to form a chain of interest, has become an undeniable objective existence.

About the "interest chain" of the operation process, a reluctant to give the name of the network industry in Zhejiang province to express more bluntly. He told reporters, "collect money to delete post" is the most extensive one. For example, I want to delete a post in the local portal forum, only need to find some people in the forum to pay, the specific charges are difficult to estimate, according to the platform's flow. For example, a big platform like Baidu, it may take tens of thousands, if it is a local small forum, may be hundreds of yuan. ”

The message that a large number of companies do not want the public to see may be quietly "disappearing" in this way.

However, the report of Nangwa was deleted and obviously did not belong to this category. Liu June believes that this implies that there is another form of the network of "interest chain", this chain directly linked to the Web site and enterprises, the site as a "negative information" of the cleaner, the reward is the company on the site to put expensive ads. According to the introduction, some websites will send negative information to a conspicuous position, and then hinted that some enterprises to "trap", became a number of websites pull advertising main means.

According to the introduction, the current many large enterprises have even learned to "nip in the bud". "Some larger companies, when signing an ad with a website, often include protection and exclusivity clauses," he said. Websites cannot publish information that is not good for the enterprise, nor can they release information that is in the interests of competitors. Even, you will specify that you publish some information that is not conducive to competition. "The north Wind," said, "these practices have now become the network industry ' unspoken rules '." ”

Liu June called this "unspoken rule" "Pepper". He told reporters that after accepting advertising fees or other fees from a particular company, some websites would put the words specified by some companies into "sensitive words". "In this way, whoever scatters the pepper on the Internet, who can make themselves unwilling to show information, be actively screened by a particular site, or use the set of ' sensitive words ' to attack opponents." He pointed out that this part of the enterprise is often a big deal, and the face of their own big customers, the site to its request "naturally very fit."

"Enterprise, website, PR three main bodies, in the network age has been interdependent, in the different strata of the ecological chain." "China-LUN law firm Information Technology Law well-known lawyers, the National Bar Association Information Network and High-tech Committee secretary General Jihong in an interview with the Chinese youth daily."

Beware of network PR as "Network public nuisance"

Hu, a professor of journalism and communication at Peking University, likened some network PR companies to "evil Flowers" in the network Jungle, a "bad flower" in the moral and even legal boundaries, which is difficult to measure for consumers, the internet world and even the enterprise itself.

China Internet Association of the relevant officials told reporters that in the "reality of networking, network reality," the era, network users are also real consumers, network PR in the virtual world of "gray" operation, not only violated the public right to know, encouraged the unfair competition of enterprises, The network culture and the negative impact of the social atmosphere is not negligible.

Liu June told reporters that in the network PR as a means of unfair competition, by enterprises or individuals in the virtual world widely used, any do not want to sit back to the business or individuals, must spend money to invest in this online "melee." He revealed that during his career, he had given another well-known air-conditioning company as a PR agent, and the company chose to "cast the network", how much a bit "revolt" means. "Because the Internet is full of ' attacking factions ', your negative information will be overwhelming overnight." He told reporters, "You do not take the initiative, opponents will be crazy against you." ”

"Originally as a public space network platform, now I am afraid increasingly become the arena of private interests of enterprises." "The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Information Research Center Secretary-General qiping sigh with regret."

Improper network public relations behavior, make the network world appear foul smoke, the truth more and more confusing. Liu June believes that, if the network public relations have been so disorderly, sooner or later will lead to public confidence in the network crisis, then the entire Internet industry will face a crisis.

How to regulate the network "grey PR"

Most of the legal experts and media experts surveyed believed that the "evil Flower" was created by the lack of rules, regulatory vacuum and weak business path.

Liu June believes that the development of China's Internet is very fast, "the relevant judicial from the formulation to the implementation, are greatly behind the needs of network development." He said, "even if something happens, mostly by the Ministry of Letters to mediate, the maximum fine, only to let a group of people on the internet unscrupulous." ”

China Internet Association responsible person in the interview confessed that in recent years, the network of real life infiltration beyond imagination, but including "network public relations" and other new things, has not had time to enter the legal norms of vision, in the legal supervision of the "vacuum zone."

Kaidi chief editor of the "pastoral mu" that should be enacted "Network law" to strengthen the norms of the network world. Liu June suggested setting up a professional regulatory body to strengthen regulation of the internet world. Hu Bin that, based on a certain degree of real-name system, with strict legal liability as the boundary, is the ultimate solution to standardize network PR chaos.

However, some of the Internet practitioners and netizens surveyed are worried that if the excessive introduction of public power in order to standardize the network PR disorder, the most precious thing in cyberspace-freedom, may be damaged.

Qiping that the problem of network PR is that they are in the gray area, gray means to do the gray business, the government needs to do is precisely to clarify their mandate and status, in order to ensure its "information transparency, responsibility clear" premise, for them to establish a set of effective rules of the game, in increasing the overall self-discipline of the network industry on the basis of , the network PR from the "black box" into the "sunshine."

Liu June also believes that the network "gray PR" in the law, regulations and moral gap period, perhaps some gains, but a few years later, with the legal rules of the increasingly clear, similar companies gradually standardize and public awareness of the increasingly follow-up, the money "must not be earned."