Traditional tools of marketing and PR have undergone a shift as new tools for the trade are developed, specifically social media. Very often marketers will use blogs and other social sites/networks to sound like people having a conversation or posting a message but, it's really a contrived marketing/PR tool. That said:
Do these "seemingly real" conversations work effectively to shift your opinions of products and services? Explain.
Are they a credible source for information and/or recommendations? Why or why not?
Are there times or incidents when these types of efforts could or would be more effective? If so, what are they?
1 or 2 paragraphs with cited resources.