Antisocial Media...an experiment

I am currently conducting a research project into how traffic can be driven to a site using negative comments in discussion threads, blogs etc.

I have noticed in recent years how many more comments and responses a negative comment receives on a blog or discussion thread than a positive one...or at least that is my perception.

I wanted to see if this response to the negative could be used in a positive way to increase traffic to a website, blog etc. I know from my personal experience if I read something I find offensive or derogatory on a discussion thread I will frequently look at the poster's profile to find out "what sort of person could say that". If I do this, then surely it is reasonable to assume others may do the same - but I am not aware of any research on this.

The methodology for my experiment is fairly simple.

1) I have selected a number of different discussion threads on Linked In to post a negative comment on. I have restricted my activity to Linked In for the initial phase to reduce the number of variables, though clearly it would be interesting to expand the research into a number of different areas such as facebook, twitter etc after the initial phase.

2) The selection of groups to comment on has been based on a) size of group b) number of active posts and c) nature of discussion.

For size of group I have tried to find groups each matching the following criteria. Groups with relatively few members (under 150); groups with 150 - 500 members; groups with 500-1,500 members; groups with 1,500 - 5,000 members and finally groups with over 20,000 members. I am interested to see if groups behave in different ways depending on their size.

For number of active posts, I have selected groups that are currently active. I have also selected threads that are generating regular responses.

For nature of discussion I have selected discussions of a general nature rather than those of a specific technical nature.

3) The nature of the post is that it must be negative. I am looking at a number of different variables for this, but they range from criticism of the nature of the discussion itself (e.g. "why are you lot wasting your on this topic") to more personal criticism of an individual within a group (e.g. Person X clearly doesn't understand what's going on here, or Person Y's opinion is invalid because the can't even spell"). I want to understand how the group reacts and behaves towards criticism. Does it round on the critic or is the criticism perceived as reasonable expression of an opinion? How quickly do people react? Is there a defensive reaction by the group? How does the individual criticised react? How long does the reaction last? And most importantly, what traffic does it generate to my linked in profile and then to my website or blog? As my linked in profile contains information about myself, my working career and links to my website and blog, it is the ideal place to direct traffic. At this point I should make it very clear that this research is being carried out on a personal level and has not been commissioned or requested by either my current or any previous employers, and has no connection with any of their businesses. Furthermore, my linkedin profile is genuine and is not a fake created for the research project.

4) There are certain ground rules I have imposed on myself in the way I make the criticism. These include:

a) I do not post anything that could be considered racist, sexist, against a particular religious group or that is intended to incite antisocial behaviour. Posts do not contain profanities of any kind. The criticism is "low level".

b) As well as making a criticism I also participate in the discussion as part of the process, i.e. I make a contribution at the same time I make the criticism. This allows people the option to respond to the comment (i.e. judge and comment on my contribution) and not just react to the criticism.

c) On 50% of posts I make a deliberate mistake (e.g. a misspelling, inaccurate fact, or similar leaving me open to the response "You think you are so smart, but what about this mistake you've just made!"

d) I abide by the rules of the discussion group. If I'm asked to remove or moderate a comment I do, and post a brief apology.

e) After the initial posting I make no further comments, other than the apology statement is I am asked to remove the post. I do not enter into further debate or try to defend my actions.

5) If you have read this far I hope you are interested in this project. I'll make my results available in time. If you have arrived here in response to a negative post from me PLEASE DO LEAVE A COMMENT. I would be really interested to understand why you followed up on the negative post, what your motivations for visiting my site were etc.

Finally I would like to say a big thank you to all the discussion threads that I am using to aid my research, and an even bigger thank you to any individuals who I have passed comment on who feel they have been duped or criticised in some way. I realise some people may think it is "unethical" to carry out research without people knowing they are taking part - but hey, this goes on all the time in cyberspace, and were people to know what I was doing in advance it would completely change the results. I believe at least by leaving this message I am allowing people to feedback to me (positive or negative) and I would be more than happy to discuss the findings with any individual affected.