The controversial BzzAgent posts on the basics of online community participation: lurk before speaking up, only join if you really intend to participate long term (don’t pop on once just to shill a product), and make sure your product mention (bzzing) is appropriate to the forum. Kind of crazy that the company hasn’t laid out guidelines like this before, since they seem so obvious to anyone who has participated in an online community.
Still, it’s a good step. Also perhaps foreshadowing the Word of Mouth Marketing Association‘s soon-to-be-released ethical guidelines document. BzzAgent’s Dave Balter is a co-chair of the committee putting the guidelines together.