I think it’s safe to say that Dilbert is one of the best strip comics of the past few decades. On my list, it’s right up there beside Calvin & Hobbes and Far Side. And Scott Adams has hit gold once again. The pointy-haired boss from Dilbert attempts to explain how to manage your online reputation (a la Belkin).

You may remember the Belkin scandle from about 3 weeks ago. In a nutshell, they got caught offering 65 cents for every favorable review left on Amazon and Newegg. Not exactly the best business model. The newest Dilbert comic confronts the issue of businesses paying for their online reputation…

Now I know that Belkin were not the first company to do this sort of thing, only the most recent, but it is still an interesting topic. Belkin made it rather explicit that the reviews must be 5/5 ratings and that the reviewer doesn’t even need to own the product in order to review it, but what exactly makes this an evil act? Is it ever OK for a company to offer money for reviews - bad or good? Is this not just another form of advertising?

On a side note, if you enjoy Scott Adams and Dilbert, you should check out his interview from CNN. It’s from about a month ago, and mostly just ramblings about life and the economy, but still well worth the read.