Pet Peeve
- Thread starter marika726
- Start date
a_c
Established Member
Just off the top of my head: no spray skirt, no immersion wear, no perimeter lines on the kayak, strange pricing ($0?), odd azure blue colour to the water.....did I miss anything?
Premier kayak adventures in that tub with a metal shaft paddle? Maybe that’s why it’s 0$. He forgot to wear a red shirt, to match the rest of his red gear? No spray skirt, looks like his metal shaft paddle should be flipped 180? The water is definitely the wrong colour so it’s obviously not a true photo.
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drahcir
Established Member
Is that paddle upside down?
I suspect this is the result of a website person not being a paddler. Go into Shutterstock, grab a picture that seem 'good enough', but don't run it past an actual paddler.
Surprising to see from Jericho as they seem to have actually relevant photos featured on all their pages I could see.
What's the URL you found that on?
Surprising to see from Jericho as they seem to have actually relevant photos featured on all their pages I could see.
What's the URL you found that on?
Peter-CKM
Established Member
Wow, that is about as bad as I have ever seen. You think it was an AI created picture?
Man in qajaq
Established Member
Most likely an AI produced picture.
kayakwriter
Administrator
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
- Messages
- 1,353
Hi all,
So as many of you know, I have a foot in both camps here: I'm majority owner of WCP, but I also instruct and guide for JBK. Nonetheless, I'm not going to pull an Elon Musk and vanish this thread down the memory hole!
The speculation above was correct: this post was made by an external SEO company, not in-house at JBK. (It's now been pulled.) We used to get the same kind of credibility-undermining gaffs during my final years in Communications And Marketing at MEC, when they started outsourcing a lot of our ads.
As I say: your SEO should always be done by a SME!
So as many of you know, I have a foot in both camps here: I'm majority owner of WCP, but I also instruct and guide for JBK. Nonetheless, I'm not going to pull an Elon Musk and vanish this thread down the memory hole!
The speculation above was correct: this post was made by an external SEO company, not in-house at JBK. (It's now been pulled.) We used to get the same kind of credibility-undermining gaffs during my final years in Communications And Marketing at MEC, when they started outsourcing a lot of our ads.
As I say: your SEO should always be done by a SME!
JohnAbercrombie
Premier Member
Though using a gaff on an ad creator might be tempting, it's probably wiser to just let the gaffe be printed.
kayakwriter
Administrator
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
- Messages
- 1,353
So I'm gonna claim this was some kinda meta joke on my part, confusing gaff and gaffe. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.Though using a gaff on an ad creator might be tempting, it's probably wiser to just let the gaffe be printed.
Off for a couple days kayaking in the currents at Skookumchuk rapids, with my colleagues from JBK (who really do know their stuff...) So I'm off the air til Sundayish.
Gary Jacek
Established Member
If you stand on the top floor of Discovery Lodge near the deck and hold your phone just so…you can sometimes get one bar. It is fun to watch the tech addicts cluster in that corner.
Peter-CKM
Established Member
I am a volunteer moderator for paddling.com's message boards. I just reviewed (and denied) a post that was a blatant ad for Jericho Beach Kayak Center. At least the photo didn't look AI created - seemed to be a real photo taken with Vancouver in the background.
Basically a duplicate of the trip finder listing they posted at the same time, though a much different photo was used (single kayakers vs double in this post):
paddling.com
I don't moderate that part of the site, but if I did I still likely would leave it there (but it sure feels like this is not a user reporting their experience, but someone who works at Jericho or is otherwise paid to post these things).
Basically a duplicate of the trip finder listing they posted at the same time, though a much different photo was used (single kayakers vs double in this post):
Vancouver Trip
During my recent Vancouver trip, one experience truly stood out—kayaking with Jericho Beach Kayak Centre. I’d highly recommend Jericho Beach Kayak Centre LTD to anyone looking for a scenic, fun, and peaceful adventure on the water.
paddling.com
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- Joined
- May 15, 2005
- Messages
- 3,698
poor Philip is not here to respond, but that looks quite weird . . . like 10 portages???
let's see, forgot my lunch . . . oh yeah my sunglassess . . . oh yeah my skirt . . . oh yeah my partner . . . oh yeah . . .
let's see, forgot my lunch . . . oh yeah my sunglassess . . . oh yeah my skirt . . . oh yeah my partner . . . oh yeah . . .
Gary Jacek
Established Member
Perhaps it is 10 porridges. Not my favourite breakfast while tripping, but easy to pack and prepare.
JohnAbercrombie
Premier Member
Pretty obvious it's just a 'spam' ad, not a 'trip report at all. And, another pic that doesn't match good practice. In that post text: "Dress for the Water, Not the Air: Cold water can be dangerous—wear appropriate clothing" In the pic - one person wearing a rash top, the other no shirt showing at all.
If Jericho is behind that post, they need to realize that it's not working to create a positive reputation for them.
It really looks like the way chat GPT writes stuff up. There's a bit of a formula that it seems to follow. Even the way it uses emojis makes me suspicious...
I hate how widespread the use of AI has become for writing up content online. So much of it is just slop. Somehow people seem to think that it's worth sharing, perhaps based on the idea that more content is always better, regardless of the quality.
I hate how widespread the use of AI has become for writing up content online. So much of it is just slop. Somehow people seem to think that it's worth sharing, perhaps based on the idea that more content is always better, regardless of the quality.
jerichobeachkayak
New Member
Hello everybody, I am EJ, the manager at Jericho Beach Kayak.
I would like to apologize to everybody here for those posts (both content and photos) that were not representative of our business, our values, or the paddling community we are part of.
Peter-CKM, I am also very sorry for the attempt at posting on paddling.com.
We had hired an SEO company that was recommended to us.
My understanding was that they would do some ‘behind the scenes’ improvements such as reviewing our website and improve some technical elements (e.g. Meta descriptions, alt tags, etc.). I explicitly instructed them not to write or post any content without my review and approval.
Clearly they did not follow my instructions, and I was shocked myself when I saw these photos and some of the content they posted. The tone, quality and overall presentation do not reflect the quality of instruction, gear or business practices that we stand for.
Needless to say, we are terminating our relationship with this company (and are working hard to clean up what they have done).
Again, I am very sorry for the misrepresentation and for any confusion or frustration it caused. If you ever have questions about our programs or practices, I welcome you to reach out directly.
Thank you!
I would like to apologize to everybody here for those posts (both content and photos) that were not representative of our business, our values, or the paddling community we are part of.
Peter-CKM, I am also very sorry for the attempt at posting on paddling.com.
We had hired an SEO company that was recommended to us.
My understanding was that they would do some ‘behind the scenes’ improvements such as reviewing our website and improve some technical elements (e.g. Meta descriptions, alt tags, etc.). I explicitly instructed them not to write or post any content without my review and approval.
Clearly they did not follow my instructions, and I was shocked myself when I saw these photos and some of the content they posted. The tone, quality and overall presentation do not reflect the quality of instruction, gear or business practices that we stand for.
Needless to say, we are terminating our relationship with this company (and are working hard to clean up what they have done).
Again, I am very sorry for the misrepresentation and for any confusion or frustration it caused. If you ever have questions about our programs or practices, I welcome you to reach out directly.
Thank you!