eBayers help in search for Madeleine

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Help find MadeleineMadeleine McCann has been missing for over a week now, abducted from an apartment in Portugal on the evening of 3rd May. She has not been seen since. Now many eBayers are joining in to “Help Find Madeleine“, adding the little girl’s image to their auctions and Shops. With the search for the four year old now spreading internationally, giving Madeleine instant recognisability is essential: eBay sellers know they have international visibility, and want to use that to help in the search.

The campaign was started by Nick Talley from iposters, who has set up a webpage with instructions on how to add the image to your site. The official “Bring Madeleine home” website carries the latest news on the search.

17 Responses

  1. I’m a little annoyed here…

    Firstly, let me second the sentiments registered here with regards to the safe return of little Maddy. In a time when the world is in total confusion, the thought that nations may pull together and unite in the search for this little one is truly inspiring. However, I’m afraid that though I do concur with the message given here [finding Maddy] I must feel it only right to question the motive of Mr Tally’s campaign. Perhaps one can blame it on the general scepticism that adjourns today’s society, but having just read an article (entry) from Mr Tally whom goes into great detail on how the recent decision to remove the visibility of .co.uk listings from the .com eBay site (again an inane decision from eBay and a point to which Mr Tally and I both agree), starting a viral campaign that will undoubtedly score Tally with massive ‘Google Juice’ for iposters is, I find a little distasteful. Perhaps I serve the gentleman (an assumed point as we have never met) an injustice and if so then I unreservedly apologise, however during the said entry Mr Tally demonstrates that he has both the knowledge and business intelligence to negotiate around such obstacles, so why not the vision to benefit from such an opportunity such as starting a campaign that even has David Beckham behind it. Make no mistake about it, copy and pasting his link will gain him additional rank within Google and gain him the visibility he so frustratingly desires or at the very least send a great deal of people his general direction.

    Here’s a thought, why not include a direct link in all your listings to the official Madeliene website (or BBC site).

    Still, we all want this little one to come home safely, need even if it does score Tally a few more poster sales.

  2. Frankly, I think the above comment is exceedingly uncharitable. To accuse Nick of such actions in a public forum is downright nasty.

    Perhaps you would like to shut down all the other organisations that benefit both business and our wider society – one thinks for example of the Rotary Club, but there are lots of other examples. Shame you didn’t leave a URL so *your* business could be associated with your attitude.

  3. My two penneth for what it is worth..

    Mr Johnston’s comments though harsh, does have some credibility. With such an emotive and ‘popular issue’* as the Madeliene story, to start a ‘viral’ campaign on this subject in the manner Nick Tally has done (ie linking the campaign to his own site(s)) is open to question.

    I have no doubt that all concerned parties want to see the universal desired outcome to this plight, that is to see Madeliene return to her parents safe and sound. Maybe through his naivety, Nick Tally has inadvertently attracted some unwanted comments (Mr Robin Johnston), hell he may even attract more and yes, they maybe unwarranted. Still, everyone is entitled to their opinion even if it upsets. Personally I don’t think Mr Johnston was placing an accusation, merely offering a question (and both an apology if wrong) about possible motives. Free country and all that.

    For what its worth, I believe the idea behind Mr Tally’s campaign is an honest one if a little ill conceived. Maybe by making the changes as suggested by Mr Johnston (linking to the official website/campaign) would remove any suspicion.

    Thank you for listening.

    * Popular in the sense that it is current in the media

  4. In situations such as these the understandable human urge is to ‘do something’ and add one’s efforts (however small) towards generating the outcome we all hope for.

    When Mr Johnston can provide me with a a system that gives nobody any possible, conceivable commercial benefit and which equals the campaigning benefits of Mr Talley’s, I shall be delighted to consider it.

    But at times like this actions speak louder than words.

  5. Mr Johnston

    I am sickened and very upset by your comments.

    In now way am I going or would want to benefit from this.

    The page is hosted on our server but there are no links to our online shop and no mention of my business or my name.

    Being a father of 3 small children I simply wanted to do something to help.

    Yours is the only negative comment that I have received.

    It have given up quite a bit of my time to set this up with the hope that someone may know where Madeleine is. I am not looking for any thanks, any money or any Google points!

    Lastly, if you are going to insult my integrity then please at least spell my name correctly.

  6. As a father I can only applaud Nick Talley for his actions, it may help, it may not, the fact he has done something speaks volumes, I have had 4000 visitors in my shop in the last 4 days, thats 4000 people who have seen the ad, how many sellers have added it? thats a lot of extra coverage. Well done Nick, ignore the comments.

  7. Nick ignore the cynics. As a mum I would be grateful for any help if it were needed.

  8. Robin Johnston – SHAME ON YOU!!!

    I strongly suggest you make good on your word and immediately ‘unreservedly apologise’ for your despicable comments.

    How you can take a worldwide campaign to raise awareness regarding Madeleine McCann’s disappearance and twist it into a selfish act of Nick Talley (driving ‘traffic’ to his own website) is deplorable.

    You have behaved disgracefully; your post is contemptible; you ought to be ashamed.

    Catherine

  9. What a sad world we live in, when genuine people are trying to do anything they can to help find this little angel. Robin Johnstons comments are typical of today’s society. Why does there have to be any ulterior motive to Nick Talley’s efforts? Perhaps it would have been more to Mr Johnstons taste if people sat back and did nothing, or is he wishing that he had thought of the idea himself…….?

    At least Nick did something! What has Robin Johnston done?

  10. While everyone is entitled to an opinion, everone is also entitled to be told if the general consensus is that said opinion eminates from ones anus.

    Mr Johnston is the type that gives sardonic, snide cynics like me a bad name, and I thoroughly disassociate myself from his statement.

    Bad vibes MrJ, what a terrible tangled web your thoughts must be.

  11. I dont care if Iposters becomes a millonare out of it

    the end justifies the means

    if my child were missing iI would not care who or what profited out of the situation as long as it helped to find them

    having said that I think Iposters efforts were out of human values and concern not profit

  12. Mr Johnston,

    All commercial news organisations profit on the misery of others.

    ebay makes money from incidental sales as a result of their laudable charity support options that many sellers take advantage of.

    …

    Why now do you see fit to question Mr Talley (exclusively?) on this issue?

  13. I cannot believe that someone would try to make bad of this poster campaign. Give the guy a break he is just trying to help! I for one have added the button to every site I have or belong to and have sent it to all my contacts in an effort to help as much as I can. As a parent myself I personally think that if this was my daughter I would want all the help I could get! I think the most important issue here is finding Madeleine not the means by which she is found. Well done Nick for having the initiative and kindness to do this as it is people like yourself that make all the difference.

  14. OK, time to throw my hat back into the ring one feels….

    Mr Talley, I apologise (again) for the offence taken, it was not a personal slur. In situations such as these one must take one at face value and since you have declared your intentions honest, so be it. However, what I raised was a very valid point and if you will let me I will go on to explain…

    It appears that all entries to this blog have concentrated on the message of the Maddy campaign and NOT on my concerns and questions about such campaigns being used to raise self awareness or self promotion. Let me further explain…but first one point…

    I did not, have not and will not have any other desire than to see this little girl come home safe and sound, no matter what it takes. Some entries seem to think that I have a problem with this. I do not. Period. PLEASE RE-READ MY ORIGINAL POSTING reference sentiments. Also, I may add that my further comments are no longer directed towards Mr Talley, iposters or his particular Maddy campaign.

    I have a problem with the growing number of viral campaigns being started off the back of someone elses misery. Now as difficult as it maybe, let us for a moment detach ourselves from the emotion of Maddy’s plight and take a closer look to that too which I refer.

    With today’s world communications being centred more and more around the internet, viral campaigns through blogs, emails and the likes are proving a very powerful tool and often reaching more people quicker than traditional media methods. So as an official campaign the viral method is a brilliant tool (and yes even to ‘honest’ unofficial ones too in certain circumstances). I do state official campaign here as anyone that has ever been involved in such an event will tell you that operations are much more efficient when the message is coming from and too a single and verified source. Even with the best intentions of others with their personal campaigns there is always a danger of mix messages being raised to the masses due mainly too hearsay of non-verified sources and ‘out of date’ information. I think we can all appreciate the problem that mix messaging can add to the inefficiencies of any campaign.

    However, my real annoyance is this…I urge everyone here to take a look at the various myspace accounts (just as an example) where the Maddy campaign is being used. Rebecca Loos page is one such case. Now I’m all for celebrities using their fame to raise awareness (applause to Mr Beckham and Co), however this non-entity of a so called celebrity deems it quite ofay to include Maddy’s poster whilst surrounding it with half naked pictures of herself. Tell me this and be honest. Does this page strike you as a celebrity raising awareness or using the situation to raise her own. She is not alone, there are countless others that are doing the same, however such is the emotion of this case, dare anyone to question the motives and they will receive the same response I received from my initial posting here and that is how dare you question the Maddy campaign. Hopefully you can now see my point. Emotional cases such as these are very good tools to hide behind as no-one is going to question those concerned for fear that they are to be seem questioning the campaign itself. Now of course the Rebecca Loos page may itself not be an official page and is doing her a discredit, but this again proves my point on using masks to spread information.

    I guess I should apologise to all who have mis-read my initial posting and have taken offence, I do not claim to be a writer and perhaps the emotion of my response to Mr Talley’s campaign was clouded by that of others to which I had recently come across. Therefore to one and all, I’m sorry.

    I will close with one last statement. Viral campaigns are excellent, but let’s keep them official. In no way am I suggesting that such personal campaigns stop, far from it but let us all sing from the same hymn sheet; the official one, the one being co-ordinated by the authorities and the one that will hopefully bring home little Maddy safe and sound.

    Thank you

  15. I will accept your apology Mr Johnston. It’s just a pity you did not do some research before posting your original comment.

    A link to the “official” site was on my page from the very start.

    As far as I am aware a member of the public, just like me, who wanted to do something to help, started the campaign on his own MySpace page. This soon became unmanageable so it was handed over to the operators of MySpace. The official web site was then set up.

    Your comments re Rebecca Loos are totally unjustified.

    Celebrity or not she is a human being with feelings and a conscience. I am confident that she is genuine in her support for Madeleine.

    I started my campaign after watching a news feature several days after Madeleine was taken which reported that many people just across the Spanish border had not heard about the abduction.

    Being the father of three which holidays in Portugal every year I felt empathy with the family and just wanted to do something to raise awareness.

    If the same happened to any of my children I would hope to get the same support that has been shown to the McCann’s by the vast majority of people across the world.

    The fact that my campaign is unofficial is irrelevant. It shows a picture of Madeleine and a contact phone number for anyone with information to give to the police.

    Unlike you Mr Johnston I prefer to look for the good in people rather than the bad.

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