Getwithsocial : A website that sells 'Facebook likes, Twitter followers'

SYDNEY: An Australia based social marketing company named getwithsocial, is selling Facebook likes and Twitter followers.

The site created by Mathew Carpenter is one of a growing number of platforms that sell online followers.

Outsourcing websites like Fiverr, Freelancer, Odesk and Elance have long had people posting on them wanting to buy or sell popularity.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Carpenter's site not only sells Facebook likes, but Twitter followers, YouTube views and Digg votes, all of which can be purchased under different packages that vary in the quantity of followers, views or votes required.

For example, if a company wants 50,000 Facebook likes it would pay 3400 dollars.

Similarly, 50,000 YouTube video views costs 590 dollars and the same amount of Twitter followers will set a company back 1750 dollars.

According to the paper, critics of buying likes argue that it's not worth paying for them as they are often not valuable.

Carpenter, of Newcastle, New South Wales, however, disagrees.

"There are a lot of stigmas attached to buying Facebook likes and Twitter followers etc, and many are simply not true," he said.

According to the paper, NSW Fair Trading said it was not unlawful to buy or sell social media followers, but it might breach the contractual terms and conditions of using a social network.

Australia's competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, said concerns could arise when an artificial social media fan base was used to influence consumer choice.