Shilling

A lot of people think that? Really? And I thought it was just a couple of inconsequential retards. I must have been mistaken. Carry on. 

Do you stand to profit from a positive review.?

Then relax.

Tell it the way you see it.

You glue the stuff together and get paid for your efforts.......ffs Dave.

Your hardly gonna say, its fukin Sh#t.

Mentioning the same product or brand over and over isn't shilling (unless it actually is) it can just get a bit irritating. But it is only natural if you really like something so I don't think anyone should be pilloried for it. I'd rather that than someone lose their enthusiasm, enthusiasm is what makes the hobby and, to an extent, the forums.

Added to which accusing someone of shilling is no different to accusing someone of being dishonest. In my general experience, mature adults don't tend to do this unless they back up their claims with hard evidence, because it can lead to legal ramifications or even violence. Of course doing it via the internet makes the accusers feel relatively immune from the violent reaction so it's ideal for cowards to fill their boots.

It's easy to cross the notional line between being a happy customer, or impressed demo taker and shilling. manufacturers and retailers go out of their way to stimulate this activity.

Here's a first hand example.

On another forum that i used to frequent and do a lot of diy build stuff on the importer of a well known brand of discrete op-amp pm'd me and asked me if I'd like to try a selection of his products. I could keep the one that i favoured and chose for the build and all he asked in return was that I wrote up the build and included fair comment on his product.

Now for me that's right on the mark. I'm basically being giving free reign to choose a free product and all I have to do is write about it as part of the extensive write up that i would be doing anyway. If I don't mention the freebie, then that's sure as Sh#t shilling, if I do mention the freebie aspect of it then it's just a paid for review. Now you might read the initial review and product placement explanation but chances are down the line that doesn't get repeated and then you have a queered pitch.

Suffice to say I didn't take him up on his 'generous' offer. And I ignore any positive comments about they're product range from users on the basis that others might not be as transparent as I am.

There's a lot of it about. I'd had offers on bike forums, LED torch forums and on Dealextreme.

It's a 'buzzword' that self righteous arseholes like to bandy about at the slightest excuse to victimise others.

Labelling someone a "Shill" as is done by the few inconsequential forum-ites, as Macca so eloquently put it, is nothing more than a tactic.

You see, if you GENUINELY rate an item or a brand/manufacturer/one man bands products, it's completely natural to publicly speak out about it where applicable and as we are all on HiFi forums, it's somewhere completely relevent to share your feelings about any item.

When a very small group of people start labelling folks as "Shills" or accusing them of "Shilling" it's because they are jealous or Envious of the manufacturers public image. They WANT the positive feedback about their wares, spread around the internet, but they don't get it. This breeds resentment. That's why they are so angry all the time!

They use this tactic because its entirely in their favour too.

They label someone a "shill" and then call into question the legitimacy of the review or recommendation.

This is done to

A) Discredit the review by calling the reviewer dishonest. To "Shill" is inherently dishonest. Therefore the review or recommendation must be dishonest.

And

B) Discredit the reviewer because they have labelled them a "Shill" The reviewer
is the one who is acting dishonestly. Any future positive feedback by the reviewer will automatically be tainted with the same claims.

So you have a two pronged malicious attack, that is practically impossible to disprove if you are innocent of the accusation.

This is why they use it. You can't provide evidence of something that doesn't exist.

They however don't need any evidence to throw unsubstantiated bullshit around and when called upon to provide ANY evidence that would prove their claims, they will do what they always do. F#ck all and start throwing more unsubstantiated bullshit and insults about.

It's buffoonery of the highest order. A technique adopted by those without the ability to "play well with others" or more accurately "Outcasts" or "Loners"

It's the same, very small insignificant group of narrow-minded, band of sheep who follow a single perpetrator.

Nobody, who has the ability to think for themselves or actually be able to say what they think without being torn down with indignation, because one's opinion may differ from their glorious leaders, cares to hear the opinions of these malicious cretins.

Carry on sharing your thoughts on whatever you hear that you think everyone needs to hear. I have benefited greatly from the words of others. As I hope other have from mine.

I think if you are the sort of person who takes reviews very seriously then yes, it is  a big deal to them. I think there is still quite  a few enthusiasts out there who do that, the poor, deluded souls.

For me I'd rather see specs and measurements and if it looks like what it might be after I'll try and get a listen to it first or buy it on approval. Someone else's subjective review isn't really worth that much to me as a buying guide although I do enjoy reading them and occasionally writing them. 

I never recommend anything, because I can't lend my ears and brain to anyone else. I may enter a note of caution if a particular item has had reliability issues in my experience. I've seen stuff I really like slagged off many times, but I don't get defensive, I just realise that tastes differ.

ADMIN: Sorry dude. No talk of specific forum personalities. It's banned don't you know! 😊

Well I'm sure that most of us know exactly the identity of the pathetic cretins to whom Westie refers Oliver.

I agree but it's insinuating rather than naming which is ok. Dem the rules!

Lots of forum “enthusiasm” is more likely fanboy-ism. I’d happily accept I’m a Sonneteer fanboy these days. I love their kit and that’s all there is to it.had it not looked, sounded and felt so good, I wouldn’t be a big fan.

It's sometimes hard to distinguish between hardcore fans and shills. I think mostly they are just hardcore fans. Remember a few years back any thread about speakers on a number of forums would be hijacked by AVI users posting in evangelical fashion about how their dinky little active speakers could outperform anything?

Although they were accused of shilling many times I really think it was just a combination of personality type/naivety/lack of experience that prompted them. You see the same thing with some born again Christians where they can't stop banging on about it to anyone they meet. But it doesn't mean Jesus is bunging them a few quid to do it.

The people who really need watching are those who go around accusing people of shilling. They really do have an agenda - to try to damage the competition by destroying the credibility of the people who use it and like it. They will also manipulate the naïve, the dim and those with emotional issues to help them do this. A nasty business all round.