MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Ectaco caught using MobileRead to create fake buzz about Jetbook

Xanthe · 07-25-2013, 09:17 PM

This topic brought RobertB to my mind also. He was upfront about his relationship with Astak so you knew exactly where he was coming from when he discussed the product. But because he was open about his ties to them, he was free to discuss it honestly with folks who had questions about the device and he was respected.

I'm glad the shills were identified and steps taken against them. They abused and betrayed the face-value trust that members of a forum give to one another, something that allows forums to operate as congenial and informative places.

If you're talking up a product because you have some sort of personal/business relationship with a company, be upfront about it. I actually like knowing that I'm discussing a product with someone who either has actual experience with it or is involved with its manufacture. I like being able to pick their brains and/or better understand why they think their product is superior in some way. I understand that they're coming from a place where they're trying to encourage people to buy the product they're associated with, and I have no problem with that.

But don't take advantage of my good nature to pursue a private agenda. I was on a board once where we all knew one of the people running it as a guy in his late 20's. We knew of his émigré family, his fiancee, the weather problems he faced living in a hurricane-prone area, etc. We celebrated his birthday, send well-wishes and prayers when family members were either ill or an elder passed on. Turned out "he" was actually a "she" - someone from Kansas who was using the forum as a lab for a master's thesis in sociology. I had considered the male persona to be a friend - we had had each other's back in various contretemps on another site - but I had never gone further than that. Others, though, had been regular online live chat friends with "him" and had revealed a lot of personal details to a person they had trusted out of long association. The sense of betrayal when the truth was found out was shattering to a lot of the board members. So I have no sympathy for people who fraudulently present themselves, no matter how "nice" they might be.

07-25-2013, 09:17 PM	#34
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	This topic brought RobertB to my mind also. He was upfront about his relationship with Astak so you knew exactly where he was coming from when he discussed the product. But because he was open about his ties to them, he was free to discuss it honestly with folks who had questions about the device and he was respected. I'm glad the shills were identified and steps taken against them. They abused and betrayed the face-value trust that members of a forum give to one another, something that allows forums to operate as congenial and informative places. If you're talking up a product because you have some sort of personal/business relationship with a company, be upfront about it. I actually like knowing that I'm discussing a product with someone who either has actual experience with it or is involved with its manufacture. I like being able to pick their brains and/or better understand why they think their product is superior in some way. I understand that they're coming from a place where they're trying to encourage people to buy the product they're associated with, and I have no problem with that. But don't take advantage of my good nature to pursue a private agenda. I was on a board once where we all knew one of the people running it as a guy in his late 20's. We knew of his émigré family, his fiancee, the weather problems he faced living in a hurricane-prone area, etc. We celebrated his birthday, send well-wishes and prayers when family members were either ill or an elder passed on. Turned out "he" was actually a "she" - someone from Kansas who was using the forum as a lab for a master's thesis in sociology. I had considered the male persona to be a friend - we had had each other's back in various contretemps on another site - but I had never gone further than that. Others, though, had been regular online live chat friends with "him" and had revealed a lot of personal details to a person they had trusted out of long association. The sense of betrayal when the truth was found out was shattering to a lot of the board members. So I have no sympathy for people who fraudulently present themselves, no matter how "nice" they might be.