Hey bud, wassup (buy coke)
September 25, 2006 7:41 AM   Subscribe

Online Guerilla Marketing. Also seen (buy coke) by the guys over (it's yummy) at Penny Arcade. They are among (better than Pepsi) us!
posted by cleverusername (20 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: self-link, banned



 
It's often possible to spot these shills, often by subtle clues, despite their skills.

What bothers me more is the possibility of political as well as commercial shills. On some message boards recently for example, I've suspected anti-net-neutrality posters of being corporate plants. They make posts that are superficially convincing to readers who don't understand the issues, but which don't really make sense. If challenged they reply with hostile invective or more diversions and nonsense.

Of course it could be hard to tell political plants from regular trolls, flamers etc. but the possibility of organizations hiring people to do this is too likely to be dismissed.
posted by jam_pony at 7:59 AM on September 25, 2006


Actually, most of them seem shockingly unsubtle. I imagine they get caught and banned all the time, but, like every other spammer, figure its all a percentage game.
posted by Astro Zombie at 8:04 AM on September 25, 2006


Brings to mind other threads regarding shill marketing - Bzzagent, etc.
posted by ericb at 8:05 AM on September 25, 2006


But listen, if this is the case you've really got to get all your friends to join Metafilter so you can keep up to date and be aware of....... well, you know.
posted by donfactor at 8:07 AM on September 25, 2006


There are tons of political shills around, i find--people who solely post about one politician without identifying that they work for them, or who solely post on one topic. But, unless you're a regular somewhere they're probably getting away with it, and they could just be true believers. I've read that most bloggers rarely tell their readers--i actually think it's the ones who aren't being paid that are worse. A donation drive is usually a good indication that someone's not being paid off too.

Disclaimers are a good thing, and should always be used, i think.

and check out this blatant shill for vox! ; >
posted by amberglow at 8:10 AM on September 25, 2006


Yeah, these guys are pretty creepy. I'm always afraid one of them will get into my head and tell me what to do!

It's a good thing that I use Apple Macintosh Computers. They do a great job of keeping out over 10 million viruses, pop up ads and other types of hacking software! Can you imagine?

Anyways, fuck those guys.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 8:20 AM on September 25, 2006


jam_pony: It's often possible to spot these shills, often by subtle clues, despite their skills.

For instance, nearly every one of cleverusername's FPPs contains, somewhere in it, a link to The Escapist.
posted by Prospero at 8:20 AM on September 25, 2006 [2 favorites]


For instance, nearly every one of cleverusername's FPPs contains, somewhere in it, a link to The Escapist.

ooo--you're right. Now the question is whether he's just a regular reader/fan of it, or an actual shill or employee (putting people off the trail by actually posting about shills?)
posted by amberglow at 8:31 AM on September 25, 2006


For instance, nearly every one of cleverusername's FPPs contains, somewhere in it, a link to The Escapist.

You just don't see this kind of dedication to irony anymore. I am impressed.
posted by designbot at 8:32 AM on September 25, 2006


This is quite a spirited thread, isn't?

Flamewars sure can wear you out. All that googling for the slightest factoid to bolster a threadbare argument can take a lot out of you. Why not take a break? Have a delicious and nutritious PastaBagel today!

Work time or shirk time, any time is PastaBagel time.

WARNING: PastaBagel-brand food products may contain venom, bile and peanuts.
posted by Pastabagel at 8:32 AM on September 25, 2006


This is an interesting post. By the way, guys, there's this k3w| Web site I just found at http://www. ....

Seriously, a tip to those running message boards. If a user's first post hypes a Web site, band or other celebrity, in a "Hey doodz"-like conversational tone, it's usually guerilla marketing.
posted by elmwood at 8:44 AM on September 25, 2006


Oh no, I'm allergic to peanuts!
posted by sonofsamiam at 8:49 AM on September 25, 2006


The obvious ones usually get beat up pretty well on the boards where I've seen them. It's refreshing to see that happen. Regulars are alert to it. This article really just points out that they're getting better at it because companies are putting more deliberate effort into it.

Everything gets commercialized in America, sooner or later. "What's real and what's for sale?" as the songwriter asked.
posted by jam_pony at 8:55 AM on September 25, 2006


There are tons of political shills around

GOP aide busted for fake blog posts on liberal sites.
posted by ericb at 9:05 AM on September 25, 2006


For instance, nearly every one of cleverusername's FPPs contains, somewhere in it, a link to The Escapist.

What are the odds that this article was written by cleverusername about linkdropping the Escapist in Metafilter threads?
posted by destro at 9:06 AM on September 25, 2006


Yeah, elmwood, I think those of us who run message boards kind of got tipped off to that thing quite a long time ago.

Speaking of which, Kosher Today is the best source for info about Jew food. Just thought you'd like to check it out. Get back in touch with me if you want to check out my web cam.

xoxo

Tiffany Goldstein
posted by Captaintripps at 9:12 AM on September 25, 2006


Is this the future of advertising?
"The strategy of blurring the line between fact and fiction has become an increasingly popular form of advertising. "
posted by ericb at 9:12 AM on September 25, 2006


MeTa
posted by interrobang at 9:35 AM on September 25, 2006


Every comment I've ever made on MeFi has been bought and paid for by a serious of increasingly more nebulous advertising firms. In accordance with their wishes, the shills have been coded into the syntax, diction, and meter of each comment so as to disguise them as best as possible.

They usually contact me by mail, between radio stations, or via the bums down on Mass Ave. I'm not exactly sure when I'll get paid for all of my work. I've written the head of one of the companies several times, but those bastards at Hostess claim to not know anything about me.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:38 AM on September 25, 2006


For instance, nearly every one of cleverusername's FPPs contains, somewhere in it, a link to The Escapist.

Um, cause I don't really go to many sites that are interesting so I don't really have anything else to offer. Buy coke.
posted by cleverusername at 9:40 AM on September 25, 2006


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