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[watership]

The people who rabidly defend Halo 4 as the greatest game of all time and also claim to have inside information from MS and can't wait for the Xbone are on my watch list. On this forum.

Ehh.. lets not turn this into a witch hunt.

Fanboys are not paid marketers, and people who like games that the majority don't like or are slanted towards one company are not shills. And to get more granular, not all people in marketing and PR are dirty shills. If they're monitoring message boards, sites and blogs, and noting trends and understanding the audience that's fine with me. In fact I welcome that. They should be in touch with who they're target audience is. If they're posting and contributing, and pretending to be a gaming fan who just loves one company/game, then we they crossed the line.

 

[PotionBleue]

Any interviews/reports out there with (former/current) RM guys in the video gaming industry? I'm interested.
Also, isn't this illegal in the EU or something?

 

[krypt0nian]

If you think this is new or unique to microsoft you are deluding yourselves.
I know it's hip to shit on MS right now, and the XB1 is shaping up pretty terribly, but this is nothing to get mad about.

What is it with posters telling us "chill out" or "overreacting" or this new bullshit?

We decide if it's something to get mad about. Not you apologists.

 

[Quadraphonic]

You better believe..

They are already here.

A half-dozen got shut down today. More will die later.

 

[JohnMadden]

Amazing to watch this meltdown.

 

[Annubis]

As if Reddit has any influence, they should monitor Gaf, or 4chan!

Metacritics and Facebook too.

 

[Ashes]

seriously—can someone explain to me why this is wrong? because it might actually be effective?

ok. we can start by ethics. It's disingenuous. Just like when Sony artificially raised view counts of their music videos, it's lies. And we don't like being lied to.

 

[Lunar15]

Shyamalan Twist: Everyone on GAF was a paid advertiser for some company.

 

[snap0212]

A half-dozen got shut down today. More will die later.

Where's the evidence? I'm unable to find anything.

 

[qko]

Should be a question all Journalists ask at E3:

"How much of your Marketing budget goes toward Reputation Management?"

 

[gazele]

seriously—can someone explain to me why this is wrong? because it might actually be effective?

Huh? Because they're being disingenuous and pretending they are just normal people

 

[Mononoke]

Wouldn't surprise me. A lot of the major subreddits (especially r/politics) is run by organizations that push the content/conversations in the direction they want it to. There is plenty of bot accounts, and accounts used to organize upvotes/downvotes, and to push content. So this doesn't surprise me one bit. Reddit has lost a lot of credibility. Obviously the only way to reddit is to unsubscribe from the major subreddits. However, the fact that Reddit's owners turn a blind eye to these major subreddits being corrupted (that are featured on their homepage) is disgusting. Then again..it is reddit.

 

[Perkel]

1st reply from that redit thread:

BRILIANT:

Meanwhile at the Sony Reputation Management department....

 

[parazen]

This is why groups like the Frag Dolls are such a good idea. Instead of paying shills and potentially getting caught, just pay hot girls to be up front about the fact that they represent you. I'd much rather have pretty girls spread my messages than weird creepers.

 

[Hari Seldon]

This shit should be illegal. Like false advertising or something. And fuck anyone who works in marketing and does this shit. That is scumbag ambulance chasing lawyer level type shit.

 

[StuBurns]

I don't believe Microsoft would do that. The Xbox One is an exciting product, and clearly has a number of people excited for the dawn of a new era in digital entertainment, only made possible by Microsoft's industry redefining infinite power provided by The Cloud™.

I think we should all contact our participating retailers and get our preorders in early, personally. Microsoft won't let us down.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

sadly i'm sure RM goes on in gaf as well.

 

[FlyFaster]

it's disgusting.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

What a horrifying time to be a Junior.

 

[Rubezh]

I don't get shills. Why even bother?

They drive me away from the product they're trying to promote as they all use the same textbook arguments (e.g Steam does it!) which have been refuted by other users time and time again without adding value to the discussion.

 

[Valnen]

Ehh.. lets not turn this into a witch hunt.

That's my only problem with this particular issue. I've been accused of being a shill on more than one occasion because I've had an unpopular opinion about a game.

 

[AranhaHunter]

Bish crashing the astroturfing party:

From SunhiLegend:

:lol

 

[VeryGooster]

From SunhiLegend:

Only one way to find out...

The call is coming from inside the house!

lmao

 

[jtb]

Huh? Because they're being disingenuous and pretending they are just normal people

ok. we can start by ethics. It's disingenuous. Just like when Sony artificially raised view counts of their music videos, it's lies. And we don't like being lied to.

people lie on the internet. it's anonymous—this is a given; planted shills or not. at the very least, I don't think they or anyone on the internet for that matter have any obligation to tell the truth.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

Ahahaha so desperate. They even pinpointed one of the accounts trying to spin MS's bullshit and downplay the DRM issues:

http://www.reddit.com/r/HailCorporate/comments/1fv43y/account_created_the_day_after_xbox_one_reveal/

 

[rapid32.5]

so sad, they opted to lose more cash on marketing and bribing everyone's ass than on used game sales, just wow.

 

[FroJay]

This doesn't just happen in the world of gaming, it happens in the OT as well, and has been happening for years. People are paid by different organizations to contaminate message boards with whatever topic they want promoted, in the fashion they want it promoted in. The fact that people are just starting to catch on now is mind boggling.

 

[crooked spin]

Not surprising, I always figured that people who have different opinions from my own are actually employed by huge corporations. No sane individual would ever disagree with me, IMO.

 

[AutumnAve]

Spectacular, laughed the whole way through.

I still felt the malice from the movie scene, though. It worked on two levels, it was sad when you realized

Spoiler

he got banned by the end

 

[Seik]

C'mon Bish!!! The big shiny button is right there, at your reach!

I'm sure you're dying to do it, man.

So many people want it to happen as well!

 

[Wickerbasket]

I, for one, am shocked and appalled.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I don't get shills. Why even bother?

They drive me away from the product they're trying to promote as they all use the same textbook arguments (e.g Steam does it!) which have been refuted by other users time and time again without adding value to the discussion.

Yeah that is a red flag that someone is a shill in my mind. They all got the same script from some dumbass marketing manager.

 

[krypt0nian]

people lie on the internet. it's anonymous—this is a given; planted shills or not. at the very least, I don't think they have any obligation to tell the truth.

You are defending paid posters.

 

[Ashes]

people lie on the internet. it's anonymous—this is a given; planted shills or not. at the very least, I don't think they have any obligation to tell the truth.

What you're on about?

 

[SlowRevolution]

people lie on the internet. it's anonymous—this is a given; planted shills or not. at the very least, I don't think they have any obligation to tell the truth.

Aside from being contrarian for contrarian's sake, what's the point defending this?

 

[tfur]

Man, not only defending their own product but also putting down the competition. And not even being very nice to the users there. How is that supposed to win hearts and minds?

Aaron Greenburg school for kids who can't PR good.

 

[coldfoot]

Why aren't MS outsourcing this to India?
That would be perfection

 

[Brashnir]

Corporate shills nothing new, wait until they get on GAF.

They've been here for years, and not just from MS.

 

[Kung Fu Grip]

I sure have good instincts

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=61863329&postcount=4472

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=61864925&postcount=4558

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=61865541&postcount=4580

 

[RiPPn]

More sleaze from the company that wrote the book on it. Don't know why it's still alarming, but for some reason it is.

Faked console reveal
Faked audience
Faked forum posting

Fake fake fake assed company!!

 

[hwalker84]

So some random Redditor writes a story thats negative so it has to be true huh?

 

[clockpunk]

Fantastically ironic username (for thediscussion) there, crooked spin!

 

[watership]

So we really reached this point? Thats low MS.

It's low for everyone. It's not just MS. Every company does this, but in a way that 'protects' them. They engage marketing companies, and then set goals, but they don't get into specifics... probably "just don't do anything that will backfire on us." If MS wants to clear this up, they should put an end to this by telling their marketers not to do this. But they probably won't.

Viral/social marketing is like corporate espionage. No one admits to doing it. No one will call out another competitor for doing it, because .. in reality, they are all doing it.

 

[DominoKid]

ah the standards of my field...getting lower and lower. the number 1 rule? don't get caught.

 

[FlyFaster]

From SunhiLegend:

Works on so many levels, couldn't have chosen a better scene/movie.


edit: do it Bish!

 

[Kazuma Kiryu]

If you think this is new or unique to microsoft you are deluding yourselves.
I know it's hip to shit on MS right now, and the XB1 is shaping up pretty terribly, but this is nothing to get mad about.

This isn't new or exclusive to microsoft, you are right.
But microsoft is, right now, trying to spin everything about their awful decisions to soften the blow about the xbox one.
Honestly, what goes on in reddit is their concern, but i want these shills (from every company) to just stay away from GAF.

 

[jtb]

You are defending paid posters.

Aside from being contrarian for contrarian's sake, what's the point defending this?

I'm saying I don't see what's wrong with it. I'm not pro-anything (besides iOS <3), I'm just anti-shitty logic.

so explain the logic, and I'll gladly jump on board the hate train

What you're on about?

it's anonymous. the whole point of a forum is that there's a disconnect between your real self and your internet persona; isn't that the appeal of places like reddit and 4chan and, hell, even neogaf vs. something like Facebook where your identity is tied very clearly to your real life persona.

I see people that willingly post things all the time pro-whatever. there are people that go through all kinds of mental gymnastics to support X political party or Y product&#8212;and they're not getting paid shit. what makes them any different from someone who does those things and is getting paid? stupidity is fine as long as you're doing it for free?

 

[Broder Salsa]

yes. MS has a marketing department. I can't really muster up the enthusiasm to manufacture outrage for this, sorry.

I would prefer to when discussing new consoles, not doing it with people who gets paid to say what they say and hiding it at the same time, but with actual consumers like myself...

 

[Face it Tiger..]

"[–]GamingPrince 11 points 4 days ago
For me, the main reason is the service. XBL is way better than PSN in my opinion. Second reason, the controller is absolutely amazing! Better than any other platform in my opinion. Last reason, the games. This may seem crazy, but 15 exclusives and 300,000 servers is absolutely amazing. Plus, looking back at all the exclusives on Xbox 360 compared to the ones on PS3, the Xbox 360 ones were better in my opinion. The only two games I really liked was Infamous and God of War."


Holy shit, I can't breathe!

 

[Alebrije]

MS paying marketing strategies used in politics for image management. Cute.