madmark.myfastforum.org

Mark · Site Admin Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 1052

Black PR and proof of Paid Internet Shills

http://www.911blogger.com/node/12864

Excerpt:

If you’re a regular comment contributor, get into a habit of politely checking when you read something you think might be a "paid interest". The obvious signs are arguments that don’t add up, or positions that defy common sense. I know it’s hard to not rise to the bait; I’m not just saying “don’t feed the trolls”. That only works with a species of troll that is disrupting because of emotional disturbance. The shill proper, especially if paid, isn’t going away just because YOU ignore them. Their job is to control/derail the terms of the debate. So when you see crazy making posts that suggest "paid interest", either:

1: Civilly point out the discrepancies in what they said, and let their response or lack thereof stand as evidence.

2: Contribute laterally to the thread, refixing the frame but not responding to them directly. If they’re on a mission, they will respond to you.

3: contact the site admin if something seems truly odd.

What this will do is help flush them into the light of day and help moderators distinguish honest debate from dishonest manipulation. Habitual dishonest manipulation begs for further investigation. Do not expect a confession or capitulation--you won't get it. Always keep in mind, unless you have access to their traffic data, you could be wrong. That is why you keep it civil and leave the aspect of IDing "paid interests" to the mods.

(Note, this post from 12/07 contains a copy of a large full-color ad for "professional blog warriors." Yes, they exist, and yes, they are paid. --Mark)