Shills........

[lwien]

We know that shills visit most any site and FC is no exception and in a few threads here, it was and is painfully obvious that they were present. What I am curious about is how it works.

Does one person use different names with mulitiple IP's, and if so, how does that work? Or, does a manufacturer pay various people to shill? Just curious as to the mechanics of all this.

The other thing is, they need to go to Shill School. If one is going to infiltrate a site, they "should" know how to do it without being detected.

Thoughts?

Suggestion. Let's try not to mention any specific manufacture (we already know who they are) but rather keep this discussion generic.

 

[Plotinus]

i don't know who they are

 

[Nosferatu]

If the company is huge, they probably pay a lower down coworker to do it. Thats why they suck so much, they dont care they are just getting payed. Or it could be one person doing it to promote their product, with an IP changer so they cant be found out. I dont think there is a pattern or standard of how its done. Just a company with a shady product trying to spread the word anyway they can, doing it themselves if they have time, or maybe paying someone, who knows.

 

[Egzoset]

Thanks, one more (new) word added to my vocabulary:

http://www.google.ca/search?q=Shills

 

[lwien]

If the company is huge, they probably pay a lower down coworker to do it. Thats why they suck so much, they dont care they are just getting payed. Or it could be one person doing it to promote their product, with an IP changer so they cant be found out. I dont think there is a pattern or standard of how its done. Just a company with a shady product trying to spread the word anyway they can, doing it themselves if they have time, or maybe paying someone, who knows.

Ah, never knew that there was such a thing an an IP changer.

 

[steiner666]

Or just a proxy

 

[AGBeer]

Not necessarily an 'IP Changer' but just a spoofer of sorts. Their initiating IP doesnt change, but the one the hosting server sees does.

 

[Nosferatu]

Ip changer isnt the technical term I just couldnt think of it. I think its just a proxy that makes your Ip from static to ever changing, whatever its called.

 

[VWFringe]

yeah, sucks, but you know what...i heard a different way of looking at it, they were talking about isht that gets done in someone's name, like a politician...not directly asked for, but done to curry favor, or just because they thought the guy would appreciate it. I think that accounts for a lot of the world's ills, and it might be why you see some reviews by people who are just trying to do a favor, or on the dark end of the spectrum they might just be trolling for email addresses and check card numbers.

screw shills - i report em when i find their reviews on Amazon...I came accross a 5-star review for a book on Amazon, and reported it, hahahaha...it was so obviously by a colegue who was just fluffing the book as "covering the material in a user friendly way"
but it was about GMO's/Monsanto, and that's not right
i reported it as abuse
hahahaha

 

[Pappy]

I've exposed my share of FC shills but came to discover the best remedy is the little "Report" button on lower right.

 

[Stu]

I've reported several potential shills the same way. I let the mods do it, and stay out of the fray.

 

[VWFringe]

do you think shills are like Agent Smith in the Matrix? they take over someone else's body just for a bit, to plant an image in our minds, then poof- they're gone again?

i think, when i hear that there are paid political analysts who come up with lists of lies for people on TV to repeat over and over again, like terrorism against the public's mind, those people who repeat the messages become shills, just for those moments...setting themselves up for a pay-off, or just doing it in the name of someone else?

so i think pundits are shills basically, hahaha

 

[Egzoset]

Follow the white rabit!

 

[lwien]

I've exposed my share of FC shills but came to discover the best remedy is the little "Report" button on lower right.

Yeah, I do that too but for some odd reason I'm compelled to confront them if for no other reason than to expose their reason for being here thereby informing lurkers not to take their reviews seriously, however, I've kind of toned down my rhetoric and instead will just throw out a sly remark to help identify who is who.

 

[DevoTheStrange]

I've exposed my share of FC shills but came to discover the best remedy is the little "Report" button on lower right.

Yeah, I do that too but for some odd reason I'm compelled to confront them if for no other reason than to expose their reason for being here thereby informing lurkers not to take their reviews seriously, however, I've kind of toned down my rhetoric and instead will just throw out a sly remark to help identify who is who.

You wouldnt be lwein if that compelling behavior did not exist. I've come to expect some form or another of that type of behavior from you and wouldn't like it if it disappeared.

 

[vapirtoo]

Yes devo I must concur.
Lwien has a certain style,
all his own
a real EFFin FC character.
Much love

 

[Pappy]

I've kind of toned down my rhetoric and instead will just throw out a sly remark to help identify who is who.

Me too. I'm practicing taking the high road.

 

[lwien]

I've kind of toned down my rhetoric and instead will just throw out a sly remark to help identify who is who.

Me too. I'm practicing taking the high road.

Yeah, but I gotta tell ya that the low road sure is fun to travel sometimes.

 

[mattybass]

Perhaps someone familiar with internet protocol will correct me, but simply having a dynamic IP address (ie: one that changes at each new instance of browsing) would allow multiple accounts and avoid IP bans. Either that, or a proxy to mask the host computer. Certainly a proxy would do the job but I am fairly sure a dynamic IP would allow the same thing.

Again, might be talking out of my ass here..

 

[AGBeer]

Perhaps someone familiar with internet protocol will correct me, but simply having a dynamic IP address (ie: one that changes at each new instance of browsing) would allow multiple accounts and avoid IP bans. Either that, or a proxy to mask the host computer. Certainly a proxy would do the job but I am fairly sure a dynamic IP would allow the same thing.

Again, might be talking out of my ass here..

Yeah, its called dial-up.

I think this is the only way to ensure your *source* IP is different each time you surf the web. Be advised that chances are it will be within a range of designated IP addresses as well (which is why most hackers use proxies of sorts - socks 5 are preferred) In essence, someone ELSES IP address is always the answer (misdirection) I would imagine a shill would use something like Onion Routing (see - Tor/Vidalia) to avoid detection if they were trying to penetrate and (stay) to help promote their warez.

Its similar to the cop that goes undercover. They get to grow their hair, not bathe, etc to fit the part and blend in.

 

[Pappy]

Yeah, but I gotta tell ya that the low road sure is fun to travel sometimes.

Don't get me started.