Keep an eye out for shills

YAYitsAndrew · Feb 1, 2006, 01:25 PM

Penny arcade has recently broken the skin on a form of advertising that game companies use. There are advertising agencies that will create personas on message boards, engage in real conversation, and then slip a link to the product in in such a way that it doesn't seem like advertising.

The example given is as follows:

Shill: Hey guys I'm looking for some cool websites any suggestions?
*Everyone posts websites they like*
Shill: My friend showed me yayitsandrew.com and I think it's great except for all the corpses.

When they're not advertising, they're posting on the forums to build the personas they will use to pull this shit. They have to make at least 5 posts an hour.

Just keep an eye out for this shit; who knows if one of those people are right under our nose.

Vikingod · Feb 1, 2006, 02:48 PM

Thanks for the heads up, will definetely keep an eye out around these forums.

daedal · Feb 1, 2006, 04:31 PM

Wait.. Andrew, isn't that what you've just done?

Dyre Straits · Feb 1, 2006, 05:59 PM

I caught two of them right on this forum last night and reported them to a moderator.

MiDri · Feb 1, 2006, 08:15 PM

Hey guys, I just found this awsume website! You should totally check it out http://www.hardwareheaven.com/

MSX · Feb 1, 2006, 09:50 PM

Haha! nice

edit: I love how something thats been around for years is featured on penny arcade and suddenly public forum enemy no1 or something.

Really this kind of thing has been done on forums around since the mid 90's. Some mods just ban and delete. The others just let it quietly go on as its forum software and they would hope everyone will voice actual opinions of the game as the thread progresses. Thats the main risk a company takes in doing this kind of thing. If you create a crap game it will get flamed apart, and the marketing people are not paid to defend themselves from being flamed.

My issue is that its been around forever and suddenly everyone is like "OMG their trying to trick us!!!!!" because penny arcade decided to draw a comic. I'm glad this comes as a great revelation to you all, but the rest of us dont really care. It was like a Seinfeld joke. It would have been funnier if it were about airports.

Customgamer1 · Feb 1, 2006, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiDri

Hey guys, I just found this awsume website! You should totally check it out http://www.hardwareheaven.com/

You took my idea lol

YAYitsAndrew · Feb 2, 2006, 12:14 AM

Those are all good sites, but I think yayitsandrew.com is the best. I don't like the swearing, though.

Feb 1, 2006, 01:25 PM	#1
YAYitsAndrew Anti-Piracy Poster Boy Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 2,605 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	Keep an eye out for shills Penny arcade has recently broken the skin on a form of advertising that game companies use. There are advertising agencies that will create personas on message boards, engage in real conversation, and then slip a link to the product in in such a way that it doesn't seem like advertising. The example given is as follows: Shill: Hey guys I'm looking for some cool websites any suggestions? Everyone posts websites they like Shill: My friend showed me yayitsandrew.com and I think it's great except for all the corpses. When they're not advertising, they're posting on the forums to build the personas they will use to pull this shit. They have to make at least 5 posts an hour. Just keep an eye out for this shit; who knows if one of those people are right under our nose. __________________ "It is because the resistance to paying for copyrighted material, although often characterized as arising from a supposed technical burden or principled concern for the public interest, arises rather from exactly the same segment of the brain that is dominant in shoplifters." - Mark Helprin, Digital Barbarism In other words, it's never okay to steal even if you think you have a good reason! www.yayitsandrew.com

Feb 1, 2006, 04:31 PM	#3
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	Wait.. Andrew, isn't that what you've just done? __________________

Feb 1, 2006, 09:50 PM	#6
MSX Burning the frozen... Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 1,201 Rep Power: 0	Haha! nice edit: I love how something thats been around for years is featured on penny arcade and suddenly public forum enemy no1 or something. Really this kind of thing has been done on forums around since the mid 90's. Some mods just ban and delete. The others just let it quietly go on as its forum software and they would hope everyone will voice actual opinions of the game as the thread progresses. Thats the main risk a company takes in doing this kind of thing. If you create a crap game it will get flamed apart, and the marketing people are not paid to defend themselves from being flamed. My issue is that its been around forever and suddenly everyone is like "OMG their trying to trick us!!!!!" because penny arcade decided to draw a comic. I'm glad this comes as a great revelation to you all, but the rest of us dont really care. It was like a Seinfeld joke. It would have been funnier if it were about airports. Last edited by MSX; Feb 1, 2006 at 10:00 PM.

Feb 2, 2006, 12:14 AM	Thread Starter #8
YAYitsAndrew Anti-Piracy Poster Boy Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 2,605 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	Those are all good sites, but I think yayitsandrew.com is the best. I don't like the swearing, though. __________________ "It is because the resistance to paying for copyrighted material, although often characterized as arising from a supposed technical burden or principled concern for the public interest, arises rather from exactly the same segment of the brain that is dominant in shoplifters." - Mark Helprin, Digital Barbarism In other words, it's never okay to steal even if you think you have a good reason! www.yayitsandrew.com

Feb 1, 2006, 02:48 PM	#2
Vikingod Int'l Fish Liaison Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: By the light of lamp I sit and type... Posts: 16,197 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Thanks for the heads up, will definetely keep an eye out around these forums.

Feb 1, 2006, 08:15 PM	#5
MiDri DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 930 Rep Power: 0	Hey guys, I just found this awsume website! You should totally check it out http://www.hardwareheaven.com/