eldon_79

A certain member has been labeled a 'shill' for promoting a well-known hotel booking site recently.

If he was accused of being a shill why is it that a longtime member who continually promotes the Hotel Bonaparte in Paris or another longtime member who promotes france.com (hotel booking site) not accused of the same thing?

ekscrunchy

A shill would work for the hotel or the site, receiving money or some other benefit for promoting the place. Also known as a tout.

Christina

well, I imagine you know what a shill is, but that appears rhetorical. I haven't read that post, but I presume it's because the accuser doesn't think the recommendations are just personal opinion for some reason and that the poster has some interest or ties to the booking site. There are definitely recommendations on this site that have been that way, although they are usually really obvious (someone only posts to recommend one place, often does it by starting a thread rather than responding to a question, and doesn't ever post on anything else). As for france.com, I don't even remember anyone consistently recommending that site (and I read almost all France posts), so if someone is doing it, it sure isn't obvious to me or that overwhelming. I think you are using biased language by the word "promote" rather than recommend, as promote implies initiating something. I have no doubt that Ira doesn't work for the Hotel Bonaparte, so could hardly be a shill from some town in Georgia, where I think he resides. The Hotel Bonaparte wouldn't know promotion if you beat them over the head with it is my opinion, given how long it took them to put up a web site and when they won't respond well to emails.

eldon_79

Yes, I know. But why accuse a (brand-new) member of being a shill just because some of his/her posts deal with one booking site? If he/she were a longtime member then that would make it allright? That longtime member who promotes the Hotel Bonaparte gets away with doing so because he has posted here for years?

eldon_79

Christina, the person who was accused yesterday of being a shill for venere.com was just recommending it.

Dukey

Here are some dictionary definitions of the term "shill."

a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house, auction, confidence game, etc.

2. a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty.

The "well-known" poster is certainly not "posing" as a customer since he already is one.

The term usually is used with some sort of pejorative feeling.

Personally, I think there is a difference between a "shill" and someone who consistently recommends an establishment which they have found worthwhile in the hopes that others might reap the same benefits.

The reason some folks are criticized here and some aren't is an entirely different conversation.

degas

Some folks might think you really had a beef with ira, and tried to beat around the bush instead of being up front about it. Just a thought.

Seriously, the Hotel Bonaparte is actually owned by Donald Trump and france.com is just a business set up to generate funds to send John Kerry's wife to charm school and Karl Rove to sensitivity training. I thought everyone knew that.

eldon_79

The only beef I have is why this particular new member was treated in such a fashion. Is it not possible that he/she found venere helpful and wanted to let others know? So what if it's a well-known site that's mentioned here? Maybe he/she didn't know it. As to Ira I really find that his promotion of the Bonaparte to be too much that is all.

Clifton

I haven't seen the thread you're talking about, but I have to admit, accusing someone of being a schill for Venere sounds pretty silly.

Keeping advertising off the board is a good policy, I guess, but I can't imagine travel companies like airlines and large booking sites like Venere are paying someone to do marketing through our little threads in travel forums. lol That's along the lines of looking for tour brochures dropped from the black helicopters...

Shills are those independant operator guys of B&Bs and guide services, that get online and pretend to be their own customer. I've never minded the indy's, especially from developing countries, who get on and flat out state what they're offering. But the real schills are scamming before you even do business with them. Fortunately, they're pretty easy to spot (ask about guides in Morocco on the LP board and it's like night of the living dead shills).

ira

Dear Eldon,

Just because someone opined that someone else was a shill doesn't mean that the accused is guilty.

I recommend the Bonaparte because I like it and I think that it would be the right hotel for some people.

I also often recommend the B&B Peterson when I think that it is appropriate.

A few years ago I was accused of being a shill for a particular limo company. It was untrue.

It also turned out that the accuser worked for a rival firm.

I would love to be a shill for various starred restaurants if they would comp me, but no one seems to think that my influence is great enough to warrant the cost.

cigalechanta

Relax elden. When I was posted here, I was accused of being a shill of the Crillon Le-Brave. Some posters if they don't like your personality will do thatas a certain woman.
Everyone likes Ira, that's why he was never accused and he also is not a shill. This is a virtual world. Some posters are to be ignored or you'll get upset over these trifles.
Every Day is a gift-live it

ira

Thank you, cigal

Girlspytravel

Author: eldon_79
Date: 02/20/2006, 07:28 pm
It's interesting to note that worldinabag is affiliated with a website by the same name. This website promotes various European hotels including 58 Via Cavour which it's still called on that website. Thus, it's no surprise he is promoting this hotel.

Soooo, this is an assumption on YOUR part, right? But I guess, since YOU posted it, it must be unassailable, correct? (smile)

Eldon, you've been posting here since 1999? and all I see are 7 posts? Is that right? Virtually all of them criticising long-term posters who actually DO contribute a lot of travel-related information on this site.

Here's a thought: If you want to post on this board so much, then why don't you try offering up some TRAVEL-RELATED information that could actually be of use to travelers-which is, I believe the primary purpose of this board. You might gain a little credibility in that way, because in my book, you have none.

And about the troll nikoremi, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what the poster was doing-there are stealth posters who try to trick people into believing they're regular posters, when in fact, they are just "shilling" for a website, or their own services. Fodor's rightly saw that, and something you apparently overlooked, which is part of the terms and conditions for posting on this site: no ugly, profane language, no advertising. Period, end of story.

Fodor's enforces its rules, and it did so with restraint and good judgment, without deleting the threads, but merely removing the offending posts-they're doing a pretty good job these days in policing the site, without going overboard, and I for one appreciate it.

suze

I was not in on this post yesterday so am guessing at the details. But anytime a brand new poster begins his/her stay here at Fodor's with recommending a certain thing, it is might be viewed as suspicious.

Most newbies come asking a question or needing a recommendation about somethng.

janisj

eldon79: The poster you are talking about is a "special case" and since Fodors deleted his most objectional posts is is easy to think he was just being picked on.

But in the space of two hours he had called one Fodorite "garbage", another "scum", and told a 3rd to f off. So calling him a shill is the LEAST of his problems . . . . .