[HOAX] I Was a Paid Internet Shill [HOAX]

You said you wear banned from God like Production.... Your on a home computer right? Not on your "work computer"?

Originally posted by Ex_CT2
I had my own doubts throughout; and I'm pleased to know that so many others had the same sort of "vibe" about this. I have to wonder what the motivation for such "confession" would be. Surely anyone who's actually done so much research would know that we're not that easily taken in.

All in all, I find the whole thing unsatisfying, confusing, and a little... is creepy the word I'm looking for? Maybe it was a test to see just how gullible we really are? Maybe TPTB are behind it after all?

IDK....

The word creepy isn't bad for this, but it is because you probably took the time to read other people's posts on this thread and how they believed the fiction, the op's fiction I mean. You are witnessing first hand how people are so willing to believe about anything as long as it is presented well. Politicians are doing this daily. Yes, this is creepy.
You had the vibe but you almost fell for it didn't you? What made you "pleased" is really better stated as it "reassured" you that you can trust your spidey senses. Nobody wants to think that they are susceptible to group mentality or peer pressure. "what does everyone else think?" "am I the only one that thinks this?" "oh, good, other people think he might be lying too"
Yes, this story is complete fiction, there is no question. Enough people will keep feeding the attention craved, but in the end it will come out or they will help create the rest of the narrative for the op's story.

Isn't that just like a shill to come into this site and pretend to be a shill? Indeed, like a brilliant shill who creates a user name claiming to be an ex shill and then engages in a flurry of drive by shootings with minimal text so that he can hurry up and make a thread about his experience as a shill. Nope, I'm not buying this at all and only a shill would fabricate such a story pretending to be a shill. Sheeeesh.

Originally posted by Jean Paul Zodeaux
Isn't that just like a shill to come into this site and pretend to be a shill? Indeed, like a brilliant shill who creates a user name claiming to be an ex shill and then engages in a flurry of drive by shootings with minimal text so that he can hurry up and make a thread about his experience as a shill. Nope, I'm not buying this at all and only a shill would fabricate such a story pretending to be a shill. Sheeeesh.

Did you even read it? Because your post gives the impression you did not...

I hate to break it to you OP, you weren't a Shrill, you are a troll.

reply to post by NeoVain


I read it twice and all the replies which is why I am posting on page two instead of one, and I am not replying to the O.P., nor anyone in particular because there are so many replies that challenge this confession and that is really what I was speaking to in what I had hoped was a lighthearted way, but you are certainly entitled to your opinions.

Oh hell, I was so busy reading and rereading the O.P.'s confession, I thought we were still on page two. Doh!

reply to post by ExShill


I'm not trying to start anything here or discredit you, but, if you were still a shill, it seems like this might be a good tactic to get members on a site like this to take your side of the argument, to gain people's trust. Just saying...


Great story, Star and Flag

Don't trust you though. nothing personal

reply to post by ExShill

whoops...

My task? “To support Israel and counter anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic posters.” Fine with me. I had no opinions one way or another about Israel, and who likes anti-Semites and Nazis?

You have "no opinion one way or other about Israel" (Semites) and at the same time you refer to disliking anti-Semites and Nazis? Later you restate that you are still pro Israel. So...

Whoops...

A completely un verifiable story about propagandizing the internet without conscience, then suddenly getting conscience... but not enough to expose them for who they are. All you really achieve here is get everyone to suddenly look more closely at each other because the site is "full of rats". Good job.

Hey everyone, how to call propaganda not propaganda lesson to be learned.

Since I firmly believe that Israel is behind the fear mongering about terror in America's Media, this would play right into their play on words. Be very afraid, the poster after you is an Semite. What??? Or, the more respected you are on here, the more the Mystery members will try to get you, lol.

Not sure just how true your post is, OP.

Regardless, I've been called a shill plenty of times for having an opposing opinion, mainly on Ron Paul. Truth be told, I'd rather have my own opinions than be paid money to spew those of someone else.

I say bull dooky.

I started reading the OP and before I got to the second paragraph I was saying, "I've read this before".

Plus the fact that I am a paid internet shill and I've never seen you at the meetings!

(No, I'M Sparticus!)

we get these threads once every 3-4 months, the "I was a shill but now i'm one of you" thread.
personally it reeks of, "let me get all your opinions on the way shills operate so we can do everything opposite of that and remain anonymous while you argue about nothing"

right?

Although decently written and having a story-book undertone, in my opinion, I just cannot believe this to be anything more than a pure fabrication. Of course, I could be wrong, but I am going to trust my instinct and logic on this one. The first, and one of the few, threads I created here was about disinformation agents, and how logically I could not accept their existence in anything more than an extremely small, and very narrow, scope.

I could regurgitate the points I made from that thread to add some premises to my conclusion, but I don't particularly feel the need to convince anyone else at this point. So why am I posting at all? Well, here is why...
I want to tell the majority, at least over 50%, who I see alluding to belief on just about any thread by posting congratulatory and nice responses, that they should almost never simply believe something that is posted anywhere, including this site.

The potential for error is too great, and given the fact that people create threads that are simply untrue or incorrect quite often on ATS I feel that someone needs to and should promote healthy skepticism. In this case for instance there actually is evidence that could have been posted, despite the company name conveniently being changed regularly despite the fact that nothing illegal was going on.

Such as former company names if you know them, the address of the building, your username on all of the sites you supposedly worked, etc. There is a ton more info that could have been given to prove this authentic. And the reason I want this proof, and why I created this post, is not for me, but to provide the unhealthy believers with a sort of template on healthy skepticism. Hopefully my words are heeded. I am just hoping that this proof wasn't provided near the end of your thread, because I just had to stop reading after 2 pages or so, lol.

And also please understand that I am not attacking you directly OP. If I KNEW for a fact that you were making this all up I may have attacked you personally to a degree, while maintaining my position inside the forum rules, but this is not the case. You could very well be telling the truth, although logically I have shown this phenomenon to be unlikely as a whole, and I still give you the benefit of the doubt...

But, that doesn't and cannot and should not mean I believe you, until proof has been established to a certain degree, and I am hoping this will rub off on some of the other posters here, especially the newer ones. Thanks for the thread though, as at the very least you have given me an opportunity to listen to myself talk, lol.

I tangled with a Shill on Pravda. I was calling him out after his repeated attempts to use the very same tactics the OP of this thread was said to have learned. The logic in the arguments of a Shill breakdown at a fundamental level, and get reduced to name calling, and grouping people together into labels. Labels may or may not have a social repercussion. I was being inferred as crazy for saying my belief that war is an unnecessary solution to Iran. I cited my belief in the philosophies of Jesus, and The Muslims thought Jesus was "Fabulous" as it were. So the Shills argument became, well you Christians are yada yada yada...Never said I was a Christian. I believe in Jesus, not an organized body of worshipers.

There was much more to the exchange, but what made me suspicious that he was a Shill was that he just outright said War is his Job. I was like DAMN.....

If you guys are curious, I can link it here. It's not like I'm afraid and need to hide behind an Avatar or Anonymity.

Thanks, and Yes I do remember the Older Post on this site about "I was a paid shill."

Maybe it will turn out the OP isn't for real and this was another of the hoax threads along these lines. A few months ago I wouldn't have had a doubt.

Since then, I've had more than one person suggest a slight variation of this as the 'best' and most effective way to get SEO results for my websites. These aren't goobers in 101 level web design courses with dim ideas, but people well into the degree programs and/or running outside businesses doing it. The approach suggested has been to simply get onto every forum, everywhere imaginable and work something around to getting my URL into a post. Two is better...then drop the site and move on.

Unethical ...doesn't do it justice in my mind and I don't do things that way. However, if people around the net professionally are suggesting it for Search Engine performance without money directly involved at all, I don't have such a hard time considering the possibility that these "jobs" do exist out on the fringes.

These are the kind of tactics campaigns would deny and not have direct connections to.....but still quietly using from time to time. Perhaps the OP was what he says he was.

Names.

Give them up.

Now.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
Perhaps the OP was what he says he was.

if you worked for a shill company, and then at the end had a change of heart,
would you not film the location and divulge as much personal information about said company as possible?

that's mostly the reason I don't believe it. he could ruin them and bring the others to light.
what they are doing is plain wrong, and they need to be held accountable I believe, this guy would have the ability to do it, but rather, he instead posts an ego slanted account of his view of the events on ATS.
no youtube video undercover or nothing.

$20 bux says the "ExShill" never returns to this post.

Interesting story by the way. A little too detailed. Kind of gave it away.

PS- Usual Israeli shills use "Megaphone" and don't all crowd into one building on one IP block. No reason for shills to be all in one building. Be it an "old, beaten down building".

Originally posted by JiggyPotamus
...

Such as former company names if you know them, the address of the building, your username on all of the sites you supposedly worked, etc. There is a ton more info that could have been given to prove this authentic....
...

A very strong point. If he were telling the truth and were genuinely contrite, those are exactly the sort of things that would flip me.

So, to the OP: If you set out to expose something--expose it! If you set out to do us a favor, do us a real favor and do a complete and honest job of it.

Thanks, Jiggy, for clarifying that for me....

reply to post by yourmaker

indeed... and he wouldn't be the first one to come up with this line. If he doesn't come back then that pretty well settles it. At the same time, I've certainly seen and heard of telemarketing fly by night scams. This is basically just an electronic version of a scam anyway. The payoff is poll points and ratings to the "client", not money.

I'm just saying I don't have a problem with the idea this exists and happens. In thinking about it, I know I've seen staff right here at ATS put the whammy on a thread and the brand new member it came from on sight. The little bit I've seen that talked about around here, it's past problems returning and simply kept as far out of public view as an issue as possible.

Perhaps we do have shills working here...and staff is on top of it more than some other locations. Just an idea.... If this does all happen, it makes for real food for thought on how threads are viewed sometimes.

No offense to the OP if I'm wrong, but this is like a freaking script, only "Paid Disinfo Agent" became "Paid Shill".

At least I know I wasn't the only one having some hardcore deja vu!