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by jmcintyre 4653 days ago
It's something like being a devil's advocate, plus being a fan. Spreading mistruths actually hurts things. When people say things like "Windows 8 won't boot without secure boot enabled", it's no longer opinion(like "MS sucks and is dying") but an objective fact that can be checked.

It's not effort expended per se, since it's more like debating merits of phone OSes at the water cooler rather than work. If they're paying people to do it, then they're doing quite a shitty job. I don't feel the need to "defend" other companies, because companies like Apple and Google already have plenty of fans who point out inaccuracies in stories or comments even before I even get a chance to comment.

Imagine an article which erroneously claims Windows Phone has "25% of the phone market" and that "Android is declining". Now imagine the HN comments on it and how karma might be distributed on those comments. Do you really think the equivalent to the following comment which is currently on top would still be on top?

programminggeek> "Microsoft has really fallen these last few years."

Or would it be a comment accusing the author of being a "Microsoft shill" ?

The moderation on here is pretty brutal even when pointing out objective facts, I have seen people get hellbanned by getting downvoted for making comments that people don't want others to see, but are true.
1 comments
phaemon 4653 days ago
Ok, that makes sense when it's factual matters. But I have seen people whose entire comments history is comprised of defending a corp, whether that be MS, Apple, Google, or other. And I mean literally all their comments: no jokes, no random asides. Everything is supporting "their" company. I guess they must see it like it's a football team they support.

And there is no "if" on whether MS are doing it (employing paid shills). It's a fact that they are. They may well be doing a shitty job, but they're hired all the same. Of course MS are not the only ones; other companies do exactly the same thing. That's pretty much what "Social Media Consultants" are.

Thanks for the reply!

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