When is a shill not a shill?

A shill - the common term used when trying to destroy the reputation of someone who opposes your train of thought but who is the shill?  The accused or the accuser?  I'm sure the majority who have followed the case of Madeleine McCann for any length of time have come across the use of the word 'shill', a weapon to silence individuals who are deemed a nuisance to a specific cause.

Internet shill

An Internet shill is someone who promotes something or someone online for pay without divulging that they are associated with the entity they shill for.

A shill might create a Facebook or Twitter account, set up a blog or simply comment through these and other channels, such as discussion forums.  The purpose is to artificially improve the social perception of the entity shilled for.  Shills promote companies, products, public figures and viewpoints for profit, while pretending to have no motivation for doing so other than personal belief. Alternatively, they sometimes denigrate someone or something, such as a political viewpoint or a competitor’s product, that is in conflict with the entity they serve.
 
It can be difficult to detect when inflated metrics are the result of cyber shilling.  Often, the people doing the actual work are not hired directly by the people they shill for.  Someone seeking an enhanced reputation might contract with a domestic firm that performs some less questionable service, such as social media consulting. The consulting firm, in turn, might contract with a cyber shill company based somewhere with very low labor costs. At those premises, low-paid workers perform the actual work.

More complex Internet shill jobs, such as spreading disinformation, are more demanding and may be well-paid. Such jobs may be telecommute positions or conducted from temporary offices which are frequently moved to avoid detection.

Shill derives from shillaber, a word used in the early 20^th century for the accomplice of a carnival worker employed to excite interest in the games and sideshows while pretending to be a member of the general audience. Internet shills are sometimes referred to as cyber shills or meat puppets; the fake identities they create are sometimes called sock puppets. The practice of using fake identities to promote a product or service is known as sock puppet marketing.

The practice of artificially creating buzz for someone or something is sometimes called astroturfing. The name is word play on grassroots, which refers to authentic movements and trends that develop as a result of the real attitudes and behaviors of people.
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Mmmm - it's a poser isn't it? 

Well, I venture to suggest the accuser is more likely to be the shill than the accused - invariably the mouthpiece is the one to watch, they have a message to convey whereas the accused doesn't need to justify their existence. It's really that simple!

How tragic that the loss of a little three year old child can be used as a tool for destroying so many lives.

Equally I'd argue that the loss of a 3 year old has been used as a tool to protect even more lives - or possibly, a way of life.

Rogue-a-Tory wrote:Equally I'd argue that the loss of a 3 year old has been used as a tool to protect even more lives - or possibly, a way of life.

Amen to that!

It doesn't however detract from the fact there is beyond doubt a negative force within the forum and without, who appear to have no purpose but to disrupt and attempt to destroy over eleven years of work.

As regards the accusers and other destructive influences, the theorizing is of no importance, their only concern is that of relentlessly trying to stifle what is intended to be a good cause, to find a way by fair means or foul, to destroy a forum and the reputations of particular members.   They bandy words like shill and troll and hater and conspiraloon - but why? Oddly enough similar words used by the McCann faction.

Why are they so desperately opposed to a specific group of people who only, I repeat only, want to see justice for a little lost soul named Madeleine McCann?