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A question concerning ethics

Should business professionals related to the audio field be required to register as such when joining Audiogon or making public posts ? I am talking about those that are involved with manufacturing / marketing / advertising / wholesaling / retailing, etc... audio gear or audio related accessories. After all, if someone is "raving" or "bad-mouthing" a product or product line, i want to know if they are simply a "joe average" end user / consumer or if they have something to gain by promoting or slagging specific products. Would this be out of line in your opinion ?

Obviously, this would be done on the honor system since anybody can make comments with total anonymity and thicken their wallets or take pot-shots at their competition. The fact that MANY that post here have made their affiliations clear only adds credibility to their posts since they were willing to be up-front and honest to begin with. Those that "string along the crowd" can only expect complete distrust once they are found out. I am not going to name names here, but i think that a few of the guilty parties will know who i'm talking about. Sean
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sean
bluenose
387 posts
 
Sean, I agree with you completely on this one. I didn't chim in earlier because I don't have any suggestions at the moment. But I might add that I enjoy manufacturers joining in for the pure love of the gear. I can learn here and maybe become a better listener. Heck, I now believe in power cords, a year ago I didn't until I talked with a seller here who when out of his way to help me with my decision. You notice how the very best dealers respect each other and say good things about their gear even if they don't sell it themselves? This makes for trust and respect. Unfortunately, I don't know how to level the playing field....just some thoughts, regards, bluenose
rcrump
427 posts
 
I think that it would make sense to have a code after each person's name like Audio Asylum as there is way too much promotion going on over here......I think it would give a different perspective on some posts as I know I for one don't like much of anything other than what I build, but that can be said of most manufacturers and retailers as well......Time to clean it up a bit......

Bob Crump
TG Audio/CTC Builders/DDR Mfg
brulee
564 posts
 
I agree with Tomthompson point of view. If you are new to this site it won't take long to figure out the good guys from the bad. If you buy on hype then you unfortunatly get what you deserve. I also agree with Cornfedboy who has been as good a watchdog as he is a poster. Sneaking in the back door is IMO unethical. Sean, if you have proof of this going on then wouldn't it be ethical to point out the culprit or culprits? Once a manufactuer lets members know who he or she is they can be very good contributers. I have found Ken Lyons of Neuance to be one of Audiogon's most respected and knowledgable posters. He is just one example as there are many more. Sean, you say you are not going to name names. I can understand why you would not but if you no for a fact that this is going on, Wouldn't it be benificial for all members to name names?
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,132 posts
 
Brulee- this has been an issue discussed at length before, and there is a fine line between information exchange/shameless self-promotion/exploitation of the medium's anonymity/outright deception. There are legal (read libel/slander) issues as well that Agon has had to deal with as well. I think just about everyone agrees that it would be nice to be able to know any poster's background. As I said before, verification in the problem and Audiogon has been pretty firm about keeping this site from deteriorating into a flaming war. My advise would be that until Agon comes up with an identification code that is easily verifiable (and with hotmail accounts thats pretty hard)if you see someone crossing the line, maybe just send a private email to anyone who might be the target of exploitation. We can watch out for each other and help out the newbie who hasn't caught on to these shameless types.
sean OP
6,229 posts
 
Brulee, i forwarded some of the pertinent info to Audiogon a few days back. I have yet to see / hear anything from them. Since this is their site, i made them aware of the prime offenders and will let them deal with it. If the offenders continue to do "self promotion" at the expense of other dealers / manufacturers, i will make mention of it publicly. It is a shame that it comes down to something like that, but obviously some folks don't know what ethics are.

As such, there is no need to name names. The guilty parties are quite aware of what they are doing and that it is just a matter of time until they are "busted". I would think that fear of public humiliation would be enough to make someone wise up. I guess we'll get to see firsthand just how brave / dumb some of them really are. Sean
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