Disney has a secret army...

[Planogirl]

Interesting. Where are these quotes coming from? Are these actual posts? If so, it would be interesting to see the links.

I also see the other extreme where low count posters come to bash Disney, so it goes both ways. Wonder who is paying them?

Maybe they are thinking for themselves.

 

[Planogirl]

lol, I would have been too! I really am very sorry about that. I think that's a sign that it's past my bedtime...

LOL, I just did the same thing but corrected it quickly. I know that I'm tired.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Maybe they are thinking for themselves.

Maybe they are being compensated by Universal?

 

[wisblue]

IMHO, accusing another poster of being a shill for Disney (as some posters on this forum have done) is a lazy and narrow minded way to dismiss someone's opinion. Someone resorting to that tactic is essentially saying that they think their opinion is so clearly the only sensible one that anyone who disagrees must have some sort of bias.

 

[rajak73]

Maybe they are being compensated by Universal?

LOL, that was my thought too.

 

[Lucius Best]

IMHO, accusing another poster of being a shill for Disney (as some posters on this forum have done) is a lazy and narrow minded way to dismiss someone's opinion. Someone resorting to that tactic is essentially saying that they think their opinion is so clearly the only sensible one that anyone who disagrees must have some sort of bias.

Not exactly. Yes, they could think they are right and everyone else is wrong. But it's also possible to come across an opinion that is so irrational/illogical/uninformed that the only sensible conclusion is that the poster is either a shill or really not smart.

 

[Ambear]

Not exactly. Yes, they could think they are right and everyone else is wrong. But it's also possible to come across an opinion that is so irrational/illogical/uninformed that the only sensible conclusion is that the poster is either a shill or really not smart.

Really? I haven't come across any opinion, positive or negative, on these boards that was so crazy I thought they were being paid (or stupid). I'm seriously curious what you consider an opinion that has made you think this... Obviously no names cause we're speaking in code here.

 

[Jennasis]

Really? I haven't come across any opinion, positive or negative, on these boards that was so crazy I thought they were being paid (or stupid). I'm seriously curious what you consider an opinion that has made you think this... Obviously no names cause we're speaking in code here.

I can think of at least one...negative review.

 

[Marionnette]

I'm fine with a blogger writing glowing reports on their own blog. If Disney is recruiting them to invade message boards in order to promote their brand or to shout down dissenting views, then I have a big problem with it. There are some posters on here who have become so vehement in their support of "all-things-Disney" to the point of being rude and condescending to other viewpoints. I would hope that they are simply zealots and not candidly representing Disney.

 

[BugsDaddy]

Maybe they are thinking for themselves.

Oh, gotcha. So, those people who make positive posts are being paid off by Disney. Those who make negative posts are "thinking for themselves".

 

[Lucius Best]

Really? I haven't come across any opinion, positive or negative, on these boards that was so crazy I thought they were being paid (or stupid). I'm seriously curious what you consider an opinion that has made you think this... Obviously no names cause we're speaking in code here.

I don't want to debate whether there are opinions on the internet that I find crazy/stupid, because then I might end up drifting into stupid territory myself.

For me it's more about the body of work than one specific opinion/post. Posters who repeatedly defend Disney, and dismiss people who have valid complaints, and minimize the problems other guests are venting about, and are 100% sure of everything. Are they trolls? Are they lashing out because they love Disney and every criticism is taken as a personal insult? Do they have an agenda? I suppose it's possible they are shills, but I find it difficult to believe that Disney would actually spend money to spread propaganda here.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I'm fine with a blogger writing glowing reports on their own blog. If Disney is recruiting them to invade message boards in order to promote their brand or to shout down dissenting views, then I have a big problem with it. There are some posters on here who have become so vehement in their support of "all-things-Disney" to the point of being rude and condescending to other viewpoints. I would hope that they are simply zealots and not candidly representing Disney.

Honestly, I think the rude and condescending posters probably are just zealots. But there are some Disboard members (no one on this thread) that are so over-the-top saccharine in their posting style that it makes you wonder. Especially when they post links to their own blogs (which I understand is now being cracked down upon). Maybe they're not receiving outright compensation from Disney, but if a blogger/poster is hoping to get an invite to an exclusive event at Disney, even if they have to pay for it, and they know that they'll increase their chances to get said invite by only posting positive things about Disney, then IMHO, they might as well be receiving direct compensation, because their reviews and opinions are no more valid to me than someone who discloses up front that they're on the till. In fact, I think people who don't disclose that they blog favorably for Disney in hopes of getting to this mom blogger event are worse than people who are up front about receiving compensation. At least with the compensation disclosure, you know going in. Without it, you're left to speculate.

I know I saw a post fairly recently (within the last month) to a blog post from one of these mom bloggers who in addition to be invited to Disney for this mom blogger conference, also ended up winning a night in Cinderella castle while at the conference. If there are only 200 invitees, then yeah, a 1/200 chance in staying in a place that normal people can't buy their way into at any price is enough "compensation" IMO to sway anything they post about Disney. I'd guess those 200 invitees have never publicly posted a negative review of Disney, because I'd suspect that to do so would take them out of the running for being invited to the conference, and thus would eliminate them from possibly winning a night in the castle suite. If any of them are reading this and want to correct me, please do.

 

[wisblue]

Not exactly. Yes, they could think they are right and everyone else is wrong. But it's also possible to come across an opinion that is so irrational/illogical/uninformed that the only sensible conclusion is that the poster is either a shill or really not smart.

Yes, that could be possible, but look at it this way.

How would you feel if you posted your honest opinion and someone said that you must be a shill for Disney? Would it upset you that someone was essentially saying that your opinion was so irrational, illogical, and uninformed that if you aren't a shill for Disney then you aren't very smart?

I know how I feel when those accusations have been directed at me.

 

[crostorfer]

Oh, gotcha. So, those people who make positive posts are being paid off by Disney. Those who make negative posts are "thinking for themselves".

Is there a reason you seem to be taking this so personally?

 

[WillAustin]

Are they lashing out because they love Disney and every criticism is taken as a personal insult?

Probably, more often than not, I think this could be the case. Brand loyalty in many industries puts blinders on people. Look at Apple, Samsung, whatever...

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think there are just personality differences as well. We're all wired differently. Some people enjoy debating, getting down into the numbers, etc and that can be perceived as being negative. Some people just want to enjoy their "happy place" and focus on the positive stuff and that can be perceived as an overload of pixie dust. Neither perspective is wrong. Maybe we need a Myers-Briggs test and break up into appropriate forums

At the end of the day, I think everyone who visits is still donning their Mickey Ears and visiting with a positive attitude once they are there.

 

[BugsDaddy]

Is there a reason you seem to be taking this so personally?

I summarized what the general flow of thought was on the subject. It has been repeated again and again on this thread. If you don't choose to post at least some negative opinions on Disney, you are either stupid (as has been stated in this thread) or somehow being paid to spread the Disney agenda. If you have a few negative opinions on Disney, then you might be ok. If you are just here to criticize everything Disney puts out, then you must be a "free thinker".

 

[Lucius Best]

How would you feel if you posted your honest opinion and someone said that you must be a shill for Disney? Would it upset you that someone was essentially saying that your opinion was so irrational, illogical, and uninformed that if you aren't a shill for Disney then you aren't very smart?

Sounds like you must have defended Disney somewhere, then someone called you a shill for Disney, so your feelings got hurt so you call them lazy and narrow-minded?

How would I feel, I don't know, no one has accused me of being a shill for Disney. I think it helps that I am lucky to have never posted anything irrational, illogical, or uninformed. But it probably wouldn't upset me. I know I'm not a shill, and I know I'm not stupid. If I'm going to get upset when someone disagrees with me or childishly starts calling me names or is sarcastic/patronizing/condescending, then I should probably just log off the internet. Obviously I would rather participate in a forum with civil discourse, but my feelings aren't going to be hurt if someone I don't know calls me a name.

 

[Planogirl]

Oh, gotcha. So, those people who make positive posts are being paid off by Disney. Those who make negative posts are "thinking for themselves".

I never accused anyone of being paid by anyone else. I think that it's possible that some do lurk on these websites that are in this "secret army" but there's no evidence of that.

I do believe that there are people that will defend Disney no matter what it does. I would assume that there are possibly people that would do the same for Universal even though I personally haven't seen that.

 

[BugsDaddy]

Not exactly. Yes, they could think they are right and everyone else is wrong. But it's also possible to come across an opinion that is so irrational/illogical/uninformed that the only sensible conclusion is that the poster is either a shill or really not smart.

Personally, I think to call someone stupid because you don't agree with their viewpoint is just poor behavior and would hope that the majority of the posters can rise above that sort of thing and would also hope that is not something they are teaching to their kids. Not to mention, it is specifically against the rules of the discussion board.