Sponsers and Forums

SynMike wrote:

I dont mind participating in a sponsored forum as long as I know who is sponsoring. If the BS gets too much I can leave, but some sponsored forums get along alright.

One sponsored forum bothers me because every time the owner does a watch review he sends it out to everyone as a PM. I don't trust his judgement in the first place, but that is a different matter. If he is going to write a review it belongs in a forum post under "Sponsored Review", not as a PM as though his biased opinion is important enough to spam me with PM.

I'd actually prefer to join a forum owned and operated by the manufacturer, where the manufacturer actually participates. That is far better than one that is just supported by sponsorship dollars. If I join a forum owned by the manufacturer I want to read accurate information direct from the source.

I guess in short I don't mind a biased forum, as long as there is open honesty about it.

Very true. The issue is honesty and being upfront about who pays who - and if you're being paid or getting a "gift." Back when I was a street journalist, I regularly - and routinely - rejected all "gifts" (bottles of whiskey at Christmas whatever) from sources and people/businesses/agencies I covered. Almost all of the folks were not trying to buy me. But you could not afford to take the chance.
Also, sponsorship is not bad (money IS good) has long as dissenting opinion is not muzzled.

Unfortunately, such practices of buying loyalty is ingrained in the culture. Some buy opinions of watch collectors and some buy the opinions of politicians. It is all pretty much the same thing.

I honestly think that SOME forum owners go overboard in trying to protect their sponsors from reading critical comments. It is the forum and not the brand that is the problem. I won't mention any names but some of us were regulars on such a forum.

Bannned!