Should Pro-Staffers Make Their Allegiance Known?

[fishing 247]

Just what the topic says, should pro-staffers that post on this site make their status known?

I've noticed a lot of them really push their "brands" whenever someone asks for input about rods, reels, line, lures, etc. I've noticed it a bit more in the rods and lures discussions the most. Almost seems misleading when someone joins up to ask for advice on a rod or something and the pro staffers jump in and glorify their supporters product. What u guys think?

[promax]

I think people should know shimano has a lifetime warrenty on rods from 40 bucks up and you can catch a lot of fish with nightcrawlers lmao .If there are pro staffers here endorsing there products.they should send anyone who reponds to there post a free sample of what they worship.I mean if it is that darnnnnnnnnn good it shouldnt be a problem !!!

[avid]

To me this an absolute must.
Integrity is everything. If you are promoting a product and extolling it's virtues while all the time hiding the fact that you are affiliated with the company, then I will feel like you are sneaky, and not to be trusted.

[mhood]

From this moderator's perspective: While I agree that we should be able to "see" a Pro-staffer's patches, it seems to me that it would be a nightmare to administrate.

[KoYak]

Just what the topic says, should pro-staffers that post on this site make their status known?

I've noticed a lot of them really push their "brands" whenever someone asks for input about rods, reels, line, lures, etc. I've noticed it a bit more in the rods and lures discussions the most. Almost seems misleading when someone joins up to ask for advice on a rod or something and the pro staffers jump in and glorify their supporters product. What u guys think?

Yes! That would be so nice, But as Mhood has said, it would be almost impossible to administrate.

Mike

[avid]

I don't see the problem.
Just create a sig line and require that all affiliation be listed.
Sig lines are common on fourms, so I don' think it's much of a technical feat.

[Cal]

and require that all affiliation be listed.

That's the problem... how do you enforce that?

What's to stop a pro-staffer from signing up to the forum under a generic user name with a generic email address? There's no way we can effectively monitor something like that.

It makes more sense for people to take all advise with a grain of salt and a bit of common sense that overzealous recommendations or denouncements probably come with a hidden agenda - pro staff or not.

There's no substitute for critical thinking

[Fbass]

What's to stop anyone from BSing all over the place?
I agree it would be good to have that information. Plus it could allow us to ask specific question thru MP to the right person. If somebody wants to hide his connection to a business there's no stoping that anyway.
It doesn't hurt to keep some "critical thinking" anyway!

[splash]

I am currently sponsored by:
Kistler Rods
Team Daiwa
Sunline
Hobie Polarized
Minn Kota
Hummnibird
Also several lure companies, but these are the ones that will usually come up in disagreements. I chose these companies because I think/thought they are the best. I used them all for at least a year before submitting a resume to be sure. You can usually tell a newbie prostaffer because they start jumping into every thread and making comments like, "you should really check out so and so" or "look at these, they are THE very best, you just need to trust me on this". I've been guilty of this in the past myself, but not in order to try to get you to buy something, but because I was that excited about it. Not all prostaffer's will try to mislead you to get you to buy their companies products, but there are some. As Cal said, use common sense when reading these forums, there is no absolute best product for everybody. What works best for me won't necessarily be best for someone else. Take what you read and pick out what sounds interesting about each product and base your decision on what sounds like it will work best for you!

[mhood]

Also, after you've been here a while, you begin to notice the posters who recommend the same thing over and over again...

[Cal]

Also, after you've been here a while, you begin to notice the posters who recommend the same thing over and over again...

just like fishing... you gotta put your time in on the forum ...

[splash]

Also, after you've been here a while, you begin to notice the posters who recommend the same thing over and over again...

Well, that could mean several things, such as we're still using it and still believe in it even tho we're not sponsored, same but we are sponsored or we're full of crap and just trying to promote our sponsor's whether we believe in them or not! I have a couple of sponsor's whose products I had some initial success with and was pretty high on that I never mention anymore and when my contract is up I won't renew. I've also had sponsors who after beginning a relationship with decided I didn't like their business ethics and pulled out. It's our job as sponsored anglers to promote the products, but most of us won't lie about them, we just won't say anything. Unfortunately there are some that will say anything for anybody just to be a "sponsored Angler", and those are the ones that make a bad name for the rest of us, and the one's that created the term that is so loosely used on here now as "patch pirates".

[Vladimir_Kazan]

T3Forum/viewtopic.php?t=12327

[mhood]

I suppose the Pro-staffers are the "Another" right Vladimir?

[Vladimir_Kazan]

Let's vote?
(in sense, what it is right to outline)