GW employee pretending to be a member of forum

I just read this on another forum and it hit me that this could be very true.

There's a conversation that employees of Anet are told to sign up in forums and pretend to be an average gamer like us. They are to refute and spin any bad thoughts about faction, I guess with all the negative things being said about Faction, they are trying to changing our mood.
The forum is suppose to be free from Anet's influence...any thoughts on this?

Um, no it's not. Gaile Grey posts on here regularly, and if you observe the member list closely, especially late at night, you might see the names of a couple devs.

Yes, I have a thought on this: Paranoia.

I think Anet has better thing to do for their emplyees, whom they have to pay after all.

Edit: Slade, the thought is that Anet has their people do this annonymously, to forge positive player responses, so to say.

why not, it makes sense to me. But if they are doing this then they are truely doomed since their time are worth more fixing the game rather than bickering with forums members. On the bright side at least someone is listening....

NO MERCY TO THE FAKE FANBOIS!!11

/Fastcast flare

gee sounds like the typical "im realyl a girl playing this game" because im playing on a female character...

the simple truth is that if they wanted too, theres no way that you or i could tell/prevent them from doing this if it was truly happening. I find it pathetic that they would have to sign up anonamously (sp?) on a forum to promote their product and defend it. They would have way way way more credit with me if they did it knowingly and when someone has a complaint about the game, they respond to it on their take on it and maybe they have some advice on a situation that we dont see or understand completely.

Well, there is something against pretending to be an ANet employee on Guild Wars, there is nothing about pretending not to be an ANet employee.

Its a really sad thing if they are doing this. I would like to hope that the basic contacts, such as Gaile, and such are enough to smooth out any ruffled feathers.

Unless a website SPECIFICALLY says that you must disclose that information, than they are in the free and clear and that they have done nothing wrong.

I would hope they'd at least have someone reading the forums. Maybe then they'd understand the problem with the alliance system. Gaile doesn't have a clue, and it's not possible to go into detail with her in the Kaineng Center International District 1 setting.

Crap you've blown my cover!

Actually if they wanted to do this it would be better off to hire some company to do so. There are companies that estabilishing multiple forum identities and spend all day secretly promoting whatever product they are paid too. Guerilla marketing is a big niche already.

When Gaile post here, she's generally neutral, but to have other Anet employees here pretending to be us and bashing anybody that criticize Faction, then thats plain wrong.

I wouldn't care if they did have someone running spin on the forums. Their job is to sell a product. The people that buy that product often hang out on forums. People usually only post when they are complaining, if you only read complaints you would think GW sucks. Truth is, it's probably one of the best games ever made, and people should say so if they feel the same way.

IF an Anet employee does post here then i doubt they will bash ppl for stating their opinion and remember not al lAnet ppl work on or have anything to do with this game

every office has a tea boy..

GW Shadow Fourm Ninja?

I think its a good marketing strategy. Also would show that the Dev really care about our feed backs.

Not suspicious at all....

With the lies and half-baked rationalizations they've had Gaile feed us, Anet doing this kinda thing wouldn't surprise me one bit.

there are enough people who like the game to make something like this completely unnecessary.

only a completely embittered ..........who wants to believe anything bad about Anet could fall for a rumor that someone said something about what they think someone might be doing

i know i am paranoid but am i paranoid enough.......

I think it's kind of funny that people are talking like this doesn't happen in any other game.

This forum's conversation should not be influence by Anet. It is here to gauge the feeling of the community toward Faction. Even at the cost of revenue of ppl that haven't bought the game yet and are turned off by the negative comments. It is here for them to see why we are upset and fix it.
But to have their employees here spinning all the negative comments around is just wrong.

OMG now i have to get more paranoid in more places.......whew it was just my shadow but yyouu never know for sure that it might not jump up and bite you

I really don't care.

Contrary to what you think, GWG is not only about whining about Factions. :O The Riverside Inn isn't the only forum on this board.
By the way, if they are here posting about the issues, no matter which way they post, aren't they still gauging the feeling of the community towards Factions? I don't mind a few people from ANet posting against us as long as it means they're actually reading what's on this forum.

I am your shadow. o_O