Here's the difference between viral marketing and being a beta tester:
A beta tester is given gear for the sole purpose of testing, stressing and debugging a product and reporting back to the company who makes it so that they can improve the beta product. They're given free product to give feedback based on their expertise.
A viral marketer is given free product in exchange for promoting that product to their peers, usually with the understanding that they don't represent the fact that they got the product for free or are in any way affiliated with a viral marketing campaign paid for by the company that manufacturers the product. Viral marketing does not work if the person acknowledges that the product was given to them in exchange for promotion, which is why it's being used nowadays since most consumers don't buy the marketing crap most corporations are spewing.
For example, I regularly get product from MSI, AMD, AOpen, WD, Antec, etc at work for the express purpose of building demos or gaining hands on experience with their products. However, since my employer has a somewhat strict ethics & gift policy, these products remain their property and I'm not at liberty to take them home (and I sorely wish the work rig was at home and not at work). This is to prevent any manufacturer from exerting undo influence over an employee who should not be motivated to sell, promote or recommend any product because he/she received free samples. Those items I did get for free are usually have a small monetary value (for IRS and ethics reasons) which would doubtfully cause me to endorse them soley because I got them for free. i.e. my razer copperhead and eXactpad. Even when I've posted why I like them, i'll tend to acknowledge that if I had to pay for them my opinion may be altered since a $50 mouse is a bit much
So I have a problem with AEG and their affiliates covertly touting Nvidia's products in exchange for free cards. Honestly, while you might not be "paid" in cash terms - a $500+ video card several times a year isn't chump change.
And what's more is most of them have denied it, claimed they purchased the product(s), and have planted posts to discredit rival companies, sought to ban rival company "fanboys".
Not once have I seen any of those posts that were supposedly made "because gee...the product is so much better I had no choice but to recommend it even though it costs more than a complete system" mention that maybe they wouldn't be so enthusiastic if they had to pay the $700 for a 7800GTX 512 that was extremely hard to find, let alone purchase.
And don't think you were harmless. There's hundreds of posts a day by members in GH asking what upgrade to get, to validate their system or asking for advice that would probably swallow the recommendation of the AEG shills because the shill can speak the jargon or has abit more knowledge about VGA technology.
Glad you're all outted...can we get a ban?
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