zlacker

Risking violation of "don't feed the trolls" here to reply: that seems unnecessarily harsh. FTR I'm not downvoting you any further, but responding in case you have more specific and articulate criticism to level.

>>chrisw+(OP)
I've seen several instances over the years. The one that stands out for me is a post about ICC suing a YC company. It was an astroturf-fest.

>>iratew+4e
If you're going to make this sort of accusation, you should link to the thread so people can make up their own minds. With linkless insinuations, the actual story is usually significantly different from what is being insinuated.

>>dang+Yh
This is a good policy. I've noticed the same thing in my moderation efforts. The amount of gross exaggeration by some users is pretty stark.

>>iratew+4e
The problem with astroturf accusations is that they are all flamebait (even if true), off-topic meta noise (the point stops being discussed in favor of the commenters), and worst of all unfalsifiable (how do you prove you're not a shill?). I've been spending a lot more time on political boards as of late, and I've yet to see accusations along these lines be even a net neutral. On balance, they're always bad.