A question concerning ethics


Should business professionals related to the audio field be required to register as such when joining Audiogon or making public posts ? I am talking about those that are involved with manufacturing / marketing / advertising / wholesaling / retailing, etc... audio gear or audio related accessories. After all, if someone is "raving" or "bad-mouthing" a product or product line, i want to know if they are simply a "joe average" end user / consumer or if they have something to gain by promoting or slagging specific products. Would this be out of line in your opinion ?

Obviously, this would be done on the honor system since anybody can make comments with total anonymity and thicken their wallets or take pot-shots at their competition. The fact that MANY that post here have made their affiliations clear only adds credibility to their posts since they were willing to be up-front and honest to begin with. Those that "string along the crowd" can only expect complete distrust once they are found out. I am not going to name names here, but i think that a few of the guilty parties will know who i'm talking about. Sean
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sean

Showing 2 responses by detlof

Sean's point is very well taken. Without wanting to sound patronizing, I think newcomers would and should profit most from Sean's idea. If you have moved around Audiogon for while (like me ), I suppose you'll soon find out who to take seriously and to respect and who - to use this nice old Brits phrase - is talking through his hat! Cheers,
Sean, I still think that Jonathan is a very pleasant and likeable person whose hearing acuity I can easily respect, I also feel however, that he should have laid open his afiliations, as others have done in exemplary fashion. I think your proposition (A) should be sufficient for me and I strongly support it as a must for Audiogon. Cheers!