"Andre Jute" said:


Moderated groups where the moderators have been told who pays for the
existence of the group. Moderated groups where it is permissable to
abuse any manufacturer except the insiders, who paid for the group
directly or indirectly. Moderated groups where it is impossible to say
that Rochlin and his EnjoyTheMusic are shills for the least deserving
advertisers. That in itself turns those moderated groups into
despicable mouthpieces for greedy undesirables like Steven R. Rochlin.
Run there, Steve-baby, don't walk.


I am a moderator on a Dutch electronics forum, and a visitor in some
other Dutch DIY audio forums.
I can assure you that on "my" forum, posts with any commercial intent
are removed at once, even if they're by employers of the companies
that support the site by allowing us to place banners.
That is forum policy and clearly stated in our FAQ.

Also, on the other forums I visit, commercial posts are frowned upon,
and usually removed, unless the poster has something of value to add
to the discussion.
E.g. some people at Hypex offer valuable and useable information when
there are questions about their (use of) products, and often on other
subjects as well.
We know they're posting there as individuals with an interest in DIY,
who happen to work for an audio company.
Heck, I even work for an audio company myself (not that it is of any
use to anyone, since it is PA and not DIY- or tube related).
In case a conflict of interests would rise, if even remotely, I step
out of the discussion.

I don't know how this is done in other DIY forums all over the world,
but I hardly believe it is as bad as you suggest it to be.

--
"All amps sound alike, but some sound more alike than others".