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There is no such thing as bad publicity / JAG 2.0
JAGging has evolved. The hype catalyst message board posts have been a staple of DiS for some time now, long enough for patterns to be seen. Looking back at those who've generated the biggest number of responses (the JAGs and Craine Trains of this world) and reference, there seems to be a few common themes about them that help cause their plethora of responses, keeping them buoyant at the top left of the DiS front page.
1. Bad grammar / spelling mistakes
Everyone loves to be a grammar Nazi. It's a fantastic way to counter an opinion without actually responding to any of their original points to give the illusion of a victory. When replying this way to a JAG, it's an easy way to express your dissatisfaction towards the original poster without having felt that you've wasted too much time doing so.
2. Lying / Patronising
This one's an extension of the pedantry from the last point really. If the grammar retort fails to thwart the interest in the original post, the disgust at the idea that someone's lying to you on an internet message board can also keep a post alive way past its sell by date. Whether it be the original poster claiming to have "stumbled upon" a band, being an industry insider giving you a philanthropical tip on the "next big thing" or going the full Craine route and creating a sub community of lies, replies and identities until everyone gets so confused that the only thing they can agree upon is the fact that a lot of people lie on the internet.
3. Persistent replies
Once again I'm bleeding out from the previous point here, but if all the community has to go on is one original post, it won't take long before they tire of the source material. By replying with open-ended responses that utilise the points mentioned here, the whole thread can spring back into life.
What the JAGger cares about most is eliciting a response. It doesn't matter whether it's positive or negative, but as long as that post remains high in the postings, there's a greater chance more people will see it. If some replies are positive, which there are more likely to be the more replies there are, then more people will click the original link. If all replies are negative then morbid curiosity or sympathy or simply being in on the joke will still get them to have a listen regardless.
So when I see posts such as "new artist gonna be big in 2009" with the same cycle of replies (albeit usually damn funny when from DanielKelly or Roytor-Hatford and some others), you encourage the JAGgers.
The worst part is, I suspect most people are perfectly aware of this, but the therapeutic feeling they can get from dispelling their vitriol towards a hate character who is acceptable to dislike throughout the board community is comforting to them.
Go on, admit it. You all love the JAG.