There have been quite a few "bombshell" gossip threads recently though from other posters. Edit: In the WDW Subforums. I didn't realize this was under the DLR subforums and I don't typically follow these.
I discussed this in one of them. I'm not claiming to be anyone important, but I have been a member of this site for almost 20 years, and in that time I've noticed the following recurring pattern: (also has it really been a year? I thought that expose happened in December!)
- Things are quiet for a while, public opinion and confidence of TWDC seems stable.
- "Bombshell" gossip thread drops, from alleged "insiders" to shake things up, insinuate "actually, things are bad behind the scenes". These always have a similar tone and writing style (lots of snark and sass, for example), and always come with a heavy dose of their signature brand of Doom & Gloom.
- Other alleged insiders come out of the woodwork to agree, call out the others by name, add in their own gossip. Peculiar that they all come "out of retirement" at the same time.
- The community erupts in panic, accusations, convinced the worst is going to happen.
- Some time later, TWDC "corrects course". The end result is NEVER as bad as the gossip implies.
This recurring pattern certainly makes the accusations of that expose thread believable, even if the names and people it threw out are wrong (for instance, it really doesn't seem like TP2000 is who they think it is). I'm also not calling out any names in particular, especially not any members that are always here. There's a stark difference between them and all those who appear at the same time and give each other virtual handshakes. "Looks like the whole gang's here!"
I think it's obvious to everyone that companies engage with their customers/fanbases, etc. through social media for feedback. I typically assume that any new thread that essentially asks "what do you guys think of _____?" from an unknown poster is possibly someone from Disney gathering data. But forums such as this can be used both to gather data on public opinion and sway public opinion. What's less obvious to some is that TWDC is in a unique and privileged position where its brand loyalty is so strong that they could, in theory, intentionally leak gossip and information that makes them look bad internally and actually receive a positive outcome from it. There's also no doubt in my mind that the inner workings of executive level TWDC are so cutthroat that they would use tools like this to throw others under the bus. This is, after all, the corporate culture of TWDC from the top all the way down.
Another thing to consider is that any poster who hasn't at least established themselves as an "insider" can easily appear as one if they follow the rumors and gossip closely enough and write in a creative way that suggests insider information but is really just re-wording what's already being discussed in a more "official" way.
