MWJB I disagree that creating a thread to discuss something is the same as promoting it. It’s just as likely that people will decide against a purchase based on negative reactions in a thread discussing it.
People like Scott Rao and Patrik Rolf have taken the device seriously enough to experiment with it, and I don’t think they were being somehow unfair to prospective buyers by doing so.
I’m not on board with the idea that not talking about something will naturally result in better consumer choices, or even that informing purchase decisions should be the primary consideration when deciding what to discuss on a forum.