I get called a "shill" about 2-3 times a year here on BITOG. I really think this noun or intransitive verb is technically used mostly as a slang noun so I guess it can mean whatever the author wants. In the recent EAO15K used to 26K miles thread I really felt this word was used incorrectly and was just thrown out as an insult. The author did back off a bit when he saw that I was not some brainless automaton or some scared kid.
The word shill has always meant a plant or a stooge (or plan using such), a person who publicly pushes a product without disclosing that they have a close relationship with the company. And in some cases it is indeed illegal. In expanded definition by some people it can mean pushing any product by a salesperson, which is hardly illegal when fully disclosing who you are and what you represent. At best it's a fuzzy silly slang insult. If you want to throw the word "shill" in a technical discussion, please be aware that others may consider you intellectually lazy at best.
The word shill has always meant a plant or a stooge (or plan using such), a person who publicly pushes a product without disclosing that they have a close relationship with the company. And in some cases it is indeed illegal. In expanded definition by some people it can mean pushing any product by a salesperson, which is hardly illegal when fully disclosing who you are and what you represent. At best it's a fuzzy silly slang insult. If you want to throw the word "shill" in a technical discussion, please be aware that others may consider you intellectually lazy at best.