Sly Web Advertisers - Webmatchers.net

(9/28/08)


I have nothing against someone making a buck, or being an entrepreneur - even if it's not in a traditional line of work. Heaven knows we need out-of-the-box, lateral thinkers these days. But August 8, 2008 I received an email from "Miss Casey Clarke" at Webmatchers.net. She was offering to pay me $100 to put an ad on one of this site's web pages for one year. It seemed harmless, and can't we all use a little extra cash. So I started an email to her saying great no problem, I'd researched their company and found things on the up and up. I didn't actually send the email, I just started it, then I started the research.

I looked at their web site - very sparse with mushy testimonials. The FAQ's sounded like their founder was a Bill Gates in training, starting it at home, etc. The names involved are very common, so I had trouble nailing down who these people are exactly. And my Google search of the company name didn't yield much either aside from their own web site URL.

Then I ran into this article: the 25 July 2008 entry at Geek Hideout: http://www.geekhideout.com/whatsnew.shtml

It details the same scenario - the email offer, the research - only this Geek Hideout guy really knows where to look! Turns out that, according to him, while legal, Webmasters.net is not using the Internet as the peaceful, equitable, loggia of knowledge it was imagined to be. They are scamming the system to make a buck for themselves and their clients who want to make disreputable sites look better by linking on mine!

Well, needless to say, I will not be joining the Webmasters racquet - I mean, team. But I have to take it as a compliment. Must be my own site IS reputable. It's a back-handed compliment, but thanks!