Blog Minx

Over the past week or so I have spent many hours watching super-human feats of strength in the Olympic Games. World records have been broken as contestants somersaulted off diving boards, ploughed through the pool, quadruple-flipped their way across a gym mat and cycled until their muscled legs could cycle no more. We’ve seen laughter, tears,  medals… and a bit of fakery.

Opening ceremony: some of the fireworks were digitised.  Little girl singing: not the real singer. Cheering crowds: partly Games employees called in to fill the empty seats. It didn’t detract too much from the wonder of the events themselves, but still – you always feel a bit duped when someone deceives you.

But fakery lurks everywhere, particularly in the blogging world.

1. Fake identity
Many hot blondes are just avatars while a male writer pulls strings in the background. But if the content is good, do you care?

2. Fake comments
I get enough fake comments from Nigerian students to go on, but would you ever fake a”great post” comment to fill the gap?

3. Fake links
Those affiliate links may be real, but did you disclose them before you told people to click on them? And did you really endorse the product or did it just pay a good commission? (I’ve been guilty of this one with Text Link Ads. Didn’t like them, never used them – but kept a tile in my sidebar just in case.)

4.  Fake news
If a blogger announces they make $200 a day from their blog, or they sold their blog for $40,000, how do you know they’re telling the truth?

All in all, it’s a mixed up world out there and sadly we may get burned from time to time. I’m not prescribing 100% cynicism; however, never accept candy from an unknown blogger.