Blog Azeroth

Greetings all. I didn't know where else to post this so if it is in the wrong place please feel free to move it.

I recently got an e-mail that to me feels like a scam/hacker/goldfarmer but as I am a Noob blogger I figured I would check with all of you FIRST just in case.

The individual contacted me with a form letter seeking to put a guest post on my blog with a link to "one of their websites". The "pay" for doing this is 30 Euros. Now as I am not in Europe anytime I get something that promises to pay in Euros it ALWAYS makes me suspicious.

Is this type of thing normal? Beyond ignoring it is there anything I should do regarding it?

I'm a little lost here what this is you're talking about but if you are worried about getting paid for the job demand the payment via PayPal. It's easy, safe, they don't nee da paypal account (just you do) and it can be any currency. Any other payment method, ignore it. There's absolutely no reason why it can't be paid through paypal.

Sorry if I am not coherent. This whole situation just kinda threw me.

If I understand the offer correctly the individual will pay ME 30 Euros if I allow THEM to place a 500 word post on my blog with a link to "one of their websites". It was the "one of their websites" part that got the red flags waving for me.

I guess I am just a super suspicious person. I would most likely greet an individual who showed up at my door with a 1 million dollar check with "How much do I have to pay in taxes for that? and What OTHER catches are there to this?"

The letter also contained the usual legal jumbo about how it is only intended for the particular recipient and not to be copied or linked in anyway.

I would proceed with causion, and on my own terms: What's the site? Whats the content of the article? Can i read it first? Do they agree that the post will go up as soon as payment is recieved?

Then there are the "moral" questions: What kind of content will I allow on my blog? If it's a goldseller site, do I want to risk the anger of my readers for 30 EUR?

The moonkin blogger Ballerkin (retired blogger) posted a sponsored post on his blog: http://moonkin.info/lower-your-ping-in-wow/. The reactions are quite clear, although it could be fueled by his sudden disappearence.

But sure, hear them out - it might be something decent. Like, some WoW news site wanting to get exposure or something. But I definately wouldn't agree to anything unless I've got every question answered.

Thanks guys I really appreciate the responses. As someone who did not go into blogging in an attempt to make a profit or with a background in journalism I wasn't really sure how to respond. The whole thing felt like some random person came up to me offering cash to put a tattoo on my first born child.

Basically I agree with this advice. You need to make sure you will not be linking up to a bad neighbourhood etc so check up on a few things first such as :
1. The content of the blog post is 100% original and not copied from another website
2. The content of the blog post is not offensive etc i.e. nothing adult, nothing like gold selling
3. The content of the blog post will be something your readers will genuinely be interested in
4. The website that you will be linking to does not engage in black hat seo techniques such as keyword flooding, link re-directs, copied content etc.
5. The website you are linking to does not in turn link or strongly associate it self with other websites that employ black hat techniques.
6. You receive 100% of the money upfront before you post the blog post and after you have seen the post to be and assured yourself it is safe to use.
7. Watch out for links that are not in fact for websites at all, sometimes people disguise links that are actually affiliate links. This is also bad!

This will avoid your blog being penalised by Google and your readers and also of course ensure you are safe. If he tries to say he wants you to post the blog post first and then pay you then just ignore him. It simply doesn't work that way, writers will always write the content first and send it to the client before being paid (that's why writers like third party sites with feedback on them for clients) unless it is a very large project (i.e. over $300) in which case they ask for a 33% payment up front as standard.

Hope that helps.

I received the exact same offer, or so it seems, this week.

It's from a company called pureweblinks.com

I was offered the same payment in return for the same service. I have a phone number of a woman I can speak to in the UK, just haven't called yet. It seemed legit and shaky at the same time, as in some misspellings and such.

I am very curious as to whether or not you followed through with it?

Cheers,

~Ril

PS. Hi Daraia, it's been a while, sorry! How've you been?

Greetings fellow stealthy!

Sounds like you got the same "deal". I checked into the website (it has a "Coming Soon" with the web address.) At that point I didn't follow up anymore. It looked like a phish for their website but if they haven't even got a web page up and running before they start soliciting I don't expect it to go far.

I have a blog besides a WoW one. I've made a few hundred quid off of it from things like these. What usually happens is a company will contact you and ask you to write about a product or website, or will ask you to post something they've already written. I get a lot of these. I never accept if they've not bothered to learn my name. It's a turn off immediately because it will have been sent to so many others.
If they have written my name, then I'll look at what they're asking. Typically I won't post something they've already written. I don't know where the links go, or if what they're saying is true. So I knock that away, too (which is what I suggest in this case).
After that, if they're asking me to talk about a product, I will actually investigate it first. If it's something I or my readers might be interested in, I'll consider taking it up, once I know what it is exactly they want. The typical pay for this is £30 or Euros.

In this case, the pay is about right, but the fact that THEY want to write the post is dodgey. Not because it's likely to be a scam (these things are never really scams) but because they could be saying any rubbish about something. Their product could be faulty or dangerous but they're saying it's safe.

Bottom line: it's not a scam, but that doesn't mean go for it. If what they're asking isn't to your liking - like if I was asked to blog about baby products - then don't accept it. If, however, they want you to write about a product you know and like, take the opportunity. You're only a sell out if you don't believe in what you're blogging.

As for currency, well, I'm in the UK and I was payed $150 for one big post, eventhough it's not my currency. Paypal translates the money into your currency, and the company contacting you is probably based in Europe. It's simple.