Hey, can you write some unique content for MY site?

[cspelts]

I just got an email that cracked me up - and it's actually pretty smart.

The gist is that this company registered a domain name, then approached me about one of my more popular sites and wants me to submit to them a review of my own site. There's no catch, there's no cost to me, it's flattering to be approached, etc. And it would be a link to my site, so why not - right? And they’re only going to accept 25 reviews, so it’s exclusive – cool, right?

But the thing is it would benefit them far more than it would benefit me. They're requesting an "original" review - so they get unique content for free. And they want a link back to their site on my front page - and since mine is a popular site, that would be a VERY valuable link.

I’m obviously not even considering it – but I think it’s a brilliant idea – from their point of view! Register a bunch of domains, then go through your bookmarks and send out flattering emails to every site you think is a valuable resource, then sit back and if only a small percentage respond, you still get all this great content and links from popular sites.

I can’t see a downside from their point of view, and it’s not too bad of a deal for the sites that do agree to it. After all, it is a link…

[dburdon]

Cspelts,

seems like they're flattering to deceive.

[cspelts]

Yeah, they asked that I describe the site in detail. That could take several pages!

[Webnauts]

I would prefer to write excellent content like articles or tutorials and publish them on my own site.

[bhartzer]

then go through your bookmarks and send out flattering emails to every site you think is a valuable resource

Or, just send out 1 million emails to website owners and tell them their site is a valuable resource. Who wouldn't think their site is a valuable resource?

Kind of reminds me of the spam emails I receive on a daily basis: "I just visited your site www.mydomain.com and thought it is a great site for..." It's too bad that the domain they're referring to has had a 301 Permanent Redirect on it to another site for more than a year (that says that they obviously didn't go to the site).

I'm not saying that your site isn't a valuable resource. It's just that it's highly unlikely that they visited your site. People send out these spam emails all the time.

True, it's a good idea, though. I'm just not into sending out spam emails ;)

[kgun]

• If this is cyclical bull market in a long term secular bear market, as some mean it is, it is a swindlers market. And the internet is perfectly fit to serve as the preferred medium for the swindlers.
• If the assumption above is correct it is a dangerous market, and market psychology can be such that we our self become part of it without conciously reckognizing it.
• Example: I have a case with two Norwegian Companies about payment. I mean they are breaking the law. In that regard, one day, I got a phone call from the compay, Dun & Bradstreet that claim on their site that they:
  "Decide with confidence."
  
  I got a phone call that my company, MultiFinansIT was degraded from a double AA to a C rating. In my view a payment / credit remark is illegal. I got the following offer:
  "We have written a report on your company regarding the downgrading. Do you want to buy that report?"
  
  I said that they could throw the report in the trash can and that I would not buy it. I also told him that I had education on Dr. Scient level (not degree) in Mathematical Finance and told him about my view. He continued, even if I have reserved me against telephone selling in the Norwegian do not call Database. In Norway, it may be regarded as criminal to call you if you have reserved yourself against selling via the telephone. (Did Microsoft win a case about email spam? This is much worse.) He continued, the report only costs NOK 2000, but you shall get it for NOK 1000. I shall buy a report about degrading my company that I personally mean are based on an illegal credit / payment remark:
  1. From a telephone seller.
  2. A report that can (I think is) not (be) deep enough. At least, Dun & Bradstreeet, has not asked me about my veiw before the report was written.
  3. From a global company that does not respect the law in the country they are operating.
  
  Conclusion:
  Dun & Bradstreet, a company that claims to offer insightful reports of millions of companies worldwide are now offering their reports for 50 % comission via telephone sellers breaking Norwegian Law.
  
  Sorry for the subjectiveness.

[cspelts]

Originally Posted by bhartzer

I'm not saying that your site isn't a valuable resource. It's just that it's highly unlikely that they visited your site. People send out these spam emails all the time.

The email they sent felt more personalized than I've seen before. If it was generic spam, it was very very good generic spam!

This particular site attracts a lot of attention, and gets a lot of traffic, so I'm used to fielding offers that make sense. This particular "offer" though had nothing to offer me!

[brian.mark]

Wow... that's brilliant. Bloody brilliant. I'm going to have to spam people... I mean flatter people... to get some of my new projects up and running.

Then again, I've got some better ideas already that have worked well in the past.

Brian.

[bhartzer]

cspelts, I hope you didn't think I was meaning that your particular situation that you described didn't happen and wasn't genuine. I haven't seen your site, so I cannot comment on it. But, I'll take your word for it. ;)

I have heard of people sending out emails like this, so that's why I mentioned that it could be spam, but it sounds like that was not the case in your particular situation.

That brings up another idea: what about putting some 'generic' questions together and sending out emails to people telling them that you'd like to interview them for an upcoming article about their site's subject/topic. The questions could be generic enough to appeal to just about any business: how did you get started, how long has your site been online, where do you host your site, what type of server, etc. and then use their answers as content.

Everyone loves to be interviewed!

[brian.mark]

Originally Posted by bhartzer

Everyone loves to be interviewed!

I guess that explains rumblepup's blog. ;)

Brian.

[cspelts]

Originally Posted by bhartzer

That brings up another idea: what about putting some 'generic' questions together and sending out emails to people telling them that you'd like to interview them for an upcoming article about their site's subject/topic. The questions could be generic enough to appeal to just about any business: how did you get started, how long has your site been online, where do you host your site, what type of server, etc. and then use their answers as content.

Everyone loves to be interviewed!

Exactly! Yeah, this particular email cracked me up, but I also thought it was pretty smart.

I actually do interviews - either live with a digital recorder or through email. And I have an active forum, so my users are generating original content every single day. There are lots of ways to get other people to write unique content for your site - this particular approach was just a new one to me.