September 24, 2008

The porn-for-pay offer that wasn’t

Yesterday I got an email that began:

We’ve seen your website at http://skeetsstuff.skeeterbess.com/2008/01/16/skeet-porn/
and we love it!

The writer then offered to pay me up to $4800 a month for links on my blog. $4800 for links on skeet’s stuff? Okay, that got my attention. Then I re-read the first line and noticed which post they were referring to. Uh-oh! That one, hmmm? Okay, they found a link to Skeet porn and they want to pay for space on my blog. That can only mean one thing, right? They’ll pay big bucks if I let them put porn links in my sidebars and on banners splashed all over the blog. I get offers like that all the time. It was only the payout amount that made this one unusual. Can there really be that much money in porn, that they can offer who-knows-how-many bloggers $4800 a month to advertise it? Whatever amount was being offered, I wasn’t interested, but I was greatly amused. I tweeted the news and started a tempest in a teacup. Everyone wanted details, but since I hadn’t followed up on the offer I had no details to give. In fairness to my tweet-peeps I had to investigate.

It didn’t take me long to confirm that it was a scam (if it seems to good to be true …) and that it had nothing to do with porn. Why the author of the letter chose that link remains a mystery, but I’ll speculate on it. I think that, having found a link flagged “porn,” he decided I might be lacking in moral fortitude and willing to help perpetuate his scam. Guess again, buddy! That post is about how having the word “porn” on my blog brings me all kinds of creepy traffic from folks looking for actual porn. Read my lips, sweetie … skeet don’t do porn. I’ll take your money to talk about Phentermine. If the offer is good enough I might be persuaded to blog about erectile dysfuntion or plastic surgery (in a tasteful manner, of course.) But porn? Nope! Not gonna happen!

For those of you who really want to know, here’s what he was touting. I was to put four block ads on my blog, then send out 100 emails daily encouraging others to do the same. If X-number of those people signed up X-number of people, who also signed up X-number of people, well, then I’d be rolling in money! There’s a catch of course - there’s always a catch. Once I’d reached the third level of sign-ups I’d need to pay a montly fee in order to advance in the scheme. The first two levels would actually be easy to reach, because there are plenty of fools in the world who would see that $4800 offer and sign up without finding out what they were getting into. The entire program is designed to pull people into the third level, where they would have to pay to continue. It’s a classic Ponzi scheme, aka: a pyramid scheme, in which each successive level of dupes is paying the previous levels for the right to join the scheme. Want to know the dead giveaway? The ads are all for the scheme. There’s no product or service being offered. You’re selling ads to encourage other people to sell ads that don’t sell anything except a spot in the pyramid. Those who sign up early will probably make a little money with it. That money will come from the fees of later sign-ups. Ponzi schemes always implode from their own weight. The early recruits will make money for a while, but the payouts get slimmer and slimmer as more folks sign up and only work the first two levels. When they don’t make any money because a saturation point has been reached, they won’t sign up for the third level, won’t pay the fees and the pyramid will collapse. Here’s a tip: any program that can only pay investors from money brought in by later investors is a Ponzi scheme and is predestined for failure. Don’t buy into it.You’re smarter than that.

Technorati Tags: fraud, Ponzi Scheme, porn, pyramid scheme

August 4, 2008

Aftershocks

Jade is a Southern kinda gal, a twenty-something college student. She’s silly and sassy and I think I’d enjoy sitting down to share a cup of cofee and some conversation with her, because she’s also got a head on her shoulders. Her personality bubbles through to the surface in everything she writes. She has opinions. She likes to share them. That’s what Aftershocks is all about.

I don’t get her taste in music at all, but that probably has something to do with us being on opposites sides of a generation gap. (My son is almost old enough to be her father, so it’s a big gap!) She gushes occasionally about her favorite group, Lifehouse, but mostly she talks about the quality of music and the memories and emotions it evokes. Check out her Remember Wednesday weekly feature, which I like, a lot! You might like to join in and post your own music memories. I’d do it if I thought there was still anyone alive who could relate to the songs that stir special memories for me.

While Jade’s musical musing are sometimes a mystery to me, her food reviews aren’t. They’re pretty much all convenience foods, and who among us doesn’t like to keep quick meals and snacks on hand? What makes them special, though, is that most of the foods she likes the most qualify, for me at least, as comfort foods. Who doesn’t like to talk about pudding and mac & cheese? Did you give Chili’s another try, Jade? Try thinking of it as slightly-upscale fast food and maybe you’ll judge it a little less harshly.

Jade also reviews books, telelvision shows and games, health and beauty products and household stuff. If you can buy it, eat it, use it or give it as a gift, Jade probably has a review for your consideration. You won’t find the typical “someone paid me to say nice things” reviews on Jade’s site. If there’s something wrong, she spots it and voices her opinion. I think what comes through the stongest for me is the honesty with which she approaches each review. It’s refreshing and has the skeet seal of approval. Check out Aftershocks. I think you’ll like it, too!

Technorati Tags: Aftershocks, blog reviews, blogs, consumer reviews

June 19, 2008

My “other” blogs

Y’all know I have five blogs, right? Oh, wait! How could you know? I give all my attention to stuff and have never done anything with the other four blogs. I had good intentions when I started each of them. Stuff is all about my cluttered life, but was getting very cluttered itself with so many posts on so many topics, so I thought it would be wise to break out some of my interests and put them on blogs of their very own. The problem is that my life is so cluttered that I’ve been too disorganized to get the other blogs up and running. In keeping with my recent dedication to actually doing something about my messy life, I think it’s time for me to pour a little TLC on my niche blogs so they can be intorduced to the world. I’m starting with the most fun part of setting up a blog - shopping for templates. I think I’ve already found some wordpress templates that are going to suit me nicely. I really like this one:

It’s the Smooth Deal theme from TOPWPTHEMES and I love the way it’s organized. I’m partial to three-column themes, so I’ve only looked at that categroy on the site so far.
Don’t you love the way the title for each posts tabs out to the left, making sharp, clear delineations between posts? The sidebar columns are all set to keep my stuff orgainzed and, of course, it’s widget ready (an absolute must for a techno-doofus like me.) I don’t do AdSense, but there are themes that are Adsense Ready for those of you who do. There are currently 146 WordPress themes at TopWPThemes.com, with more being added all the time, so whatever you need for your blog is going to be there. Oh, did I forget to mention the best part? They’re free! Whether you’re starting a new blog or giving your old one a face lift, this is the place to start when you’re ready for new WordPress templates. I’ve already bookmarked TopWPThemes to my blogging tools folder. Once you see what they’ve got, you will, too.

Technorati Tags: blog templates, free blog templates, free WordPress templates, WordPress templates, WordPress themes

Laura Williams Musings

Y’all know I love contest and games. Some of you are addicted, too. I know, because you show up here on my blog every Tuesday. I think some of you must have found me through Laura Williams’ Musings. For the rest of you, here’s the scoop: Laura posts a list daily of all of the best blog contests on the web. If you’ve ever wondered why I have her badge over there on my sidebar, it’s because she sends me Tuesday Teaser players every week. You can subscribe to Laura’s feed or have each of her posts sent to you via email, guaranteeing that you don’t miss any contest opportunities.

Laura and I share another interest in common. We’re both booklovers, and Laura has dedicated a lot of space on her to blog to thorough and informative book reviews. She must have friends in the publishing industry, because she frequently has books to give away. The current giveaway is With Endless Sight, by Allison Pittman. The deadline to enter is today, so follow the link and leave Laura a comment if you’d like to be entered.

Despite having one of the busiest blogs around, blogging is not Laura’s first priority. She’s a Christian homeschooling mom to seven kids, and you won’t have to read many of her personal blog entries to know that her family comes before blogging and other pursuits. They’re country folks and the kids get much of their learning outside the classroom. They garden and keep chickens, with each child having responsibilities appropriate to their age and abilities. I’m not sure where she finds the time, but Laura is also a hobbyist and manages to find time for scrapbooking, sewing and crafting projects. I’m pretty sure there’s never a dull moment around Laura’s house. I know there’s always something fun and interesting going on at her blog. You should go visit, and tell her skeet sent you. She likes company and always has the welcome mat out.

Technorati Tags: blogs, Laura Williams’ Musings

June 16, 2008

Fans of Tuesday Teasers

Are you a fan? Do you have to visit every week and try to solve my Tuesday Teaser photo puzzle? Could you hook me up with some linky love? We’ve got a great group of regulars who play every week, but wouldn’t your readers like to join in on the fun? It’s likely that your most faithful visitors have interests in common with you, so you’d be doing them a favor by letting them know about features you enjoy on other blogs - like Tuesday Teasers on skeet’s stuff ! My stats will thank you and the game will be more lively with the addition of some new competitors. How’s about a post today (Monday) linking my Tuesday Teaser category so they can see what it’s all about, or a post early tomorrow linking the new puzzle for this week? Feel free to help yourself to my Tuesday Teaser badge if you’d like to enhance your post with a little visual interest.

And hey - all you lurkers? I know you’re there because I get a lot more visitors than players. Come on out of the shadows, y’all. Most of us don’t bite and the game is more fun when you get involved! Give it a try and see!

Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) for giving Tuesday Teasers a boost!

Technorati Tags: contest, games, photo puzzle, Tuesday Teasers

June 12, 2008

I signed up for SocialSpark!

I’ve been providing sponsored posts on my blog for over a year and a half. It’s always been a positive thing for me and, I think, a positive experience for my readers. I like being one of the first to know about new products and services. I like having the opportunity to review or announce new or established websites, products and services that I think will be of interest to my readers. I love, love, love being the first to tell you all about a new movie or TV show and announcing new websites, contests and promotions. You’ve responded with some great feedback. You’ve found a few new things you wanted to check out and some innovative ideas you wanted to explore. It’s been a win/win situation for all of us. The only somewhat negative feedback has concerned disclosure, and I’ve only gotten one negative comment about that. While I haven’t necessarily provided in-post disclosure with each sponsored post, I’ve always maintained a Disclosure Policy (you can find it in the menu at the top of my right sidebar) and made sure my readers are aware that some material on skeet’s stuff is sponsored. Now the same folks who created PayPerPost and pioneered the whole concept of sponsored posting have upped their game and elelvated sponsored posting to a higher level. Izea, the undisputed leader in social media marketing has created SocialSpark, an innovative and sophisticated marketplace for bloggers and advertisers. Some of the high points of SocialSpark include:

The transparency does not stop with in-post disclosure and it’s not limited to what you can see on my blog. The behind-the-scenes workings of my blog are provided to our advertisers, allowing them to make informed choices about the blogs that can best serve their needs. Have you ever wondered who reads skeet’s stuff? The question has always been high-priority to me, because knowing my audience allows me to provide interesting a relevant material that will keep you coming back. My advertisers have a vested interest in my reading audience, too. They need to target their marketing budgets for maximum ROI. SocialSpark provides them with the tools they need.

What you see here is just the tip of the iceberg. SocialSpark also provides statistics on average daily number of visitors, average pageviews, length of visit, RealRank®, Alexa Rank and more. Want to know my average number of daily posts or the ratio of sponsored posts to non-sponsored? You do if you’re an advertiser! The comprehensive data provided by SocialSpark is helping advertisers spend their money wisely and allowing bloggers to reach out to the advertisers they’re most interested in (yes - the information goes both ways!)

If you’ve thought about adding sponsored post to the features you provide for your readers, now is the time to do it. SocialSpark is the platform that allows you to monetize your blog by adding quality content that you want to write about and your readers want to see. Advertisers, are you marketing through blogs? If you’re not, you’re missing thousands of opportunites daily for the kind of exposure you want. It’s affordable, it’s targeted and now it’s customizable to all of your needs. What are you waiting for? Isn’t it time to put SocialSpark to work for you?

Technorati Tags: blogging, in-blog advertising, marketing, social media marketing, SocialSpark

What’s your Philaahzophy?

I’ve been a little afraid of Philaahzophy since the first time I visited and saw Aahz’s tagline: Personal musings on life, business, anarchy, fatherhood, and earning money online. Anarchy? Yikes - scarey word for a good ole’ American gal, ya know? Would there be recipes for Moltov cocktails and instructions on how to corrupt government data centers? Well, no - I didn’t find anything like that. Generally speaking, Philaahzopy is … just a blog. In the writer’s own words: “Philaahzophy is, above all, a way for me to communicate and record daily happenings, life lessons, joys, and losses with my daughter Z.” Pretty mild stuff for an anarchist, huh? Oh, the anarchy is there, and we’ll talk about that, too, but much of what Aahz writes about is the stuff we’ve all come to expect from personal blogs: slices of life from an individual’s viewpoint. It’s a fun viewpoint, too. Aazh is a coaster buff and on a mission to ride every roller coaster in California. Check out his Ride Reports category for a comprehensive list and his critiques. He and his daughter like cheesy roadside attractions, carnivals and cheap arcades, too. As a veteran of many alligator farm and hubcap museum visits, I’ve never lost my fascination for such cheap thrills and appreciate his chronicles. Work-wise, Aahz cares for two deveopmentally disabled roomates. I can see an opportunity there to share information and help foster awareness, but didn’t find any posts categorized on the subject. Perhaps a personal decision concerning the privacy of and sensitivity to the roomies? Aahz, if there are things there you can share, I’d be an interested reader and I know others would, too. First-hand experience carries solid weight and might open some thoughtful dialog. Just something to think about.

So what is Aahz’s Philaazophy concerning anarchy? In a nutshell, the goal is “bringing about the end of government and the restoration of genuine freedom and liberty through nonviolent means.” That’s more radical than many of us are willing to directly support, but there’s much to be learned here. Like most of my generation, I was raised with “my country, right or wrong” philosophy. Those of us who came of age in the trial-by-fire sixties became jarringly aware that -gasp! - governments can be wrong and an informed citizenry is obligated to question the motivations and directions of our leadership. You might call me a cock-eyed optimist (or hopelessly naive,) but I believe that it’s possible to have a truely representative government acting with and in the best interest of its citizens. I don’t want to overthrow our government. I want to foster change to a healthier government, one that functions for and by the will of the people. I believe my position is probably typical of the majority of US citizens today. So, no - I don’t want anarchy and am a little uncomfortable with the term. I do want change and believe that I have no right to demand it without understanding the issues. Ideas and idealistic thinkers - left, right and center - nurture the germinating seeds of the changes that most of us desire. Philaazophy is an excellent resource for 1.) finding information not always available in the mainstream press and 2.) exploring the thought processes of creative thinkers who advocate one approach to change (actually, a collection of approaches.) The anarchy category of Philaahzophy looks at specific instances and broad categories of government action and possible responses. Do I support everything I read in Philaahzopy? No, I don’t. Do I think you should read Aahz’s blog? I do. You have a brain. Put it in gear, look at ideas from across the spectrum and make up your own mind about what your responses should be. It’s the American way. I think it’s Aahz’s way, too. Start with his About Me and Usage Guide page. You’ll get a sense of the man, the blog and the philosophy, and some suggestions for navigation. Where you go from there is up to you.

Technorati Tags: anarchy, blogs, Philahazophy

June 6, 2008

Footprints on the Moon

It’s time to visit with my friend Jenn again. You remember Jenn, right? She’s the one who recently started learning to cook and has shared her successes and failures over at Jenn Cooks. I visited Footprints on the Moon today, where she posts about the daily events in her life, so I thought I’d catch y’all up on what she’s doing when she’s not in the kitchen. First of all, she must be spending a lot more time with her nephew, Killian, because she’s run some great pictures of him lately. That’s him in the photo (stolen from Jenn, natch!) laughing in glee because we’re visiting his Auntie Jenn today. I need a cute little short guy like that in my life.

Jenn’s having some strange dreams lately and sharing those, too. The one she relayed a few days ago was extra funny to me because I know some of the people who were in it. I rarely remember my dreams, but Jenn remembers all kinds of details quite vividly. I’m a little hurt that I haven’t had a starring role yet. Maybe if you think about me and all my stuff right before you go to sleep, Jenn?

I thought I had read everything Jenn had posted recently, but just discovered that I missed a very funny post about a website she visits regularly. Check out Not Always Right and laugh with me, please. You’re going to be adding another blog to your feeds after you finish cleaning your beverage-of-the-day off of your monitor and keyboard.

One more example of why a visit to Jenn always makes me smile. We’re kindred spirits when it comes to having too much stuff, and wanting to keep things we shouldn’t because they have sentimental value. My own struggle with that has been well-documented and Jenn mentions it from time to time, too. I wanted to reach out and give her a big hug when I read about her poor ratty doormat. I get it, Jenn. I truely understand! I took the picture of my little froggy plaque just for you. It’s not the same as having your doormat back, but I hope it helps. I hope some of my readers will come visit you today, too, just to make sure you’re surviving the trauma, ya know? Y’all could do that for Jenn, couldn’t you, please?

Technorati Tags: blogs, Footprints on the Moon, review

May 29, 2008

Getting ready for Friday!

It’s been a beautiful day in the neighborhood. The skies were brilliant blue, with enough clouds to keep things from getting too hot. There’s a little vog in the atmosphere, but not so much as we’ve had on a few days recently. So, what was I doing when the sun went down? Here’s a clue:

Okay, that’s your hint. Did you make a guess?

Ha! You got it wrong!

Okay, okay - you got it half right.

I’m cleaning my grill but I’m also getting ready for tomorrow. I’ll be doing a post for Four Foods on Friday some time tomorrow and this one is going to be really special. Val has been doing FFoF with a different theme each week lately. This week the theme is … go ahead and guess. You’ll get this one right, I just know. Yep, this week we’re talking about barbecue! I’m getting hyped up just thinking about all the new recipes I’ll be adding to my collection, because most of the participants will tell us exactly how they prepare their favorite barbecued dishes. One can never have too many good barbecue recipes, can one? I think not!

Why am I posting today to say I’ll be posting about barbecue tomorrow? I have an ulterior motive! See, Four Foods on Friday has become wildly popular, but there’s something missing. There are no men joining the fun. I know it’s hard for most of you guys to admit that you ever do anything in the kitchen, so I’m making it easy for you to join in without feeling like your manhood is in question. Even a guy who wouldn’t be caught dead making cookies likes to talk about his skills on the grill. I know you’re out there. You contribute your comments to other posts on my blog, but you never have a thing to say when I talk about my amazing kitchen skills. Now it’s time for you to step up to the plate. A zesty plate of ribs or a smoky plate of chops and sausage would do nicely for your intoduction to talking in public about cooking. Come on - you can do it! Go to Four Foods on Friday and copy the four questions for this week, then answer them on a post on your blog. Link your post in the comments on Val’s post and she’ll talk about you tomorrow and give you some linky love. I know what she’s going to say. First she’s going to celebrate having a man on board. Then she’s going to comment about how sexy you look in an apron. Yeah, we gals like that! And who knows: once you get your foot in the door you might decide to stick around and tell us about your awesome pancakes next time.

Hee! The sun has finished going down and the termites are swarming! I wouldn’t want my neighbors to need my services, you understand, but swarmers always bring in a few worried calls. I might get a few inspections out of it. I’m probably one of the few people you know who think there’s a postive aspect to a termite swarm, though I’d rather they didn’t get attracted to my desk lamp and end up on my keyboard. Just sayin!

Ew! Need to clean my keyboard, don’t I?!

Technorati Tags: barbecue, blogs, food, memes, termites

April 3, 2008

Go see Corrin

You know my friend Corrin. She’s over here all the time, commenting on my posts and playing Tuesday Teasers, and she’s a fellow player of Self Portrait Sunday and Four Foods on Friday. She blogs over at oh, hey. what’s up? about her life, current events, entertainment news and lots of interesting products and services. You can learn a few things about Corrin in her recent 4 Questions - 4 Answers, where she lists jobs she’s had, shows she watches and foods she likes, among other things. I’m not so sure about someone who would say that edamame is a favorite food (I mean, there’s not much taste there, is there?) but she’s got good taste in music, so that makes up for a lot.

Corrin must spend a lot of time searching out videos, because she’s posted an impressive number of them. She manages to find the off-beat & bizarre stuff that makes you go “Huh? What was that?” Being a self-portraiter herself, she had to post the video of an elephant painting a self portrait when she found it. Huh? What was that? Yep, I watched the whole thing twice because I couldn’t believe what I’d seen the first time. I need to find out Corrin’s secret for finding such strange things (she’s got a lot of weird stuff on her blog that I’ve never seen anywhere else.) Go check her out and see if you don’t have a few “Huh?” moments, too!

Technorati Tags: blogs, blog reviews, personal blogs