Like – really? Sorry but this has been bugging me for a while – I have seen all these BS sites for the last little while – I guess I am spending more time online with my new venture www.bytesizedwebsites.com. Yesterday I got a mail from a friend who had been hacked – linking to one of these sites. You know the ones. Get free unlimited energy (before the authorities close them down). Or earns $12000 a month from home working only hours a weeks. Or maybe reduce belly fat, get rid of wrinkles. Or get an iPad for 2 cents etc etc.
I guess after yesterdays email I got a bit depressed about this – I mean is this really the pinnacle of human achievement. In our new era of technology and interconnectedness its not enough that we spend our time on social media sites reporting our every movement? (and believe me there are some movements that shouldn't be out in the websphere!). No, we need to try to rip each other off online as well. I know there have been cons going on for almost as long as there has been trade and barter – so what is it that really bugs me about this new wave of adverts?
- They are pervasive – they front and centre on www.guardian.co.uk, www.cnn.com, Facebook and many many other sites. COME ON – Guardian, CNN, Facebook, Google (who serve up a lot of the ads) – you are all complicit in this by allowing these people to advertise. The bottom line is that you don't want to effect your bottom line by doing anything about it….
- The sites are deliberately designed to look like news sitesAND are often linked to from ads on news sites – BUT the whole site is designed to funnel you to buying some product
- The sheer amount of effort that people are putting into these scams is mind boggling – building the sites, placing the ads, even buying other domains and creating other sites so that if you search for reviews of their product you find other sites full of glowing reviews. IS THIS THE BEST THING YOU CAN THINK OF TO DO WITH YOUR TIME AND INDISPUTABLE TALENT?
- The fact that the people who design these scams try so very hard to stay 'legal'. Most of these sites will actually sell you something – an exotic juice that will 'melt your fat', or the designs for an energydevice that you could have found online for free and that might just power a light bulb etc, so technically they may not be committing a crime. It almost seems worse than being and good old fashioned honest criminal!
- Getting asked 'Are you sure you really want to leave our website…" if I ever accidentally end up on one…YES I AM SURE!
- I have a particular dislike of the various 'free energy device' scams out there. I have friends who work hard in the real alternative energy world (Hi Nick!) who have to go out every day and battle for grants, new business and acceptance in the face of government uturns and public apathy. These ridulous sites do my friends a huge disservice. I would politely request that if you are planning on promoting one of these sites on line as the answer to all our energy problems – how about you buy the product and test it first and THEN tell us whether we should buy it or not. Otherwise you are most likely promoting a scam.
I could go on, but I think I have got this off my chest for now. Is there anyone out there who's site is serving up these ads, or whose service is supporting them (Google) that is prepared to say enough is enough and put principle before profit?