Offers too good to be true?

Ed the Editor's personal blog corner

They say that if you are made an offer that is too good to be true, then it probably is.To my mind, however, there is nothing too good or more true than a free no-strings-attached spot on the PR5 Pisstakers' looping ad box!! Imagine my horror then, as my genuine offer to selected websites keeps falling on stony ground.

I can't tell you how many webmasters I have approached, and waited like a lemon for no response. OK, so perhaps their spam filters on their contact forms don't like the word "Piss". Oooh. If so, they aren't the kind of people I need to be hanging out with, I suppose. But to be honest, I don't buy that spam filter deal. They are happy enough to have comments from yours truly.

Or maybe it is the title of the email that sounds spammy, or if they get past that and read the email, is it the idea of free, that they don't trust the motives? Whatever, I know it is a good deal for the right people, so I just have to believe, and move on, telling the story till the right people listen.

So I keep writing to potential gems! I recently got a reply, artwork and a link from a suitable site and everything is installed. I didn't expect daily pats on the back, but neither did I expect no correspondence whatsoever thereafter. No apparent effort to even mention to anyone else on the internet that they are benefitting from this meager opportunity. Call me naive, (you're naive) but that isn't fair play either. Strange. A bit closer to the reaction I expected from a "satisfied customer" was learning that their keyword phrase has hit page one or two of Google search results. That is nice.

I say I am naive with my tongue firmly stuck in my cheek. Not wishing to blow my own trumpet, but in a past life I negotiated serious deals under pretty high power circumstances. The secret is to have a deal that is fair to both parties, to have no agenda beyond what is explained at deal time and to be patient. And the bottom line, honesty really is the best policy.

So, I keep on approaching sites that seem right. Committed, bright writing verging on witty, interesting, techy. So I found one, but it got very surreal the other day. The deal was made as far as I was aware, but at the last minute some punk decides to re-negotiate the deal. I had been in the same position before with a fairly big shake sheikh, so although I was vexed to say the least by this tech head, I wasn't exactly stumped for what to do. I just resorted to type and explained again how it worked - with a concession thrown in that looks generous to any sharp negotiator - because it is - but wouldn't hurt me in the least. I assume from the lack of correspondence from the nameless person that they don't understand offers that are even better than too good to be true. So that is the end of that episode and I hope they learn to negotiate better! Next!!

Of course there are some like-minded easy going creative people out there who do play fair when presented with a neat opportunity. Thanks to video bloggers, Brohans for their link and occasional shout outs, and Techboggle for those tech related links, and coming up, the guys at Generator Land who also seemed to get it straight away and are on the case as we speak. Ominous Comma also celebrates a recent 103-comment post by joining the loop. And it is Bonsai whose keyphrase Rapidweaver Themes has landed them on page one/two for their specialist subject.

I have a plan with the ad box and it doesn't necessarily suit every blog I am in contact with and in awe of, so I hope if you aren't approached for this particular feature you don't hate me forever. The references and links will continue in other ways, mark my words.

And now for the next offer that is too good to be true, I am off to Nigeria to pick up my 8 million dollars.

If you ever miss a day without Ed, all the blogspots are here.

Enjoy the content.