While I am busy dropping off cards, I saw this Z Solutions Inc. widget on some blogs and because it has a logo of Entrecard with Drop on it, I dropped a card. To my surprise, I was brought to a site page entitled Making Money with the one of the Most Simple and Profitable Investment Opportunities: FOREX. The title itself obviously talks about Foreign Exchange and the author is inviting us to contact him through email if we are interested. Although the site owner might thank me for promoting his site for free, he is making a big mistake.
This is because this post is warning all Entrecard members that your site page is NOT an Entrecard member simply because you do not have an Entrecard. You are just using the logo hoping that someone will visit you. In fact, the blogs that have this ad has the legitimate Entrecard somewhere else on the blog. Nice try though. You have fooled me once but I will not allow to you to do that to me again. By the way, I suppose this ad is a member of Project Wonderful.
But I want to clear things. I am not saying that this ad has no legitimate content nor his business is not true. What I am unhappy about is how it is being promoted. Although I believe that a business should have a good strategy to invite customers, I also believe that this site should learn more about etiquette. If you have a good business offer, you do not need to use big names to visit you and confuse them. Your product will sell itself.
For blogs with this widget, I must inform you that you are also confusing your droppers. With this, I may NOT drop on you unless you do not have this confusing ad anymore. I think that is fair enough.
To Graham and Phirate of Entrecard, I know that you are now very busy revising the pricing method for the betterment of all, but please consider this trouble that is causing confusion to us.
To the owner of Z Solutions Inc., please use advertising with courtesy. For me, the way you promote is a direct insult to all Entrecard members. With this, I am appealing to you to modify your ad. I am sure you can find other ways to encourage visitors and if you do, who knows? I might visit you again and be even interested in your offer.
Am I being too harsh? I do not think so. I am just trying to be humane.
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Article Source: Humane Blogging Tips
Z Solutions Inc. – Not An Entrecard!
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31 comments:
April 9, 2008 at 11:29 PM
I agreed with you. I have been fooled too.
April 10, 2008 at 8:09 PM
Guardian Angel,
I cannot agree with you more. I came across this about a week ago and I got me not once but twice. I clicked on the top (fake) entrecard and it brought me to that making money site.
I am behind you 100%. I feel that Z Solutions, Inc. should remove this from their blog. As you say, it's a direct inusult to every entrecard member and one may think it's clever but I feel it's cheating the system. If that's how you want to advertise your company, I guarantee you will get no business that way... maybe just a few extra clicks.
Hudson Horizons
Website Development and Internet Marketing Blog
April 10, 2008 at 8:41 PM
I got caught by that one as well - it's very annoying and certainly doesn't make me want to use whatever dubious service this person is offering.
April 10, 2008 at 10:11 PM
Hi to all,
It is good that all of you above agree with my campaign.
I already mailed this to EC and submit a post on their forum.
Now, my request to you to make a post out of this to spread the word so that the site page owner will be alarmed.
Thanks and let's go hand in hand to stop this confusion.
Thanks.
April 10, 2008 at 10:13 PM
I agree, this is just not a good way to do business, and I think I too might stop dropping my entrecard on blogs that have this ad.
April 10, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Thanks Carl. But I will appreciate it more if we could spread the word to stop this foolishness.
April 11, 2008 at 12:10 AM
I too have seen this and been sending in every link I run across with it to EC...I think half a dozen plus just yesterday.
I don't even think it has to do with the email for the "information" he has, it is because the site is laced with adsense ads, and thus are racking up a ton of impressions that they wouldn't have gotten otherwise.
I too, do not drop on these people when I see it...I merely copy the URL and report it.
April 11, 2008 at 3:31 AM
I'm totally with you on this one...fool me twice, as they say...
Thanks for bringing it to everyone's attention with the huge post.
Roxiticus Desperate Housewives
April 11, 2008 at 3:34 AM
I agree with you. This got me twice while I was dropping cards and I was so PO'ed. Ugh!
April 11, 2008 at 4:07 AM
Great post! Thanks!...When dropping on a daily basis, it's hard enough to remember which sites you've visited, let alone which are not valid entrecard sites.
Thanks again!
April 11, 2008 at 4:49 AM
I think it could be considered a deceptive practice. I also believe that if we all see this on a site and don't drop a card, the site owner may get the message and remove it.
April 11, 2008 at 5:56 AM
Thanks for dropping by my site. I included your site coz I think it's interesting and good. And I agree on this one. My only question is who are the owners of the sites with these widgets? I think they're all involve with this Z Solutions coz I will not paste that widget on my site.
www.auts11.blogspot.com
April 11, 2008 at 5:58 AM
It is nice that you brought this out. I'll try to make a post about this too!
April 11, 2008 at 7:07 AM
Hi everyone,
I am not a member of Project Wonderful and I am NOT against them.
But as per my understanding, they are providing rotating ads on blogs w/c means you may or may not see this FAKE ENTRECARD on blogs depending on timing.
This means that a poor blog may not realize that he has this FAKE ENTRECARD appearing on his blog.
I think that it is Project Wonderful must be informed about this matter.
I repeat, I am not against anyone. I am not after the ad owner. I am not saying that the ad is illegal or has false information. I only want this ad to change his style of promotion.
I am thankful for the 2nd batch of commenters above but again, I will be more thankful if you guys will HELP me spread the word or report it to Project Wonderful or Entrecard.
I already send a mail to EC and posted on their forum about this.
Let us all unite regarding this matter.
Thanks again.
April 11, 2008 at 7:21 AM
thanks for this post. I clicked on this once. I hope project wonderful will do something about it, or at least the person behind the site will hope read your post and change the logo.
I think other blogs, even those entrecard members, should not use the 'drop' sign on their logos so as not to confuse ec members.
April 11, 2008 at 8:04 AM
I've been fooled, too for thrice already!
April 11, 2008 at 10:46 AM
This happened to me, too! I thought it was very strange at the time, but dismissed it and moved on. It sure would be a shame if more of these showed up and ruined the Entrecard experience for the rest of us.
April 11, 2008 at 11:22 AM
kuya ang galing mo naman.. andami na tlga pagala-gala ngayon manlilinlang sa earth lalo na sa internet salamat dito..
April 11, 2008 at 12:33 PM
That pissed me off too, my project wonderful ad boxes approves all ads but when I seen this one I banned it from my ads! What a underhanded way of getting clicks!
April 11, 2008 at 2:50 PM
This bloke should be stopped . What he's doing is sharp practice.
Caledonian Jim
April 11, 2008 at 3:45 PM
I just posted up in my blog about it.
Do you think these "fake" entrecard badge can be considered as copy cat?
April 11, 2008 at 4:10 PM
I couldn't agree with you more this thing fooled me a couple of times.
I do run Project Wonderful, but I investigate the sites that have applied to place an add on my blog.
This site did apply and I refused.
April 11, 2008 at 6:20 PM
Hi to all,
Now I am convinced that this ad has fooled many EC members. Thanks to all the above for showing up.
Since this ad is a member of Project Wonderful, I am requesting any PW member to complain it to them.
Another best thing is you disapproved this ad until he changes his logo.
According to an EC member who replied on my post at EC forum, he informed the ad owner and he is willing to change his logo.
Let us do our share to protect ourselves and others as well.
Thanks for supporting my advocacy for a fair and just promotion.
April 12, 2008 at 12:01 PM
This is the third time I've seen these fake entrecard ads in project wonderful. I was actually considering joining over there, but since I've seen these ads so many times, I've changed my mind. I think it's incumbent on them not to allow ads that trick people into clicking on them. As far as I'm concerned, it *is* false advertising.
I think PW needs to take a stand on these and not allow them any longer.
April 14, 2008 at 12:33 AM
Hi Jodith,
I have not seen this ad again lately but you see this again, I will help you report it to PW.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
April 16, 2008 at 11:41 AM
I was fooled once also, then this site made a bid to appear on my blog through Project Wonderful Ads and I rejected the Ad and banned the user. maybe he/she thinks it's smart but I think is unethical and probably a copyright violation.
April 16, 2008 at 6:49 PM
You did right, Anthony. But I did not know that this ad is still alive. I haven't seen it for quite some time.
Thanks for dropping by.
April 18, 2008 at 1:54 PM
glad you posted about this.. ive been fooled a couple of times and its really annoying..
advertisers shouldn't resort to cheap tricks like that.. let your content sell your site.
im checkin it out if i still see more of that ad, ill probably change my auto-approval for my PW ads so I can screen ads.
:)
April 18, 2008 at 2:23 PM
Hi Pinaywife,
It's been awhile since I last saw it. Hope this will be forever and nobody will follow.
But if there is, I won't hesitate to broadcast it everywhere.
Thanks at Mabuhay ka Kabayan!
April 26, 2008 at 6:15 AM
i clicked on one once, it brought me indeed to a other page!! pretty annoying i think it should be banned
April 26, 2008 at 7:13 PM
Hi Backlink builder,
It is sad that I am also seeing it again on some blogs after my campaign.
Other bloggers has made similar posts too.
I guess Project Wonderful should really do something about it.
For PW members, the best you can do is disapprove it.
Thanks for dropping by although I did not see an EC widget in your blog.
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