Don't Fall for it

I'm not normally a naive person. I've become more and more skeptical as time has gone by, but sometimes I get a little off my game and slip up a little. Wednesday was one of those days apparently.

My website has a 'contact me' page. I prefer this to having people try to e-mail me directly. Mainly because if they e-mail me from their own e-mail address the Spam filter might snag it, but when using the contact page the message always comes through just fine. The only drawback to me is that when I see that I have a message I get a little excited...somebody is contacting me!

Lately, I don't get nearly as excited. Maybe 1 in 10 queries is an actual customer who wants or has a question about jewelry. The other 9 times it is someone who wants to sell me something, link to me (nothing wrong with that), or wants me to join something. Sometimes these are also important messages, but often they are not.

Soooo...I got a message on Wednesday:

"Dear Madam:Our affluent readers have questions about your items for sale.When is the best time for me to call or email you?
Sincerely,Lisa M.
Fashion Avenue News Network"

Her contact information was also listed (phone, web address, e-mail) but I don't really want to give them a free link. Go ahead and google them if you're interested.

Needless to say I must have been tired that day because I actually fell for it! I e-mailed her back with my contact information and that I'd be happy to answer any questions. *sigh* Yesterday I get a reply...and what a shock. She's asking me if I'd like to give her $500 to advertise on their website. Some question.

I love their pitch (*enter sarcasm here*). Trick me into thinking they're actually interested in an interview or my work. Then ask me to give them money: "Our affluent readers have questions about new designs - where to find the latest designs? We want to suggest your name to all our affluent readers."

Okay, I get it. You think your readers are affluent. Try another adjective. K?

Please don't try to trick me into advertising. I may fall for the initial inquiry but $500 is not a small amount of money and I'm slowly learning what avenues are worth my advertising dollars and which are not. I'm sure as heck not going to invest in some company that tries to trick potential advertisers. To me that is dishonest and a little too 'slick willy' if you get my drift.