Sometimes you learn little things about how the Internet works and it’s like, ohhhhhh! Of course! Here is a solicitation we received, which explains how an advertiser places editorial content on blogs. So that the content links to (“is sponsored by”) what are basically spam farms. It’s fascinating as a business model! It’s very smart!

From [Redacted]

to notes@theawl.com

date Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 8:51 PM

subject Infographic Distribution

Hello ,

I know you’re really busy, so I will try to make this quick and painless. My name is Sarah and I work with a company that creates and distributes infographics. I was wondering if you’d like to be part of our infographic distribution list. We are willing to pay you for every infographic you post.

Here are a couple examples of the work we do:

We would love to provide you with content while paying you for it. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. I hope to hear from you soon!

Thanks!

[Redacted]

Oh I see! I actually do admire this, honestly. It’s providing a service. (Not one I really want, but.) Think of it like radio in the 40s! Or think of it like James Beard doing skits for advertisers on NBC during his cooking show, which is much-discussed in the August issue of Gastronomica, which you should definitely be reading!