Shameless plugger...sockpuppet...me?

I had an eye-opening blog experience today. Always on the lookout for anything 50-plus that catches my eye (especially as related to job search for 50 plussers), I have a tendency to wax enthusiastically about some of the resources and products I find out in cyberville.

At the same time, because the blog is popular, I get approached fairly often by advertisers, publicists and marketers, who would like a plug on my blog. It is very rare that I bring a product to your attention and I've always been very careful to let you know when someone has forwarded their info for you, so that there can be no mistake.

I also share my personal opinions and comments on resources or concepts and they have nothing to do with any external request or marketing influence. What I DIDN'T realize is that some of my enthusiastic personal endorsements and opinions come across to you, my faithful reader, as paid marketing plugs.

I'm a veteran blogger -- you'd think I'd know this, but, you could have knocked me over with a feather today, when I discovered I had been called out as an Internet sockpuppet! (But a fab one at that, thank goodness!) It was on a site completely unrelated to 50 plus, but still...

Misconceptions have been cleared up through some good online communication with the writer, but going forward, I'll be clearer about what things are my opinions vs. when I'm putting a product, survey or plug out for your consideration.

My enthusiasm has sideswiped the power of the word! A great lesson about communication today.