Step Right Up

It gets rid of unwanted facial hair, it gets rid of embarrassing age spots,

It delivers a pizza, and it lengthens, and it strengthens

And it finds that slipper that's been at large

under the chaise lounge for several weeks

And it plays a mean Rhythm Master,

It makes excuses for unwanted lipstick on your collar

And it's only a dollar, step right up, it's only a dollar, step right up

 --Tom Waits, singer, song writer "Step Right Up"

 

I was asked do I want to make money selling products on Toner Mishap?

Subject: For the owner/writer of TONER MISHAP

 Hi ,
I work for ACME and wanted to reach out to you.

We came across your blog TONER MISHAP and thought you'd make a great person to work with for a mutually beneficial initiative we've started. We're looking to have a select group of bloggers like yourself pick out their favorite ACME products and then ideally mention them in a blog post. The product selection is quite varied so I'm sure you'll find something that fits perfectly with your blog.

To make this really fast & easy, we've developed a tool that guides you through everything. It even helps generate a blog post title and the actual content once you've chosen your products.
You can get started by visiting this url: goflyakite.com
It should only take a couple minutes, but we would like to offer you an ACME gift certificate in exchange for your time if this sounds interesting to you.

All the best,
Shyster 

I replied with an uppercase NO.  What would my ethics be if I wrote about their merchandise by causally slipping in a surreptitious product plug without alerting you?  What if I did alert you and conveyed my weak little deal with the devil? There would be no credibility in my third-party endorsement. They would even give me a free gift certificate to write about their stuff and I still say NO!

I also wonder who would want someone with the pseudonym The Misanthrope to write about their tchotchkes? I don’t believe they even read this blog to see if the tone is right or if anything has been endorsed on this blog previously. Even if I used my real initials (RJW), which I don’t because I can’t remember my password the answer would still be NO.

So dear company representative, the answer today, tomorrow, and as long as I am asked for my opinion the reply will always be NO.