Well said and done! Too many people assume that if you are older you are senile and cannot spot a scam.

As always, you are waging the good fight - mostly on our behalf, I think.

I, too, get requests from some who wish to do guest blogs for me (how kind - not!) Not being as forgiving as Rain, I do not grace the requestor with a reply. It's almost a puzzle how they (actually, I think it's an "it", as in a bot of some sort) find my blog in the first place since my blog is closed to search machines.

Keep up the good fight, Ronni!

Maybe these folks are systematically going down the Elderblog List because, I, too, have been solicited to post a guest blogger's piece on... aging. Delete, delete.

Since I've been involved in the senior services universe over the past ten years, I have been *shocked* at the caliber of many of the providers. In fairness, some are wonderful too. If you look at buying a franchise for example, on Entrepreneur magazine, home care agencies are springing up everywhere due to the demographics. I've become very cynical about the "community liaisons" or marketing reps for these organizations. Since I'm still in the job market, I see the ads for these positions on Craigslist and they are commissioned sales people and IMHO have the cred of car dealers, realtors etc. I'm sure these are the people who are contacting you Ronni for ad space. If only there were a litmus test or some such...

I am with you about not cluttering up your blog with ads. Your blog provides good information for our age group as well as sharing your space with the rest of us to participate with comments and stories. Your occasional venting is a caveat all of us can identify with.

Just this morning I got a request from someone I thought I had discouraged about a "guest" post on my blog. Thank you for staying vigilant on my behalf, Crabby. You are my hero and I read you every day.

That's one of the things that conributed to my becoming a regular reader of your blog, Ronni -- your integrity and policies regarding advertising, blog content and comments.
Advertising seems to be increasingly prevalent on blogs that specifically purport to be for the benefit of people who might be especially vulnerable, e.g. the frail elderly who are alone, and those with cognitive impairments or physical disabilities. I never was a blog reader at all until about eighteen months ago, when I became a fulltime caregiver for my mother-in-law, and then I began researching Alzheimer's and dementia, and all manner of age-related issues. Many of the sites I came across I dismissed after just one or two visits, as their true intent, money-making, was almost immediately obvious. There are others, though, which I've had a more difficult time separating out, as they have useful content, but are still very heavy on the advertising. Sadly, it seems to me that the Internet is rapidly becoming as advertising dependent as commercial television. Thank you for sticking to a higher level of standards.

Good for you Ronni. I HATE ads. I hate it when they materialize as I am reading and article and I hate the flash sequence types that dazzle you to get your attention.

Ads are hype, hyperbole, hubris and just plain ordinary bull---- most times. They sugarcoat their product and leave the consumer to figure out what the negative side effects or conditions are from the use of their product.

I seldom visit Huffington Post for this reason though there are times when they have the right story I am looking for as a resource. But I do not keep them or others like them on my "Favorites" list.

I am glad you are an ad free blog otherwise I may not have stayed as long as I have or intend to.

I like TGB just the way it is! It is my haven, a peaceful ( though I like it when Crabby rattles things around now and then) place to go and hear what others are up to. Don't change a thing!

Thank you for doing what you do every day. You provide a wealth of information that is timely and helpful -- and I like your attitude!

You go girl!

It's always good to "unload" on a friend ... and that's what your readers are, I think. And that's what friends are for -- to listen to you and to love you. ;-)

Good for you Ronni, our flag bearer into the murky trenches of ad warfare.

I had a few "guest" requests but the one that sticks with me is a second one from the same source telling me how rude I was for not responding.

Oh lol that....:)

XO
WWW

Go get 'em Ronni! We're with you all the way!

(PS still trying to arrange my next jaunt to Portland...August?)

Cheers, ~Kathi

Well done and said Ronni

Hooray for Crabby! Your position on all this has served as my guideline all these years on how to handle the sometimes covert requests I've received for what is clearly an effort to obtain free advertising.

The flattery sometimes used is so very transparent as to be laughable. The "guest blogger" scam is a favorite, or wanting to feature the blog and writer on their "related interest" blog.

I reply to most with a few short, precise sentences that leave them no wiggle room -- most of the time.

I think they must be going down your Elderblogger list figuring one of us will fall for their blarney. They must have us stereotyped as a naive bunch of oldies.

TGB is an oasis I continue to enjoy though my visits are not daily, and I have long since ceased to write when most are actively debating in the daytime hours.

Maybe someday there will be a well-deserved bona fide sincere lucrative TGB sponsor offering to support this blog and its author requiring only discreet classy advertising.

How curious? The post above from "Q" is from me. Who and how did "Q" get in there??? I just noticed it was going to show up again on this comment but I was able to delete it. Guess I must have accidentally deleted "Joared" earlier and hit the "Q" key -- another blogging glitch first.