I get all sorts of strange email. Recently the volume of email asking what I'd charge to run an ad, or sell “sponsorship” has gone up from every-so-often to several per week.
Today's was a little odder than usual:
Hello Michael,
My name is Alex [surname] and I am the manager of the project for [erotic lingerie web site].
And I would like to buy the text link advertisement on your blog https://www.discourse.net for my website [erotic lingerie web site]. Can you send me the monthly rates for the blog-wide text link on your blog ?
I would appreciate your reply.Sincerely,
Alex [Surname]
This doesn't seem like a form letter – it has my name. On the other hand, what is this “blog-wide text link” he speaks of? [Update: forgot to add, and why if it's not a form letter, does Alex think I'm about to run an ad for his stuff?] I always say “no thanks” to ad solicitations for the reasons set out in Blogs, Ads, and Insurance. Then again, maybe this deserves a custom reply…