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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>Greetings all,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>Recently, many of you have been asking about people and companies that want us to add their website to our own library websites. While these sites may offer good information, this is essentially a “scam.”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>They’re an aggregator. These are popup companies and websites that make money by hosting outside advertising. The more traffic they get (via having libraries link to them) the more they get paid. If they make you sign up for an account, they use that to get generate revenue too (and any free good information shouldn’t require you to create an account to get!). </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>The true “scam” part comes from the way their operation works. Years ago, these websites used to offer introduction paragraphs and dozens if not hundreds of links to another website/websites where the information originated from. Now many of them wholesale copy and paste information or embed data from other sites into their own. They are collecting revenue off websites that offer it for free (a government site), or a website which hosts ads because it is their original content. I have found that if it seems like they are offering a broad range of links or resources from many websites into their own, it’s always found somewhere more legitimate. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>In summary, you are being asked to be patsy to help someone make a quick buck. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>My 2¢ on the subject matter, and I usually send a reply to people who ask about it when it comes up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>Regards, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>Christian Dunham | Director<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>Bullard Sanford Memorial Library<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>989-823-2171 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>vassarlib.org<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black'>facebook.com/vassarlibrary</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>