Of Splogs and the FUD Factor

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I try to play nice. most of the time. But this evening I need to point this out in case some of you all read this sort of drivel and actually think there's value hidden inside.

SPLOGS are blogs that SPAM. Many do it by trolling and mirroring content posted elsewere. Some attribute the authors. Many do not. I've seen a plethora of VoIP related splogs spring up in the last few months.

FUD, or the FUD Factor is the fear, uncertainty and doubt that unscrupulous or incompetent sales and marketing people will use to convice you to buy something you don't need.

Both are a disservice to customers, and when I read this dreck, my blood boils -

VoIP Security – How Secure Are Your Calls?
The move to Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP) has grown in popularity so to have the security issues that surround VoIP systems.
Security issues are now a major concern of companies thinking about changing to a VoIP system.

This is an example of a worthless article that inflames users, playing on FUD, yet says absolutely nothing of any value. Nothing. This sort of misdirection and sleight of hand is so reminiscent of the snake oil salesmen of the wild west.

If you don't agree with me, or don't like what I have to say, that's fine, but please, please, please, when you're reading and doing research about VoIP, read live and reputable people. Pick your favorites - Andy Abramson, Alec Saunders, Ted Wallingford, Dameon "Phoneboy" Welch-Abernathy, Jeff Pulver, Martin Geddes, Richard Stasny, Bruce Stewart, Ted Shelton, Tom Keating, Rich Tehrani, Irwin Lazar, Dan York, or others. These are real and credible people who invest their efforts in writing their thoughts.

If a blog looks like it's anonymous content and there's no author attributed, be wary. Those of us who write in the tech sector are generally pretty opinionated. And there are few tech writers of repute who will just write in anonymity and post on a blog that leads you to advertising content through sleight of hand. Make sure you're reading real people and build your own reading list of the people you trust.

Technorati Tags: VoIP, blogs, splogs, FUD, reputable sources