Is Blank's Who's Who Listing Really Worth It?

[Evo]

This is too funny.

Today I received this e-mail at my work from a "Who's Who" publisher supposedly for "Business Professionals". It's some networking resource.

You were recently appointed as a biographical candidate to represent your industry in the Who's Who Among Executives and Professionals, and for inclusion into the upcoming 2008-2009 "Honors Edition" of the registry.

We are pleased to inform you that on March 25th, your candidacy was approved. Your confirmation for inclusion will be effective within five business days, pending our receipt of the enclosed application.

The Office of the Managing Director appoints individuals based on a candidate's current position, and usually with information obtained from researched executive and professional listings. The director thinks you may make an interesting biographical subject, as individual achievement is what Who's Who is all about. Upon final confirmation you will be listed among thousands of accomplished individuals in the Who's Who Registry. There is no cost to be included.

I wasn't familiar with the publisher, then I found this ad they had in a technical online news source.

How many spelling and grammatical errors can you find? I use "Blank's" instead of the company name, and I use lower case or omit an apostrophe to duplicate what was printed. I don't know who approved this copy, but it made up my mind not to be listed, even for free.

Blank's is a very professional Executive and Professionals Registry for just about every high quality business man can get a bio listed at Blank Who's Who. From what I've seen so far the site really is the who's who of big names. To be nominated to the registry you need to actually contact one of the administrators of via email or phone. The site has business professionals from all ethnicitys and localities from large and small companies. Effective Global Networking is what it's all about that's why Blanks provides a forum for executives and professionals to shear their knowledge and get to know each other, while developing long lasting relationships amungst their peers, from inside and outside of their direct industrys.

Blanks stands on it's own as an independent and very strong Registry of Who's Who. If your like and are part of the technology industry, online and offline their are hundreds of contacts in the IT industry all waiting to communicate and network with other members of the industry. While it might seem easy to find other highly influential IT people. The same can't really be said for some of the other industrys. I mean like Publishing and Printing, my girlfriends a writer, and i can say now finding prestigious people in the publishing business can be VERY beneficial. Sure it's no golden ticket but being at the right place around the right people sure is known to help people get along in life. It's all about getting that 1 big break, making that 1 perfect connection that just sets things off.

Each business professional in the registry gets a full and concise biography that lends itself to helping others in the registry find you and understand what walks of life the other members are from. But that's just the networking, The blank's Whos Who is so much more with a powerful blog with lots of business and professional news to stand by. As well as a comprehensive Investment news section provided to all members to make use of. Blanks truly is a home for business professionals to develop at. In the fast paced business world ESPECIALLY in the IT industry, knowing what's going on and having the right people around to discuss the issue is a major positive step in seeing that your on the right track to success.

But like i said blank's is no chumps place to be. Members are normally invited into the group for being already known in their industry, or by being nominated. So while yes it's a wonderful peer to peer network and will help in moving along your networking and career path, it's made for those people that have showed they are already willing to strive for excellence.

Source: Blank Who's Who (Paid Advertisement)

 

[BobG]

I assume the enclosed application includes enough information that your name will soon be widely known to the world as having opened more credit card accounts, bank loans, and businesses than previously considered humanly possible?

Interesting twist on what had almost become a boring scam.

 

[Poop-Loops]

I got something like that, but for school. They said I would be in a "who's who" list of students because I was so awesome. I did some digging, and the whole schtick is that you buy their book with the list of who's whos in it and obviously they get money from that, and you feel good because you are in it.

It's just preying on losers in hopes that they are pathetic enough to spend money on it.

 

[BobG]

Yeah, a quick search and I'd guess Evo's talking about Madison's Who's Who. A little more aggressive vanity publishing scam where they eventually do ask for money via credit card, then add on extra services and fees the customer never asked for, plus continue assessing fees for months after you try to cancel the service.

Not quite the typical Nigerian scam. Semi-legitimate and only taking their customers for $200 or $300 when all is said and done. A customer could probably get their money back with enough effort, but taking small amounts means they normally won't get anything more than abusive complaints.

If they could spell, it wouldn't be so easy to figure out who Evo was talking about.

Edit: The actual name doesn't matter, since the names can change pretty fast. The scam works best if their name isn't popping up as a scam as soon as you search for them.

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2007/04/victoria-strauss-beware-whos-who.html

 

[Evo]

I was reading about it, apparently you can "buy" a special listing. The "basic" listing is free.

They can't even spell!

If I allowed them to list me, I'd be bombarded by people looking for jobs. No thanks.

 

[BobG]

How come they don't have a Doctor Who's Who?

 

[chroot]

It actually included the word "chump." That alone makes me laugh uncontrollably.

- Warren

 

[lisab]

It actually included the word "chump." That alone makes me laugh uncontrollably.

- Warren

But it was "...(this is) no chump's place to be."

 

[Moonbear]

His girlfriend is a writer...maybe he should have asked her to proofread.

I used to get those "invitations" all the time. I guess I'm less important now. At the time, the best I could tell was they were just a gimmick to play on one's vanity to get you to buy a book with information about a bunch of other people vain enough to include their names and buy a copy too. Maybe it's evolved since then into more of a phishing type scam.

 

[Chi Meson]

I got something like that, but for school. They said I would be in a "who's who" list of students because I was so awesome. I did some digging, and the whole schtick is that you buy their book with the list of who's whos in it and obviously they get money from that, and you feel good because you are in it.

It's just preying on losers in hopes that they are pathetic enough to spend money on it.

It's called "barrel-rolling." A student who gets in the "Who's Who" gets to nominate a Teacher to be in the Teacher's "Who's Who." And guess what? That teacher gets to nominate a student to be in the Who's Who, the next year, who gets to nominate a teacher who gets to nominate a student who gets to nominate a teacher who gets to nominate a student who gets to nominate a teacher who gets to nominate a student who gets to nominate a teacher.

The "National Student Leadership Council" works the same way. I get stuff from both these organizations every year. Right in the cylindrical file.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

In spite of my mediocre results in High School, I was invited to have my name published in the High School Whose Hoo back in 1968. For a small fee of course. I didn't pay and as a result nobody knows my name. I did get my name published in Who Cares though. Every year.

 

[Chi Meson]

In spite of my mediocre results in High School, I was invited to have my name published in the High School Whose Hoo back in 1968. For a small fee of course. I didn't pay and as a result nobody knows my name. I did get my name published in Who Cares though. Every year.

My name is in the Phone book!


Wait, no it isn't.

 

[BobG]

My name is in the Phone book!


Wait, no it isn't.

Yes it is! I heard it when Raymond was reciting names from the phone book in Rain Man. You're famous, dude!

I had my name in the phone book once and people used to call me all the time. Unfortunately, most of them were from the same family and were all named Bill.

 

[Evo]

But it was "...(this is) no chump's place to be."

Exactly. No chumps here.

How do people get duped into this kind of thing?

 

[turbo]

Exactly. No chumps here.

How do people get duped into this kind of thing?

I figure that they could buy lists of names from the "star registry" people who pay to have stars named after their friends or relatives. Pet Rocks were sold at retail, so the names of the buyers weren't collected. That would be another rich pool of "clients".

 

[Laura1013]

It's called "barrel-rolling." A student who gets in the "Who's Who" gets to nominate a Teacher to be in the Teacher's "Who's Who." And guess what? That teacher gets to nominate a student to be in the Who's Who, the next year, who gets to nominate a teacher who gets to nominate a student who gets to nominate a teacher who gets to nominate a student who gets to nominate a teacher who gets to nominate a student who gets to nominate a teacher.

The "National Student Leadership Council" works the same way. I get stuff from both these organizations every year. Right in the cylindrical file.

I've been involved in a legitimate Who's Who and a illegitimate Who's Who, and neither one has ever asked me to nominate anyone. I believe a professor nominated me for the legit one. I have no idea how the scam ones (three different companies) got my name.