Most of the referrals for PageFour come from the actions of other people. Now, this may be simply because we’re more inclined to believe something if the person talking about it does not have a vested interest. If you hear someone saying ‘Buy my product, it’s the business,‘ you’re not going to believe them, are you? Why would you? They want your money. If, on the other hand, your favourite blogger or best friend says to you ‘Check this out, it’s cool,‘ you probably will. I know I do.

I’ve bought books, CDs, DVDs, even kitchen appliances, because strangers I’ve never met raved about them on their blogs. I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything in response to an add in a newspaper or magazine. I take Amazon reviews far more seriously than the blurb on the back of a book, or the ‘expert‘ opinion in a newspaper, and I do this because these people have no reason to lie to me. Similarly, user reviews on www.download.com mean far more to me than ‘What our users say‘ pages on software web-sites.

The last television I bought was a 26″ wide screen Panasonic. It cost almost £200 less than the equivalent Sony model, and I bought it because all the user reviews I found online said it was better than its more expensive (though stronger branded) competitor.

Like all small web businesses, I track my referrals religiously. Dodgy Warez sites aside, most incoming links come from blogs and message boards, both of which I have little or no control over. Of course, as soon as new links appear, I’m faced with the question of whether I should actively participate in the discussion of my own product, or simply step back and let nature take its course? When anyone speaks about PageFour, chances are I know about it. Searches on Technorati, and Google Alerts, make this a simple, even daily process.

NaNoWriMo is kicking off next month, and registration has already opened. For the next two months, the NaNo message boards will be the most active writing community on the web, with hundreds and even thousands of users online at any moment. In situations like this, I’m always faced with a dilemma. Taking part in the discussions, starting and participating in threads etc, is not allowed for commercial reasons, and this is as it should be. Should I pretend to be someone else and drop links, or wait until a PageFour user does it for me?

I see opportunities like this all the time and ask myself ‘Should I really do that?‘ or ‘Is it quite ethical?‘ And the answer is no. But does everyone else play by the same rules? Am I just being naive, and should I grow a thicker skin? Are all marketers really liars?

I’ve never written a review for PageFour, which in a way makes all the genuine user reviews that much sweeter. But would I make more money if I were less honest? I’ll be watching the NaNo boards carefully over the next couple of months, but I might be watching in vain.