I spent the past couple of weeks blog hopping and commenting on various interesting blog posts. Most of these blogs are by bloggers who are writing sponsored posts.

Unfortunately, there was one particular blog, although I do not recall its name but only remember that it is a Blogspot blog with its default pink layout, which had the whole front page of sponsored posts. While I am not begrudging anyone for making a buck, I feel that by having a sponsored post one after another with sponsored posts as interims, which should be original, is excessive.

Previously, I thought I was bad with about 50% sponsored posts but hey, I am no where near her level. Even when I used to write a lot of sponsored posts, I did have lengthy interims where it matters and I have recently slowed down considerably to give more value to my growing readership.

Blogs like that run the risk of being labeled splogs and may be kicked out of the system if the blogger is not careful and get tracked for multiple violations.

I have recently tipped another blogger off regarding double posting out of my kind heart, in case she was caught, but my friend told me not to go around making enemies. They may not like it. Well, I know, but sometimes I can’t go away without letting the blogger know of his/her mistakes because I don’t wish anyone to be disqualified from making some money blogging. Sigh, what a tough decision!

Although I have come across the postings of Chris Merriman who goes by the user ID SilentlyScreaming on a popular forum, today is the first time that I checked out his Kazakhstan blog.

I think that it is interesting that a British is now in Kazakhstan. To be honest, I know nothing about the country except that it was formerly part of Russia CIS. However, Chris has made it very easy for us to learn of the country as he himself discovers it by placing all the relevant posts onto a static page. It is one thing to read about a country in a travel brochure but another to read of some one’s first hand experience and I certainly managed to get a better picture of the country from reading all the links on Kazakhstan 101.

The thing I like most of this unique Kazakhstan blog is the page of Games. Boy, did I have a wonderful time playing those games! I nearly forgot about my time! I remember the old days playing these games way before we had PSP and what not. If anything, these games of Pac Man, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders will surely make me return to Kazakhstan blog to play because I am quite lazy to embed them on my on page!!

Thanks for maintaining such an enjoyable blog, Chris!

Here’s some good news I would like to share. Julie, a fellow postie who blogs at Reviews and More is currently running a blog promotion contest where anyone who blogs about her contest and provide two links to her two blogs, including the new shopping blog, The Chronic Consumer, will be eligible to participate.

Quite often people ask me why I let others know of a contest when I am only diluting my own chances. Well, I say the more the merrier. This is a game of luck, anyway. And as I always say, “Good things MUST share!”

If you have a blog, why not participate? Julie is giving away cash prizes not for the best blog post but for the names that she draws out from the bucket from all the entries that she has received. I am not one for details so if you would like to know more about this exciting contest that is closing on 30th June, 2007, head over to Julie’s blog now and read her simple rules for the contest.

If you are also running a contest on your blog, do let me know and I would be more than happy to give you a friendly buzz!