Six weeks or so ago I received an email with a subject line “Blog Award Notice: Your Blog Has Been Awarded By IBRC”
Oh?
The email continues:
“During the month of July, the International Blogging Recognition Council (IBRC) had the pleasure of reviewing your blog A Salted. Your blog was referred to IBRC through our Refer-A-Blog program. “Sweeties Like Radioactive Worms” was the topic that the Council reviewed. Based on the review, the Council has recommended that your blog receive IBRC’s designation of “Recognized Blog”. IBRC reserves this honor to those blogs that effectively connects with the audience and promotes the sharing of ideas and experiences.
We invite you to visit our website at www.ibrcblog.org to learn more about IBRC and our “Recognized Blog” award. Congratulations on your accomplishment.”
Why, thank you IBRC. I wonder who nominated me.
Clicking on the link takes you to the site of the International Blogging Recognition Council. Sounds fancy.
And there one is invited to “Get Recognised” for the one off fee of $45.00.(Please read in sarcastic voice) A small price to pay for the right to put a button on your site that states you’ve “Been Recognised by IBRC”.
They have a donate button which leads to this “IBRC promotes the belief that we are all one global community. Below are several charities that are making a positive impact across the world. Please consider donating to one of these groups.” And then list several known, good charities who I’m sure will not be pleased in being listed on this shonky site. I assume the presence of the charities is supposed to lull us into thinking good work is done here?
They have a donate button which leads to this “IBRC promotes the belief that we are all one global community. Below are several charities that are making a positive impact across the world. Please consider donating to one of these groups.” And then list several known, good charities who I’m sure will not be pleased in being listed on this shonky site. I assume the presence of the charities is supposed to lull us into thinking good work is done here?
Sounds like a right old lot of dodgy nonsense. I wish I’d got round to posting this sooner as I expect as many bloggers as possible were targeted. Hope nobody got scammed.
Sara Crowley 
Ick.
Indeed.
Yes I got one too. I got as far as needing to pay $45 to them for 'recognising' my amazing blog and then binned it. Horrible.
It is horrible isn't it, Jenny. I suppose most of us saw it for what it was straight off but it concerns me that someone may have felt pleased, or flattered, and may have paid for nothing.
Pfff. How annoying.