The hard part is that there are shortcuts. They do work, even if temporily. It is hard not to give some of those a try.

I have done some things that were automated, but never large scale spammy or hiding my identity.

There is definitely a grey area and at times it is tempting to give it a try.

For star wars junkies, it is something like giving into the dark side of the force.

Exceptional stuff does always win though – I could not agree more Jeff.

I could not agree with you more.
Last year I took an online course on Social Marketing, and while the premise of the program was how to get traffic to your blog and how to use Social Bookmarking techniques to raise it’s Google rating…the teacher kept stressing the fact that you want to make sure you are being ethical when you use Social Bookmarking.

Personally, I think there is some grey matter here. I think as an author of teh blog you need to ask yourself if you care about being the Top Rated blog on Google (which is strictly about traffic and can change day to day) or if you want to be renown for your knowledge and your integrity (which creates a legacy for years).

I’d rather have an untarnished reputation as an expert with a medium-rated blog then get high marks from Google that are temporary and transparent.

Jeff Eskow
http://www.FundsForUs.com

The best way to build trust is through honest communications. Keeping your audience informed of events, trends or reports they can use through newsletters and blogs is great.

Sometimes a simple acknowledgement that you enjoy working with someone can lead to a million dollars worth of trust.