Go on … you know you want to. Just lie back and think of the kudos, as the sun glints off the bars in your window.

As we all rely heavily on accurate data for split testing and trending, we really don’t want this to happen across the media-buying board.

Cloaking ain’t for me.

I agree with Finch. Having to rely on shady tactics to bank, indicates a very flakey business model.

2.) I also believe that this new iteration of “accuracy via identity”, the point where competitive analysis and socialism diverge, is for the greater good. We as a collective (meaning everyone in the world) need to be held accountable and validated through algorithms to the point where we essentially become a “trusted” source or a “potential fraud”. Of course, I’m very happy to share my newest ventures with anyone that’s interested.

Both are lies. What is this “web Social Security Number 2.0″?

If you’re an affiliate, you stay low – nothing to gain from exposure. Do you own a product? Yes? Then you’re not an affiliate, shut it. If you’re a PR chasing shit bag with legit sites – have it cowboy, I hope you aren’t pushing affiliate offers and depend on that income.

On second thought. I’m all for this.

This has been one of the biggest downfalls of the social web IMO… the inability to create multiple identities. Who I am to my parents, my school friends, my business friends are very different people. I don’t have the time or patience to “sort” all those connections using complex privacy controls and grouping is ineffective and a waste of time.

With creating a “pen name” for your sketchier projects will be difficult if you want that identity to be robust since creating that separation in todays social landscape is a pain.

Maybe hire someone to do it full time?

Here’s what I’ll give Ryan, he’s hustling. And by hustling, I don’t mean in the retarded inner-city rapper way that you pretend to work for a living while writing poor lyrics about shit you never did and hoping to live off your meager record advance for the rest of your life, I’m saying, he actually puts in time to achieve a goal. Is it mostly ego and selfish? Sure. No different than us. Does it mean his network rocks? No, quite the opposite. Do I like him? Honestly, he’s a nice enough guy, especially in the industry of networks that don’t play ball. He DOES respond to emails, and if he can’t help, he points you in the right direction. Does that mean I get fucking paid on time? Not so much. Does that mean I get top tier rev share? No, you go direct for that. He does however try, and that’s more than I can say for many AM’s that take a week to respond, and push the same stale email submits like they actually fucking deliver ROI for anyone not running a torrent site.

First and foremost, remember you’re dealing with a marketer running a network. He’s the Tony Fucking Robbins of network owners, but you can’t knock him for putting on a show. One of these days, probably when he turns 25 or so, he’ll realize a show, and the subsequent product/service that follows, must have enough substance to stand on its own. You can push shady shit for only so long before you get burned by an advertiser that’s unable to pay – #networkimplodes and advertisers revolt and very few network owners are working towards a “long money” solution – including him. It’s more a “state of the industry” problem than greed, if you get that.

I respect him as a marketer, and “drive” should be respected by everyone (unless you’re talking about the movie). My hope, really. Is that more of the networks start making pushes to follow a similar style. “Do more, do better”, whatever the fuck it is he’s preaching, because that’s at the core of what we all need – competition, equality and stability. I think he’s truly trying, and I can tell you networks like CJ truly aren’t.

You know, now that I think about it. Maybe we should just start bagging on all the so-called “super affiliate” bloggers out there. It’s laughable. “Hi, I’m 23, I’ve made millions on rebills, now I’m selling a book”…is it titled “I quit when shit got hard”? cause that’s what it sounds like.

EWA is also another network that encourages and even provides a resource to buy and use a cloaker. Way to go! But I won’t run with a network that does that.

In Finchy’s defense, he did just write an anti-cloaking post recently that more people should read – as much as I hate to admit that.