Spam on .edu blogs? From Ars Technica,

Think back to the time when you filled out university applications. Which of the following might have suggested to you that the educational institution in question was not a great choice?

1. Its web site is the world’s worst-looking WordPress page
2. It has been sued by the State of Hawaii and ordered not to present itself as an educational institution
3. It is selling .edu blog space for $50 a month
4. You can contact the management through a Hotmail account
5. Its online application asks for your passport number… and whether you are currently “Employed”
6. All of the above

It seems that owners of .edu domains are allowed to resell subdomains. Because the Pickering Institute is technically (note the term technically) an educational organization it falls into this category.

Pickering Institute was established in1994. It was incorporated and registered in the State of Missouri. Pickering Institute is an institution offering Certificate, Associate, Undergraduate and Graduate degree programs in many majors. Pickering Institute is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools and Colleges.

Now far be it for me to deny anyone the opportunity to make money for I am a capitalist afterall I just can’t help but feel this scheme is a dangerous one. With an .edu domain comes instant credibility. When people see an .edu domain they automatically assume the site attached to it carries some integrity. While Pickering claims to have strict standards for inclusion I have my doubts. Does Handbags In Our Life contribute anything to academia?

According to Ars Technica the entire scheme appears to be run by a group called LinkAdage who referred to it as “a very unique opportunity for Webmasters and SEOs not affiliated with a university to control a personal EDU blog.”

As more and more people criticize the move by Pickering and LinkAdage, the increased exposure hasn’t gone unnoticed by Google who, according to Christopher Dawson, will no longer index the site.