Interesting piece from the Chicago Tribune (appearing here in the Kansas City Star) that spotlights a nefarious use of blogs. Because readers assume blogs are written by everyday folks, they tend not to dig beneath the surface. If they did, they might find an agenda beyond personal beliefs driving their efforts. An anti-Dan Rather blog, for instance, turns out to be written by the political director for American Target Advertising, a conservative political strategy firm. Only after the Trib asked did the author post a message telling readers who he was. The article cites other examples.

Are blog readers gullible enough to believe any blog they read without digging beneath the surface? Or are they just so new that the population hasn’t yet started questioning the accuracy and motivations for the blogs they read? Time will tell. In the meantime, for those of us looking at blogs as a communication channel, candor and full disclosure should be built-in parts of our plans. As more deceptive blogs come to light, the entire blogosphere will come under greater scrutiny.