Venture capitalist Dan Rua bought me a beer last month and I very much enjoyed that Heineken. The summer days are getting hotter, so I’m getting more motivated to chug down a cold one. Unfortunately, the buy me a beer plug-in hasn’t been quite as active on this blog as I was hoping it was going to be. Thankfully, Kumiko Suzuki of Cash Quests, a site that helps you Make Money Online, sent over three bucks last night to help me quench that thirst. Along with the money, she attached this short message:
I can’t believe that I get to enjoy your blog for free! Enjoy the beer!
Oh, I will enjoy the beer. Don’t worry about that part.
On a side, somewhat related note, I’ve been meaning to do a little post on Kumiko Suzuki anyways, because she recently implemented several changes to her money making website. There have been rumors floating around for quite some time that Kumiko Suzuki isn’t who she claims she is. People have conjectured that the blogger behind Cash Quests — formerly kumikosuzuki.blogspot.com — is not an American-born Japanese girl, but rather a middle-aged white man sitting on his duff in Arkansas.
There are several pieces of evidence that point toward this supposed truth. For starters, no one has ever seen Kumiko in real life, so no one can attest to the veracity of her supposed identity. Next, the only photograph we’ve seen is that famous “peace sign” picture, a photo that is no longer shown on the blog. That picture was spotted at a social networking or dating website of some kind a while back, but it was attached to an account that did not read “Kumiko Suzuki.”
Going further, you’ll notice that the main page of Cash Quests no longer has the anime figure in the header. The color scheme has also changed from pink to a gold or orange tone, removing the impression that the blogger is explicitly female. Moreover, none of the posts carry a byline that reads “By: Kumiko Suzuki.” There is no byline at all. Further still, the About page was missing any mention of the name Kumiko for a while, though that has very recently been edited back in. The comment form has also been removed, effectively taking any opportunity for a reader to explicitly question Kumiko’s identity on her blog; they can make posts like this, but random visitors to Cash Quests probably find them.
Could CashQuests.com already be for sale and thus Kumiko is gearing up for her removal from the blog? Or is there no Kumiko Suzuki to begin with? Love her (him?) or hate her (him?), you’ve got to admit that Kumiko’s Cash Quest — now simply “Cash Quests” — has been a resounding success. And all this controversy over whether Kumiko actually exists is just fueling that success with a never-ending supply of publicity. Like this post.
Thanks again for the beer.
Cool blog! I had only read her posts a couple of times, but they have a lot to offer.
It’s a dude, dude.
Wow has anyone ever confronter her (him?) about this? (S)he needs to make it clear what they are doing and who they are. This is very interesting. If this person isn’t who they say they are then why are they doing this?
I’ve written on this topic briefly in the past and s/he just laughed it off. Take that to mean whatever you want it to mean.
It means that it’s all quite funny. Wouldn’t you have a good laugh if you were being accused of being a woman?
Just don’t get drunk Michael. Maybe you write better blog posts if you’re drunk though who knows?
Buy me a beer and maybe we’ll find out?
Hahahahah!!!
Kumiko is so lucky(clever!) to have all those questions about her, being who she claims or not.
Well for me I would say She Is A Girl! that’s so obvious from the way she talk(write)…I am a girl, and I say that what I see in her blog is something only girls do (I mean the way she talks/write).
The only thing I didn’t get it is not having comments in her blog any more?! I don’t see that comment would harm her anyway.
Regards,
Roseate