Is "Who's Who" Legit?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by javila5400, Apr 20, 2005.

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  1. javila5400

    javila5400 New Member

    Not too long ago I was nominated to be included in "America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals" 2005-2006 edition. I had an interview with a representative. After 30 minutes on the phone, the rep congratulated me for qualifying. To make a long story short, she gave her sales pitch and mentioned that membership to this "exclusive" organization was $599 for five years.

    I got a similar call from Swarthmore Who's Who. The fee is $499 for five years.

    To make a long story short, these organizations seem fishy. Needless to say, I came up with an excuse not to fork over my money. It's nice to have these "recognitions" on my resume, but the whole thing seems like a scam.

    Any input is appreciated.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    IMHO, an award you purchase isn't an award.

    I suspect the main customers of such things are (a) the listees and (b) direct marketers. John Bear would know a lot more about this, though.
     
  3. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    The standard "Who's Who" scam is that they will list you for free because of your fantastic achievements . . . and then you are encouraged to buy the book, the leather bound edition, more copies to donate to your library, for your heirs, the wall plaque, and so on.

    One where you have to pay in advance are new to me, but seem even less reputable than the above.

    The major legitimate Who's Who books are the 16 published by Marquis (http://www.marquiswhoswho.com). These are the ones found in most libraries, and there is never any fee involved.

    Other publishers do some reputable small ones, typically highly specialized (Who's Who in Portuguese Irregular Verb Research).

    Trivia question; see if you can deduce the answer without going to the Marquis site. Of the 16 books, 14 are Who's Who in something. One is 'Who's Who On the Internet.' Which other (Science, Finance, Law, Women, Art, etc) has a preposition other than "in" -- and why?
     
  4. Anthony Pina

    Anthony Pina Active Member

    Dr. Bear's post is right on the money. A few years ago, I was nominated and published in Marquis Who's Who for American Education. I was not required to pay a cent.

    Tony Piña
    Administrator, Northeastern Illinois University
     
  5. javila5400

    javila5400 New Member

    Gentlemen,

    Thanks for your response. I initially searched the Internet to see if there are any negative reports on these publications. They seemed like a scam from the beginning. When I typed the keywords "who's who strathmore swarthmore" and "america's registry outstanding professionals" the only topics that came up on google and yahoo are resumes and biographies of various professionals that have been "awarded" these recognitions.

    Nevertheless, what Rich said makes perfect sense. One should not have to pay for an award.

    You guys confirmed my gut feeling.

    Thanks again.

    BTW, Dr. Bear, I give up. What is the other "Who's Who ON ________?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2005
  6. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    With that list, it has to be something involving women. "Who's Who in Women" sounds more like a list of major porn stars than anything else.

    It reminds me of the short lived motto of the Girl Scouts: "The girl comes first in Girl Scouting." It was soon changed to "The girl is first in Girl Scouting." I must admit I found it highly amusing.

    -=Steve=-
     
  7. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Who's Who of Ameican Women
    Who's Who on the Internet

    Incidentally, the Marquis biographies of 1.1 million listees is available to search for a fee. Since most people list their degrees (and granting schools),some reporters have found this a valuable source in searching for people with fake degrees. Something like $1,500 for a year's search privileges. As a potential customer, they gave me (and presumably anyone) a free 100-search test, during which I found, among others with fake degrees, a head of a large US Navy submarine repair facility and a senior official with the US Postal Service. (This is all covered in our Degree Mills book.)
     

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