Have you received a request from a newsletter or a blogger asking for your vote in a favorite, best, or some other contest? How about a request to “Forward This” newsletter in the subject line or at the top of the newsletter before you get to the goods?

Does it bother you? Or am I reading too much into this sort of thing? On one hand, readers may not know about a contest unless the blogger or publisher notifies them. But then should they say, “So ‘n so Web site is asking for votes on best of such ‘n such. You might want to vote for your favorites” rather than outright ask for your vote?

Isn’t asking for your vote implying the newsletter publisher or blogger thinks a little too much of themselves? Then again, politicians running for elected positions ask for people’s votes and that’s considered normal for the process.

One business said it felt pressured to give an award to a Web site because of the power its owner wielded. To turn it down would mean losing that person as a contact. Not all awards have political challenges, but some do. Some companies behind the awards nominate their best vendors or advertisers.

Then those “Please Forwards” in subject lines or at the start of a newsletter give me the impression they’re more interested in the number of subscribers than providing subscribers with valuable information. I believe “Forward this” is an important and acceptable element to have in a newsletter, but in the Subject line?

Or am I going overboard here?