Admin Mod. Please see posts 18, 19 and 22 from Salamander. This is wrong on so many levels.
It is more common than you think. In fact it’s probably the main reason I object to blog pimping here on FR.
Even if you don’t have detection software, you can run a little test for yourself. Go to Internet Tools on your browser. Clear out all the cookies except for your e-mail, FreeRepublic login and that sort of stuff. (I normally have 6 or 7 “good” cookies that I keep, just for convenient access to sites like this one.)
Then click on a blog being pimped here on the forum. Just pick one at random. Return to your Internet Tools file and check the cookie file. You’ll be amazed at how much crap a single click will get you. That’s how these creeps make their money. They are getting paid for leaving that stuff on your machine, along with having you read the pop-ups and ads on their site.