Perhaps you have seen several blogs claiming to be listed in the Top 50 Biblical History Blogs. Todd Bolen, whose ranking needs no such help, thinks he has figured out how this list works. If interested, read here.
Professors often receive notification that they have been named to a certain biographical book. The notice is from an unknown organization, but the intent is to sell a copy of the book and a framed certificate to the pride-filled recipient. Tricky, eh?