Bloggers fail to get the joke

vnunet.com's story about Google's plans to advertise on the Moon has been posted on a number of blogs

A vnunet.com story written for an April Fools' Day joke almost two years ago has caused a storm after being picked up by the blogging community.

A story about Google's supposed plans to advertise on the Moon has been posted on a number of blogs, including Pocket Lint and Scenta.

This generated a flood of readers to vnunet.com and made it one of the most read stories of this week.

"We checked out the reason for the increase in traffic and were shocked, and more than a little amused, that it was being reported as 'gospel'," said Iain Thomson, managing editor of vnunet.com and author of the article under the pseudonym 'Arif Pollo'.

"We always do an April Fools' story but leave in enough clues to make it obvious that we're joking. In this case the author's name was an anagram of April Fool and that, coupled with the date of publication, should have warned people."

The story has now been taken down by several blogs but is still in circulation. The reader comments section of the story shows that most people got the joke, if a little late in one case.

"Google fascists!" wrote reader Jon Hammond, at the head of an extended screed on Google's plans.

However, this was followed by: "I would like to apologise for my earlier comments about Google being a fascist corporation because the web article had claimed that it supposedly had arranged a deal with Nasa to advertise on the moon."

Media organisations have traditionally published a spoof news piece to celebrate the first day of April, and spotting them has become something of a national sport.

A BBC report on harvesting spaghetti trees in Italy received enquiries from viewers keen to grow their own pasta.