I had a very, very funny post planned for today, but over the weekend I found myself thinking about spammers and their ineffectiveness. Now I’ve forgotten the subject of that blockbuster post. =) There are different approaches to spamming. If someone is openly and honestly promoting their site, I understand that. I might not like it, but I understand. This post is about two other approaches.
On a regular basis people put phony messages in my CBox (to the left). Most of the time you can see the name/link leads to a commercial site just by rolling the cursor over it. But on a few occasions (in the early stages) I actually clicked on a link or two. How do you think I felt upon arriving at the unexpected website? Was I: 1) Thrilled and eager to spend money? 2) Curious about what the site had for sale? Or 3) Ticked off?
If you guessed anything but #3, we’re very different. I wouldn’t visit that site again if they were giving away free passes to Disneyland. To me, once a site resorts to tricking people into visiting, whatever they sell is garbage (even if it’s genuine LV).
But another type of spamming phony motivated me to write this post. The self-promoting comment variety—the type that is supposed to make you think they read your post and like your blog, but neither is true. Over the weekend I read a very touching post a girl wrote about a friend who had just died. The first two comments to the post read: “Very prolific and appropriate. Not only is it Fashion Friday tomorrow, but my fabulous giveaway ends! Hope you can link up and enter to win! Have a great night sweetie! Kori xoxo” She also listed links to her two blogs—since that was the whole point of her cut and paste comment.
How does ticking off people or making themselves look like idiots help the spammer? Don’t they accomplish the opposite of what they’re trying to do? Does anyone like spam? Why do they keep doing it? Am I asking too many questions???
Any spammers (of the phony variety) out there care to enlighten me as to why you want to be viewed with contempt?
I hate spammers or anything that tricks people, I agree with you that if they use that mode of selling, then their products are garbage!
ReplyDeleteOh I had lots of those spammers on another internet platform so that I almost stopped using that other account. It was always so annyoing to delete them :-)
ReplyDeleteBut on Blogger I must say there were hardly any spammers (maybe they are yet to come XD) And I don't like those people who follow a blog just for entering a giveaway, that's just so senseless and a waste of time. We blog cause we want to connect with people, right?
I receive an annoying number of spam comments on a daily basis and I NEVER publish them so Idk what they are thinking when they continue to bombard me.. they wanna wear me down? NEVER!
ReplyDeleteI used to have a Cbox too, and when the spamming didn't stop, I removed it from my site. And guess what? I still get spam comments on my Cbox even though it isn't on my site or anywhere else!!!
the most annoying spammers is the one that without you even realized, they know your phone numbers and they start sending some random promotion :( yeah and that's why i don't use Cbox
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know that kind of spam existed! I get annoyed enough by the spam that ends up in my email. Like you, I have always wondered what motivates people to go to the trouble.
ReplyDeleteIt really bothers me when a person goes "Hey I followed u, follow me back" it makes me feel like i'm obligated too. So sometimes I consider that a spamming technique.
ReplyDeleteI removed my C-box cause of the constant spam message I would get. It really pissed me off.
I totally understand where you're coming from Ric! Down with the spammers!
who like spammers no one I think, thats the reason I have keep my comment messages in moderation first as to not publish spam messages. There are few of them that are human Rick..mostly are just machines! :)
ReplyDeletehave a great day!
I feel for you and like you Rick. I dunno what's up with cbox. I've to delete the spam msgs from my cbox every now and then. I've got no idea if they're human or machine and I can't even be bothered to click on their sites. I tried removing cbox just to see how it would turned out; I still get SPAM! Hence, I put it back onto my blog and just make sure I religiously delete the msgs.
ReplyDeleteThere's 1 spam I totally get pissed off with would be someone or something leaving comments on my god daughter's blog promoting some ice cream, saying Charmaine can try eating the ice cream, maybe it would help her! What the? I couldn't even be bothered to publish the comment or click on the link. I guess that SPAM is human since he/she/it could relate to Charmaine by using her name, but to promote ice cream in this way on a cancer child's blog is downright shameless.
I used to get spam on my blog too but after i changed the settings to keying in the character to prove one is a human, I don't get spam anymore.
Do you know how to delete spam off your cbox?
I also cringe at people who leave cursory comment on my blog just to leave links or urging me to follow them. At least if they leave a nice little comment, I don't mind clicking on their links.
I have had my fair share of such disconnected comments in my blog. It does leave me bewildered but what the heck, we know they visit not for unselfish reasons.
ReplyDeleteOmg, thank you for this post. That is all.
ReplyDeleteUgh spammers. That's why I use the comment approval thingie 'cause I do get them silly spammers sometimes. Some of them are like bots or something, I think. 'Cause their supposed comments to your post are just nonsense.
ReplyDeleteLei
www.whiteskyproject.com
UGH I hate spammers!! If it's a bot from a commercial site I can almost find that more understandable than a person who is manually spamming people via cut and paste. What a waste of time for both parties. It's gotten to the point where I'm afraid to tell people about my own giveaways b/c I don't want to be mistaken as a spammer!
ReplyDeletei used to hate spams/spammers too. then i realized, what's the point. the reason why i write in the first place is to let things out so that i dont have to keep everything to myself and drive myself crazy. lol.
ReplyDeletebut i get what you mean :p
*poke*
gawd spammers are thee WORST!!! i once got one that went on and on about boycotting american women and how american women are the devil and yadda yadda yadda. it was actually quite hilarious but i deleted it. i wanted to reply with WRONG PERSON TO SEND THIS TO BUDDY but of course there was no email or blog attached to the profile.
ReplyDeleteAs Fozzie Bear would say "Waka waka waka!"
ReplyDeleteI tell lousy jokes too. =\
HAHAHA I know exactly who you are talking about in your post too, she spams me as well, I stopped replying back to her. There are a few others that just blatently spams, would leave a generic comment and then "ENTER MY GIVEAWAY" or "CHECK OUT MY PROJECT HERE" yuck
ReplyDeleteSpammers are so annoying x__x They're the reason I removed my cbox from my blog. There is already a warning there that spam will just be deleted so they shouldn't waste effort, but they still do. In the end it just got too tiring (not to mention a waste of time) to keep on deleting spam cbox messages.
ReplyDeleteLuckily I've learned to ignore even the most sly spammers that try hard to make themselves look legit.. the self-promoting via comment types are really just lame, they look desperate and make people less interested in what they hope to promote.
ReplyDeleteBtw- Your father's advice to get the ferocious dog to go for your throat is so hardcore, glad you decided to not try it out lol!