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Insulting Spam

Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Jan 28, 2010

You know, spam at best is normally irritating and nerve racking. These days, spam is taking on a new, direct approach that leaves me confused and wondering what some of these people are thinking.

I can’t be the only one seeing it, but spam comments are actually starting to get insulting. Since I usually delete stuff pretty fast, I haven’t been charting a lot of what it’s been saying lately. However, I thought about it enough to save the last two examples:

“Even though this is very interesting, I don’t think I could agree with you completely.”

“Seriously? Don’t get me wrong, I’m in agreement with you partially, but when you say something like this you actually have to be ready to defend it.”

Many of you are probably seeing the same kind of thing these days. I know that because I visit a lot of blogs, I see a lot of them that have both positive and negative spam comments on them, and the owners of those blogs either thanking the people for their comments or arguing with these spam comments. Sometimes I find that fascinating, and other times I find that pretty sad. Maybe it’s because I’ve been on the internet for long time that I can tell it’s spam, but sometimes it just seems so pathetic seeing people trying to argue with something that’s been automatically generated, thus isn’t real.

Not that spam has any redeeming value to begin with, but I keep trying to figure out what possible motivation the people who send this stuff out have in being either rude or in attack mode. Most people don’t respond well when they’re being attacked, and when it comes to their blogs people are more apt to delete rude comments than to keep them around. My thought has always been that I don’t mind if people don’t agree with me as long as they keep a certain amount of decorum. I’m not going to allow bad language, and I’m not going to allow name-calling much beyond calling someone a jerk as long as there’s an explanation behind it. I figure it this way; I pay for it, my name is attached to it even if I’m not really a part of the conversation, and I’m not letting it stay.

I guess this is just the next stage of spam trying to find a way to seem as realistic as possible. I hope those of you who read this blog aren’t falling for this kind of thing all that often.

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26 Comments »

Glen:

I actually haven’t seen this kind of spam yet but I’ll certainly watch for it.

It’s kind of like the “You make a great point” comment spam in that it really isn’t saying anything or adding to a conversation in any way..

I think I may start a spam venture and use something like “I liked your post ideas. Could you elaborate on what brought you to post about this topic”

You know, something that sounds like I actually read the post and have a question,ha,ha..

If I do start this spam company I’ll contact you. With your expertise we could make huge $$$$, ha,ha..
.-= Glen´s last blog ..Do Something =-.

Mitch Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 11:30 AM

Possibly Glen, but we might also feel a little guilty in doing it. And I certainly don’t need to be living with guilt! lol

Dennis Edell Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 12:58 PM

That ones already been done too. lol
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..The Time Has Come. The Deal Is Done. It’s Time To Move!! =-.

January 28th, 2010 | 10:17 AM
Jordan Cooper:

Mitch, I just wanted to let you know that even though this is very interesting, I don’t think I could agree with you completely.
.-= Jordan Cooper´s last blog ..Are Your Blog Readers Your Customers? =-.

Mitch Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 11:35 AM

You’re so bad! lol

January 28th, 2010 | 11:05 AM
Sire:

What amazes me Mitch is that some people are so starved for comments that they let this sort of thing slip through, either that or they’re not 100% sure as to whether it’s spam and wish to play it safe by leaving the comment.

Me, I get my trusty spam gun out and I give them all four barrels.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..Final Update On Snap Dollars =-.

Mitch Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 2:15 AM

It does seem strange that people miss it, Sire, but I figure you and I have been on the internet a long time, so we’ve seen a lot of this stuff.

Sire Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 2:30 AM

Yeah just a couple of old wise farts hey Mitch? :D
.-= Sire´s last blog ..My Take On Having Ads On Your Blog =-.

Dennis Edell Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 12:59 PM

Four? Mighty large weapon ya got there…
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Hello & Welcome To The All New – DennisEdell.com/DirectSalesWebMarketing.com Merged – Direct Sales Coaching Blog! =-.

January 29th, 2010 | 2:00 AM
r:

It’s the spam is getting more and more efficient, don’t you think?
.-= real estate Buenos Aires´s last blog ..Punta del Este – Seaside Luxury Property =-.

Mitch Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 10:02 AM

No, I wouldn’t say more efficient, per se, but sophisticated yes.

January 29th, 2010 | 7:32 AM
Marko:

I get these comments on my blogs from time to time. Those spammers are looking for attention, they want to drive traffic to their websites. And as they are becoming more sophisticated, less people recognize them as spam and let them be.
Comments that don’t really say anything or add to conversation are spam, no matter if they are posted by bots or humans – I usually just delete them.
.-= Marko´s last blog ..Thesis Theme Tutorial: How to Add a Second Navigation Menu =-.

Mitch Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 3:06 PM

I’m with you, Marko. Unless I already know the person, I usually consider those posts spam. More of them are showing up lately, and with images, which they never used to, so it makes it tougher sometimes to know it’s spam. But I know it is; no one lacks that much creativity on a continual basis, right?

January 29th, 2010 | 10:40 AM
Trey - Swollen Thumb Entertainment:

Hey Mitch. I get these spam messages on my blog as well, and I think you hit the nail on the head at the end of your article. IMO, they are simply a new method of trying to get people’s attention.

These spammers are trying as many methods as they can to get their links approved and noticed in other people’s comment sections. I’ve seen many techniques, from trying to look like it’s a reply to the article, to corny jokes and generic praise.

Of course, anyone with even a little bit of internet savvy can spot spam from a mile away, so I guess I don’t consider it to be a big deal.
.-= Trey – Swollen Thumb Entertainment´s last blog ..Where To Take Things This Year? =-.

Mitch Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 3:08 PM

I don’t consider it a big deal on my blog Trey, but many other people aren’t as savvy, and it’s funny and sad at the same time seeing folks engage them. But I have to admit that every once in awhile, a messages comes through that’s addressing the topic, which could be real, but if I respond and the email address bounces back, I remove it and wonder.

January 29th, 2010 | 2:50 PM
Dennis Edell:

I used to play with them from time to time. Using the rely link, they get the reply whether they subscribe to comments or not…assuming it’s a real address.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Hello & Welcome To The All New – DennisEdell.com/DirectSalesWebMarketing.com Merged – Direct Sales Coaching Blog! =-.

Mitch Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 1:11 PM

That’s kind of the issue, Dennis. Quite often the email addresses are bad, and then we’ve just wasted our time. I never, NEVER, click on any of the links in those messages, and I hope no one else goes that route first either.

Dennis Edell Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 8:41 PM

I got one reply back, that was fun. lol
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Hello & Welcome To The All New – DennisEdell.com/DirectSalesWebMarketing.com Merged – Direct Sales Coaching Blog! =-.

January 30th, 2010 | 1:01 PM
Peter Davies:

Hi again Mitch

In my mind ANY spam comments are an insult whether they are insulting your post or not.

I know how much work goes into blogging (not had time to post much myself lately) so its not unreasonable to expect proper comments from real people
.-= Peter Davies´s last blog ..Video Marketing Product Review =-.

Mitch Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 4:04 PM

Absolutely correct, Peter. Still, it’s interesting seeing the psychology of spam sometimes, though I still abhor it.

January 30th, 2010 | 3:55 PM
Dennis Edell:

OK I had to return to show two pretty good ones, not insulting, but somewhat “intelligent”…

1. “I was studying something else about this on another blog. Interesting. Your position on it is diametrically opposed to what I read before. I am still reflecting over the diverse points of view, but I’m leaning heavily toward yours. And no matter, that’s what is so superb about modern democracy and the marketplace of thoughts on-line.”

The real idiocy of this one is it was placed on the comment you see in the Commentluv link, LOL. IF it were actually placed on some thought provoking article somewhere, it just might make it past an unsuspecting admin.

2. “I have found it on this website called tip swift (linked). You can find it there.
cheers
edit: wrong thread”

This one is a bit clever as well. Notice the “edit”…again if this were placed on a blog with a few hundred posts, it might make it passed someone.

Luckily, these were already in Akismet…gotta love that sweat plugin!
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Hello & Welcome To The All New – DennisEdell.com/DirectSalesWebMarketing.com Merged – Direct Sales Coaching Blog! =-.

Mitch Reply:
January 31st, 2010 at 6:02 PM

That’s funny Dennis, and it’s a very true point. I’ve come across some here and there that seem to match up to the content and look real. Then you see what post its on and say “no, that doesn’t seem right”, or worse, you see the same exact comment somewhere else, written the same exact way.

Dennis Edell Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 4:54 PM

Oh man that gets under my nails. I’ve approved more then one just to go back and spam it; within 24hrs I see the same damn thing on 47 other blogs.

If they could just use their powers for good…
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Hello & Welcome To The All New – DennisEdell.com/DirectSalesWebMarketing.com Merged – Direct Sales Coaching Blog! =-.

Mitch Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 9:15 PM

I was actually reading about this one, Dennis. Thing is, these guys live for the thrill of doing it the illegal way, because they could all be very successful going legit.

January 31st, 2010 | 3:40 PM
Anne:

I received a few comments lately where I could not tell if they were spam. One left comments on 5 different posts and they were not automated [actually referenced my posts] yet the website drew a flag for me. I left them since the site wasn’t porn or anything bad. I’ve had others where the sites linked were off so I de-linked them and left the comment. {sigh} Why can’t people just play fair.
.-= Anne´s last blog ..Frivolity Can Lead to Greater Thoughts, Just Not Today =-.

Mitch Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 12:06 AM

If the comments specifically addressed the topic of the post, then I’d have left them. However, I’ve seen them all be somewhat generic, and in that case I’ll just kill them all.

February 3rd, 2010 | 11:37 PM