Splog? Obnoxious Google-Juice-Seeking Blogger? Or Is There Much of a Difference?
I got another of what sometimes comes around to the blog: a kind-of-spammy comment. Not the usual hundred links to pharma or fake-Rolex wares, not a generic “your blog is the best!” sycophantic fake post just to link to a site that sells such stuff–but instead a comment posted by someone who would appear to be a real blogger–except that the comment was slightly off-topic. It was about the iPhone, but was a rant against AT&T and Apple, in a blog post about iPhone hype in Japan, pre-iPhone release.
That kind of not-quite-right comment sets off alarms for me, and I checked it out by Googling a string of text from the comment–and lo, he had dropped the exact same comment, word for word, into at least 16 blogs–at least, those were the blogs that posted his comment. Who knows how many more blogs, like this one, saw through the comment and tossed it.
Seeing the guy’s blog made me wonder–was he a real blogger? Was he a spammer? He was not an obvious splogger, as his posts seem to be original, as opposed to copied from existing blogs; at first glance his blog just seems to be a normal opinion blog, and for all I know, it actually is. But a closer look revealed one section–titled “How To”–which featured all the classic spam links: weight loss, texas holdem, the works.
Is this the new face of spamming? Do they hire people now to front blogs with original content, who try to fake people into approving their content, allowing their mass comments, accruing Google Juice, only to act as a false front for the worst of the spammers?
It’s an evolving world, and god forbid, this could be the future–spammers slipping in under the radar, offering easy cash to sell-out shills who write new content so they can make a few bucks on the side, with the ultimate goal being to fool honest bloggers and steal from them the Search Engine credibility which is now becoming harder and harder to get through more obvious means.
This guy “Pete” (if that is his real name–I would be too ashamed to use mine, if I were him) is worse than the spammers: he fronts for them, offers them a veneer of reality they never deserved, all for a few bucks on the side. The new Quisling of the blogosphere.
Did I mention that I detest anything related to spamming? (No? Hmm, how could I have missed that?)
they are just doing more realistic advertising;) Instead of saying that hot girl in Kyoto wants to have sex with me tonight(which is the usual spam i get…)… you are getting comments. Now if i thought those women actually were interested in me… then i might click the link… but i’m not an idiot. So it seems genius to me that someone would think of them. Someone interested in your blog is MUCH more plausible then a local woman wanting to have anonymous sex with you. genius really. annoying for you perhaps but genius marketing!
-Pete
jk about the Pete
-Dan
Of course you’re joking, but these people really get to me. Whether a coincidence or not, I just had another one right after the first, this time for a less spammy site, but still the same tactic. If there’s some actual content to the response, I am always pleased to post it, whether is agrees with my views or the opposite. But these people who post these cut-and-paste deals, they act like you’re some idiot who can’t tell the difference. I feel like it’s almost an insult. Heck, you can probably leave out the “always” in that statement, and probably the “I feel like” as well.
But, um… do you mean those Russian chicks really don’t dig me?
They are really girls, though, right?
I think it’s automated, but they’re doing something that makes it appear to be slightly more on-topic. Akismet does a tremendous job of filtering spam; on my personal blog it’s stopped hundreds of thousands of them from getting through. I’m sure it’s more on yours.
I suspect there’s some spammer tools out there that allow the spambots to be set up to scan for certain topics, and then they spam based on THAT… which, in theory, will make the spam a lot less obvious.
But you’re right- they’re out there. I get ’em too. And it’s scummy.