My Spammers Say the Nicest Things

By: Ray Pellecchia

File Under: Miscellaneous

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This post has nothing to do with markets; it's just something I found weird.

Despite the best efforts of my SFTCs (spam-filtering techie colleagues), the Exchanges blog gets a good deal of spam through the comment box. You, gentle reader, never see it here because I cull it out from the comments I publish. The other day, while separating this chaff from the wheat as I was waiting to not be picked to serve on a jury, I was struck by a unique feature of these blog spams.

Blog spams hawk many of the same things that get spammed through e-mail: prescription drugs, porn, penny stocks, etc. But blog spam has something that e-mail spam doesn't: the introductory compliment.

Virtually every blog spam begins with a comment about how wonderful the blog is, or what a terrific post that was, etc. I guess the fake kudo is an attempt to evade the filters by taking on the guise of a real comment.

Here's a sample of the spams that came into Exchanges one day last week. Each comment is followed by the pseudonym of the very kind commenter, and the product they were selling. Note, I have not cleaned up any of the grammar or spelling.

The site’s very professional! Keep up the good work! -- Odysseus (free web hosting)

Fantastic work! -- Alan Mjyml (foreign-exchange trading software)

Here is intresting people… Lets talk! -- Themestoclis (porn)

Wow, super site here! -- Jana (foreign-exchange trading software)

This is a cool site! Thanks and wish you better luck! Brilliant but simple idea. -- Loukianos (free web hosting)

This is one of the best sites I have ever found. Thanks!!! Very nice and informal. I enjoy being here. -- Zaharias (porn)

Really great site with alot of good information!! Keep up the good work!!!! -- Spyros (free web hosting)

Hi! Guys how you manage to make such perfect sites? Good fellows! -- Arion (free web hosting)

This is one of the best sites I have ever found. Thanks!!! Very nice and informal. I enjoy being here. (porn)

Tnx for you job! It has very much helped me! -- Liamsmubmar (online music)

Your site is the best one! -- Alan Bnrch (foreign-exchange trading software)

Thanks for the welcome I spent 2 hours to find information you have on this site!! -- Sheaffica (online prescription drugs)

hi... just droppin’ by your site... it’s really cute… nice work! -- Athones (porn)

Ah, if only they really meant it.

Hey, do any other bloggers out there get this stuff?