Results tagged “spam”

Okay, you probably don't need to be told that spam is bad. But you might find it interesting to learn about the economy that's sprung up around blog spam. Good thing, then, that Charles Mann wrote an extensive piece for Wired detailing this scary new world. I'm quoted pretty extensively in the story and, for a change, I'm not entirely unhappy with how it turned out.

The emails, Dash believes, exemplify the fundamental difficulty in fighting splogs and Web spam. With the rise of pay-per-click advertising, the big search engines have, in effect, created a kind of currency: ranking in search results. Put up the right Web site, with the right collection of links and keywords, and – ka-ching! This cash is available to anyone on earth who can manipulate search engines' site-ranking systems.

Little wonder that the entire world's supply of spammers is trying to seize the opportunity. They are combing through the Net so assiduously that they are attempting to capitalize on individual blog posts about products that won't even appear for months to come. No single company, Dash believes, can withstand that much collective rapacity. As a result, he says, "there's going to be a reckoning with the economy that's building up around search engine rankings, one way or another." Something fundamental will have to change, either in the search engine world or the blogosphere, because things can't continue the way they are now.

Ian Kallen has a smart look at the problem as well, informed by Technorati's unique perspective. "The blogosphere has thrived on openness and ease of entry but indeed, all complex ecosystems have parasites. So, while we're grateful to be in a successful ecosystem, we'd all agree that we have to be vigilant about keeping things tidy. The junk that the bad guys want to inject into the update stream has to be filtered out. I think the key to successful web indexing is to cast a wide net, keep tightly defined criteria for deciding what gets in and to use event driven qualification to match the criteria."

I think we have to bolster Ian's recommendations with a big push for accountability, as well, though that's a difficult thing to achieve with mere technology. It's especially challenging given the folks who are on the other side; I found John Jonas's blog an interesting read. Jonas is one of the sploggers interviewed for the article, and seems like, at least in his offline life, he's striving to be a moral and devout guy.

That leaves us with the problem of accountability: How do we make individuals feel personally repsonsible for the web, in the same way that we hope they're personally responsible for the their surroundings in their physical community? Mann asked Jonas' partner whether he thinks about the impact of their work on the web, and elicited the response, "I'm just making my living. I guess I don't think about that kind of thing very much."

Three years ago, Nick Denton made a prediction: "Google text ads will give blogs a business model; but they'll also warp the format." It appears he was right.

Interesting. About a year ago, I wrote Pardon Me For Being Forward, which got a pretty decent amount of traffic. I've still never gotten it forwarded to me by someone who thought I'd appreciate it, though I know people who have. After seeing it pop up as a link on a community site I frequent, I went looking for references to it.

The first one I found was Forward, at a British site. They omitted my line "God is a hoax." in the interest, I assume, of good taste. I had put that in there specifically because I thought it would prevent a lot of people from forwarding the rant as too offensive. They also substituted the Ken Ardley Playboys for the Star Wars Cantina Band.

I have no idea who the Ken Ardley Playboys are, and I'm too lazy too Google them. But I'm fascinated to think of these little bits travelling across the pond and being rewritten into something less funny and less offensive. Particularly because this U.K. version keeps the reference to the IRS, peculiarly.

I just wish I could've watched the path that little tossed-off rant took on its travels around the world.

Further confirming his descent into Andy Rooney territory, please find Pardon Me For Being Forward, in which young Mr. Dash rants in his usual overdone style about the eternal plague: spam from friends.

Just a note to let you know:

I already saw it.

That forward? I got it. I've gotten it. I do not wish to keep receiving it. I was neither moved nor inspired. It was neither clever nor funny. I was not amazed at the stupidity of that criminal, nor disgusted, appalled, and chagrined by the United States Government. I do not marvel at how inexpensive things used to be, nor am I astonished that kids today don't know about things that happened before they were born.

The photo? I had that, too. I have seen two children of any given ethnicity holding hands. I have seen fat ladies in thongs. I saw the bungee jumper crap his pants and I have seen adults covering themselves or others with vomit, urine, and/or beer in any conceivable arrangment with which you would want to provide me. I have no concern for what you consider to be worthy of a MasterCard "Priceless" parody. Intoxication does not amuse me.

I will not be starting or stopping the consumption of any product or service due to the information you provided me in your forwarded email. I will not be winning any contest nor will I submit any data for market research. I will not be subverting AOL, Microsoft, Disney, the IRS or any other entity through the continued transmittal of your bogus message. I boycott your boycotts.

I will not sign up for whatever affiliate program you've got in your email signature. I do not marvel at The Way Things Used to Be. Change your homepage to snopes.com.

I do not care about your heart-warming bullshit, for I am a stone and my heart is cold. Genuine friendships are characterized by emails that are written and sent for me and to me. I do not want to be made aware you were thinking of me, I will not stop to smell the flowers, I will not count my blessings, and I live in neither the best nor the worst country on Earth. Jesus and I have a policy of mutual apathy toward one another. That kitten is not cute. Your baby is not the first to walk, talk, or use a toilet. God is a hoax.

My answer to your questionnaire is: No. My favorite color is: No. My favorite song is: No. I do not care what tree, dog, fruit, Power Ranger or member of the Mos Eisley Cantina Band I most resemble. There Is No All Your Base. I have seen the End of the Internet page, and that wasn't funny last time, either. I find recitations of "lookit how funny those foreigners are!" xenophobic, trite and tiring.

I think I'm done now. Please attribute this to Dave Barry and Kurt Vonnegut and then forward this to everyone in your address book.