Thursday 30 September 2010

SPAM

My spam box overfloweth.

I get spam comments on my blog daily: some want me to buy special medications, others are worried that I might be lonely, and offer me an escort service. Somebody else finds my blog posts very useful for their dissertation, and another regular enjoys my "themes". The most amusing was just after I'd changed my blog banner and colour scheme: they suggested I should consider changing my design occasionally.

It's annoying, because it means I have to moderate all comments, and sometimes my lovely real readers think their comment is being ignored. Not so, I assure you.

Spam on twitter goes without saying!

More recently I've been getting spam from online sellers. Mostly, I think, because they're unaware that just because I post on a forum, or maybe add their shop to my favourites, that does not mean I wish them to start sending me unsolicited offers. That is what newsletters are for - I blogged on Folksy about how to set them up here (part 1) and here (part 2).

Now *someone* has kindly signed up in my name to receive offers from certain websites. No, don't ask. But if you happen to know how to unsubscribe from services without having knowledge of the password, please get in touch.

And to end on a positive note - let's hear from Monty Python:

12 comments:

Heather Leavers said...

guess what - since posting this, a new subscription has arrived. *yawn*

The Bunny Maker said...

You'll have to change your email addy!
Trouble with newsletters is that, to use a free service, you have to tolerate the ads. I've just been 'forced' to pay to get rid of them because they make the place look nasty. booooo. oh well, a few sales and the fee will be covered for the year so I guess it's worth it.

joy said...

when I was a little girl my mum used to give me fried spam sandwiches. can you think of anything worse than that? thankfully my blog is small fry, so I dont get bothered by these sorts
joy xx

Heather Leavers said...

good point bunnymaker, I'll think about that. one of yesterday's spammers said they'd found me on "an online selling venue which shall remain nameless" though.

Jackie said...

I had exactly the same sort of spam..'hi I'd like to read more' etc. In my case blogger have applied a spam filter. It says they have them on 'certain ' blogs. It works quite well but you have to check for things that have accidentally gone into spam. Also, I usually set moderation for comments on posts older than 7 days as well.
Spam fritters..the convents favourite school dinner. Bleuurrrghhh!

Jackie said...

I just thought...in the 50s it was spam but now we have chorizo...

Hilary said...

I've mentioned it recently on the folksy blog too in a post about online safety.

Blogwise you can have it so only members or registered users can comment, (settings, comments) might be an extra hurdle for spammers but for your loyal readers will be fine, do most of your comments come from blog followers already?

If it's any consolation you have a link today from the blog about popular crafts, as we used the magazine cover with you and harry hill on it :)

Daisie said...

I have only ever had three SPAM comments on my blog in it's lifetime and each time have been ridiculously excited (even though I was not in need of a larger penis!) that I am on someone's bloggy radar! How sad am I?! Hope you can find a way to minimise unwanted contact. xxx

Heather Leavers said...

LOL thanks guys! I do have the blogger spam filter, and it worked fine at first. They're getting craftier though!

I actually quite liked spam fritters at school - not sure I'd want one now though.

I saw that haptree - thank you! loved being a cover girl LOL http://blog.folksy.com/2010/09/30/popular-crafts-magazine

Unknown said...

Have you gotten the one that said it knows you get spam but wants a minute of your time because it's not like other spam? Probably the worst spam message I received was one of the “I’m very interested in this topic and want to read more about all things connected to it” ones in reply to a post I made about my pet lizard dying. That really pissed me off! Talk about making a bad day worse.

It's a spamalicious world. I think the spam has gotten worse since Blogger implemented the spam filter.

Heather Leavers said...

oh fyrecreek, what bad timing.

Pamela Zimmerman said...

lol my kid had to run up to see what i was watching on the computer!

how could you possibly ever be lonely, nifty, what with mr. nifty AND all those adorable meerkats??!!

don't we all hate spam?