11 replies to this topic

[amabaie]

I received this email just a few minutes ago:

Dear Sir,
In the past, I have sent an e-mail to inform you that I have already added your link(http://www.thehappyguy.com/) to my 263 sites. Did you added my 263 links already? If you still not added my links, please link back to me as soon as possible by using html code in the bottom of this e-mail.

Best regards,

(name witheld to protect the evil)
Managing Director
(org witheld to protect the evil)
(URLwitheld to protect the evil)
(email witheld to protect the evil)

There are two things wrong with this. The obvious one is that this person is sending all 263 websites to oblivion for link-farming and, worse, duplicate pages.

But what really burns me is that novice webmasters and all people innocent will slaivate over the prospect of 263 easy links. But when Google and others catch wind that there are 263 duplicate link farms to ban, imagine what happens to a website with, say, 294 outgoing links, 263 are to the now-banned duplicate link farms.

[qwerty]

Very nice. Am I to understand that this guy approached you with the idea of exchanging 263 links? You would think a smarter (but equally evil) strategy would be to suggest a single link exchange, and if the sucker goes for that, approach them with the idea of adding 262 more.

[Marc]

that email deserves an automatic delete and then a spam filter on your inbox

Marc

[Randy]

I guess I must be mean, or maybe I just have to deal with more spam than most folks.

When I get stuff like that I look in the email headers and report the spammer directly to their ISP as well as whoever is hosting their web space. I figure if they sent it to me, they most likely sent it to 10,000 others too.

Not the way most would handle it I know, but if it puts them out of business for even a day at least I'm saving 10,000 other people the hassle.

[fred]

At least they told you that you wherer added to their farm

I was added to

http://www.snn.gr/co...070000_com.html

without my knowledge

should I worry that I will be seen as a link farmer ?

I don't link to that page

I found it will searching for my web site : nousolutions

[qwerty]

should I worry that I will be seen as a link farmer ?

Nothing to worry about. As long as you don't link back you're safe, because the search engines know you have no control over who links to you.

[fred]

So I should encourage them to link to me :halo:

[mcanerin]

I run into lots of instances of my site linked to by people I've never heard of. When I go check them out, I see that what they have done is do a search on Google on a keyword, grab all the results, then put them on their page as "content".

Then they put their clients/affiliate links at the top of that page. Nasty. I"ve seen sites with hundreds of pages stolen from googles results like this.

Ian

[amabaie]

I run into lots of instances of my site linked to by people I've never heard of. When I go check them out, I see that what they have done is do a search on Google on a keyword, grab all the results, then put them on their page as "content".

I know you think that's nasty, Ian, but in fact that's just what a directory is all about. You mention a lazy way to create one, to be sure, but it's a directory nonetheless.

When I get stuff like that I look in the email headers and report the spammer directly to their ISP as well as whoever is hosting their web space. I figure if they sent it to me, they most likely sent it to 10,000 others too.

Randy, please think twice before reporting spam. As wrong as what these guys are doing in terms of search engine spamming, they are not email spamming. They made a legitimate contact with a webmaster for links, just as if I send a news release to multiple media contacts or a resume to many HR contacts with potential employers.

They deserve to have their website banned from the search engines, and I hope they do. They do not deserve to have their website shut down by their ISP (often forced to on a single unverified complaint received by MCI or ATT or whomever). This happened to me on a false accusation -- a heavy penalty (shutting down one's entire livelihood) on what amounts to gossip (a single unverified report).

On the Internet, there is no due process, so it behooves us to be very careful to make sure the punishment fits the crime. I did report all 263 sites to Google, but I won't report it to their ISP. As much as I hate spam, it is a minor annoyance compared to suddenly having no income.

[mcanerin]

I know you think that's nasty, Ian, but in fact that's just what a directory is all about. You mention a lazy way to create one, to be sure, but it's a directory nonetheless.

I'll give you that, certainly. It's the laziness(and potentially the theft of copyrighted material) that I object to most strongly. Case in point, I've never reported one as a spammer.

But they don't get my respect

Ian

[Randy]

You've got your opinion and I've got mine David.

Trust me...running as many servers as I do and having as many email addresses as I do, not nearly all of it gets reported. It would take me 4-6 hours per day, every day, to report it all if I were so inclined. And that's with my servers catching the vast majority of it before it ever gets to me. :laugh:

Spam is spam is spam. It's evil no matter what kind of spam it is in my personal opinion. I can hardly wait for something similar to the No Call List being applied to spam mail. Several states are already looking at it.

I guess I was right...I am mean. But why should I let these idiots keep using the resources I have to spend my hard earned money on?

[Leann_Pass]

I received the same email for the 263 hotel sites I have also received 2 follow up emails to make sure I have added their 263 sites .


Delete, Delete, Delete. If he wishes to put my link on 263 sites then so be it. This kind of joker isn't even worth responding to.