Content supplier resorts to lousy marketing ploy...Blog spam escapes word verification...
After growing tired of all the lousy comment spam I was getting, I added word verification to the commenting process for this blog (see: Reluctantly creating a barrier to participation...). I really didn't like doing that, because I am all about maximum interaction and hate the idea of creating barriers (even small ones) to interaction.
It's a little hard to tell whether the change will actually dissuade any "legitimate" commenters, but it certainly has reduced the amount of comment spam. At approximately 4:40 a.m. (CDT), I received my first junk comment since making the change.
I am not that irritated about that comment worming its way into the Content Done Better Blog. I am obviously not a fan of comment spam, but it isn't like I spend my days pounding the desk until my fists bleed screaming about it. I tend to think of it as a sort of nasty fact of life, unfortunately.
What bugs me about the particular trash comment in question is its source: It came from another content industry competitor. In addition to the usual list of reasons why comment spam is rotten, here's why I find this particular case extra-annoying:
- I believe in maintaining a professional, if not supportive, atmosphere between freelance content writers and content production services. Although we may be competiting against one another for jobs, we share many common goals and challenges and can benefit from one another's opinions and from working with one another. I don't like seeing someone within the industry willing to deface another service's blog, as doing so runs contrary to that perspective.
- It's incredibly bad form. If the folks over at Dr. Pepper started spraypainting "Coca Cola Rules" on DP production facilities, we'd all probably agree that was in poor taste. Tagging the comment brick wall of a competitor's blog with one's own site info graffiti isn't that much different. C-spam is always an unattractive exercise in freeloading. Its ugliness is intensified when the perpetrator is hopping onto a peer/competitor's back.
- It's lazy. Remember, word verification was ON. Someone, most likely, went through the hassle of reading and typing in the code to get comment access. If one is going through that much work, why not take a minute to read and respond to an actual post. That is especially true when both parties are working in the same industry and there is a pretty good opportunity of being able to add something of value to the conversation.
I have decided not to delete the comment, which was made in response to this post. Instead, I am going to highlight it. I want to supply it in all of its glory for all to read.
Hey, if you want to spam the comments in hopes of snagging some business, you run the risk of being pulled out of the shadows and being put on display for all to see. I am sure the goal was to create a little positive mileage by non-responsively commenting here and there. The flipside of that is the risk of being announced as a C-spammer, right?
Here it is:
I found what I was looking for at some sites, but not all. That's why I built a site that would give you the Content that you were looking for. Content Resource Center offers everything related to original content that you are looking for.
I now leave it to the Content Done Better Blog readers (many of whom would have never noticed the comment otherwise) to make their own assessment of "Content Resource Center" based, at least in part, on their marketing strategy.
If the people at CRC would like to explain why they felt their post was something other than comment spam or would like to otherwise defend their marketing strategy, they can feel free to leave a (genuine) comment...
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