Recently I've been collecting examples of comment spam. Essentially, this is for a research project that is somewhere fairly low on my to-do list. However, it does have a more positive aspect: whenever I feel at a loss for words and losing faith in my own wordsmithing ability, I scroll down to see what nice things they say about my blogs. Well, anyone's blogs, to be honest, but being a needy sort of person, I can manage the occasional bout of self-deception.
So here's a really rich example: rich in that it seems to have inadvertently aggregated several variants of standard spams into a single mail. Someone not quite got the hang of the kit yet, perhaps?
{This is a smart blog. I mean it. You have so much knowledge about this issue, and so much passion. You also know how to make people rally behind it, obviously from the responses. Youve got a design here thats not too flashy, but makes a statement as big as what youre saying. Great job, indeed|Hello webmaster. I found your website via Yahoo! when I was searching for SEO and this post regarding effective internet marketing sounds very interesting for me|What youre saying is completely true. I know that everybody must say the same thing, but I just think that you put it in a way that everyone can understand. I also love the images you put in here. They fit so well with what youre trying to say|This is my first time i visit here. I found so many entertaining stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here! Keep up the good work. |Simply, admirable what you have done here. It i!
s pleasing to look you express from the heart and your clarity on this significant content can be easily looked. Remarkable post and will look forward to your future update. |Aw, this was a really great post. In theory I'd like to write like this also - taking time and real effort to make a good article... but what can I say... I procrastinate alot and never seem to get something done. cheers
As the News of the World, another class act, used to boast, "all human life is there..." (Actually a quote from Henry James, who probably wouldn't have appreciated its use in that context.)
The reference for SEO (which wasn't the topic of the blog the above comment latched onto) is interesting in that the following comment was clearly intended to publicize a blog that deals with the topic:
Helpful information. Fortunate me I discovered your site by chance, and I am shocked why this twist of fate did not took place in advance! I bookmarked it.
I suppose we do consider SEO (Search Engine Optimization) here from time to time, but largely in the context of Black Hat SEO - the misuse of search engines to steer unsuspecting victims to malicious URLs such as those hosting fake AV. Is that what our friendly and adulatory comment spammers are interested in? I'd love to know, but it's hard to say.
Now I'm going to lie down for a bit to wrestle with the concept of a twist of fate that takes place in advance of itself.
David Harley CITP FBCS CISSP
ESET Senior Research Fellow
