Quadrille - 4:43 pm on Jul 20, 2006 (gmt 0)

Google is a complicated beast, and they respond to spam on different levels.

1. They file spam reports - no, not a piece of paper at the back of a large green metal box, but a database that throws up patterns of spam and habits of spammers.

This enables Google to do those tweaks that spammers love so much - or did you think they are random?

2. In some cases, they act 'manually'

Why two different approaches? Who knows - but probably something really simple. Like manual management is really resource-heavy, and would be impossible to do all the time. Plus dealing with bacteria one at a time is hardly productive.

Next time there's a Florida or a Jagger, remember all those spam reports and check the spammers - many more will bite the dust.

Spam reports are vital to Google, but no need for good folk to stay up all night - 96.372% of all spam reports come from rival spammers*.

*And 97% of statistics are fiction ;)