Subtle Forum Spam

Where do you draw the line?

[mfishy]

I notice people post their URL in their profile or as their nickname and go on to post in SE forums about "bad results" in their areas. Is this not just a way to communicate with SE reps without breaking the TOS? Seems it must be since the same people post over and over and over again with their complaints.

Does it make some of you feel odd that you are financially supporting a forum that may be facilitating the removal of your sites from engines?

[The Contractor]

I don't report anything to SE's, but forum spam I will in a heartbeat. Yes, you will get the same people complaining or dropping search terms etc. most of the time here or anywhere else. I don't like it at all when people start dropping "terms" etc. even though it doesn't affect me in the least.

[buckworks]

If the only thing wrong with some results is that "my site isn't there", all the complaining in the world will have no effect.

But if some results are truly bad (and some ARE full of crud) then what's the problem with someone complaining about it?

[The Contractor]

But if some results are truly bad (and some ARE full of crud) then what's the problem with someone complaining about it?

OK, but when was there not so called "crud" in any SE?
I think most will worry about their own sites and let the SE's worry about their job. I see the same people always being holier than thou trying to build brownie points or something and I can almost promise you I could look at their sites and see over-use of words/related terms, recip. link pages, etc which are all being used to try to game the SE's...

I'm not one that you would consider as using any tactics that are risky, but we all try to game the SE's in one way or another - the sooner people admit to it and quit worrying about it, the less noise there will be...

[Brett_Tabke]

mfishy - we have it covered by a technological solution. What you propose can not happen.

[mfishy]

If my name is cheapairlinetickets and i say my serps have spam in them, your SE reps cannot take a peek?

But if some results are truly bad (and some ARE full of crud) then what's the problem with someone complaining about it?

this is from the charter

"If you have spam to report, please report it to Google. We are not the Google spam reporting system or the place to "shop the competition" knowing that Google techs may read it".

Therefore, if the SE reps know your industry and you make specific complaints you are making a spam report through WebmasterWorld.

[cooldoug]

Any users that spamms should be removed. It makes it better on everyone:)

[buckworks]

we all try to game the SE's in one way or another

Certainly we do, but there are substantive differences between tweaking a page or site with solid content, and churning out reams of script-generated gibberish.

I often submit complaints about the latter when I come across it, and if that's being "holier than thou", so be it.

[Brett_Tabke]

> Any users that spamms should be removed. It makes it better on everyone

What about a user that leaves 20 fluff posts in a day and the moderators know "post count spammers"?

> If my name is cheapairlinetickets

we take many many steps to avoid that from happening. (this is why it is almost nonexistent in the forums).

2 things that should be clear:
a) the se's have never had LESS interest in public proclamations of spam (unless it points to an algo bug)
b) the se's are on a mission with a motto to "clean it up in the algo". (I have heard that the rate of "hand checkins" are at their lowest point in 4 years at google and that existing hand checks are being "algo dealt with" in record numbers. eg: the goal is to eliminate hand bans by the end of 2005 and have it 100% dealt with in the algo)

[Hawkgirl]

And I'll add that Brett and the mods around here have been handling spammers, spam reporters, whiners, fluff posters and other "problem children" since day one - so this place is pretty efficient about keeping major problems at bay.

If you see anything you think is fishy, like a member ratting out another member, or someone posting lots of "me, too!" posts ... send a sticky to a mod and let one of us know. We try to stay on top of things, but it's better (and faster) when you help us out!