Odd referrer

Atomic regulations and lingerie lead to our site?

[EJHonda]

Reviewing the IIS logs for our company website, we see some odd referrers listed once in awhile. We're trying to explain how these come about. Most referrers are quite clear to explain - simply visit the URL listed and you can see the link on their web page. However, we recently had URLs for the Atomic Regulatory Commission, Danni's Hard Drive, and other 'colorful' URLs listed as bringing a visitor to our site.

Visiting these sites (it may have required several visits to Danni's to convince me) shows there are no links to our web site. So how do these sites end up listed as being referrers to our site?

Our best guess is that perhaps the web surfer hits the colorful site for a split-second, and then before the site comes up completely, hits the 'Home' button which is pointed at our site. Thus some process in the background isn't allowed to complete fully, and it then appears the request came from the original web site.

Thanks for your answers!

[rcjordan]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld, EJHonda.

As for my best guess, search here on "log spamming" and the domain (from your logs) of the Atomic Regulatory Commission. On the web, and in web logs, things aren't always what they seem to be.

[martinibuster]

I read in a similar thread that occasionally browsers will indicate the last url visited as the referrer.

This is the best explanation I've ever seen for this phenomenom.

[Dreamquick]

If memory serves at least one spambot uses the aeac.org as the referrer when it tries to harvest a page...

<added>oops - I meant to say www.iaea.org but got a bit confused</added>

- Tony

[edited by: Dreamquick at 9:21 pm (utc) on Feb. 4, 2003]

[vmcknight]

I've seen the Atomic Regulatory Commission in my referrers several times in the past few years. It always mystified me because I run disability sites, and there's certainly no link to them from the ARC.

Now it seems doubly odd. How many people just surf to the ARC on their way to other things?

[rcjordan]

See Dreamquick's post above, then these threads:

[webmasterworld.com...]

[webmasterworld.com...]

[webmasterworld.com...]

[coconutz]

On the web, and in web logs, things aren't always what they seem to be.

I checked a "referrer" in my logs yesterday and it led to a website promoting ummmm, a brand new advertising design that uses an otherwise untapped resource, the referral link.

"Our cleverly designed method of visiting these sites is controlled and efficient...blah,blah...only visit each site enough to draw interest. The final effect is simply as if you had links from your website to thousands of targeted sites"

highly effective for reaching the webmaster audience

is not even perceived as advertising by the recipient

"not even perceived as advertising by the recipient" I like this one ;)

[EJHonda]

Wow, this forum is great - intelligent answers in record time! Thank you all for your input.