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How to Know When to Ditch Your Teacher

How to Know When to Ditch Your Teacher

 

Hi, dear readers,

I’m mad.

Yes, I’m gong to be shooting from the hip in this post.

So then, let me explain the reason behind my annoyance:

A few days ago I received a comment on my previous post. Here it is below:

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(CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE FULL-SIZE)

Now, why would this comment make me mad?

It appears like a perfectly nice, natural comment, does it not?

Perhaps.

As soon as I saw it, though, something didn’t seem quite right about it.

Yes it has a name and yes it has a gravatar.

But you see, spammers and auto-posters are getting more and more sneaky.

The first sign that something’s not right is the website address and the CommentLuv link.

Have a look – what do those have to do with marketing and making money online?

Okay, that’s not conclusive, as I have received some very nice and genuine comments from people who have blogs in other niches. Nevertheless, when I receive a first comment from someone I don’t know and the links don’t match my niche, it rings alarm bells.

However, it wasn’t actually this that I picked up on at first. As I read the comment, it just seemed very, very familiar somehow.

Then I had a look through the genuine comments that had already been left…

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(CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE FULL-SIZE)

 

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(CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE FULL-SIZE)

 

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(CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE FULL-SIZE)

That’s right. Not only has this person scraped comments from my genuine, valued visitors, but they were stupid enough to pick comments from the very same thread that they were spamming!

NOT on my watch you don’t, sunshine!

Aside from this being plain old spam, it is theft.

Yes, you heard me – theft.

Why should my loyal readers take the time and effort to write a genuine, sincere comment, only to have some pleb come along and nick them?

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I know that spam is just something we all have to live with and try our best to fight, but I’ve seen stolen comments before and because they seem natural, they have been allowed through. This is the first time I’ve had one like this on my blog, but I’ve seen them on other blogs and have had to alert the owner about it.

The reason I’ve chosen to post about this one especially, though, is because I want to warn you about this particularly sneaky, underhanded tactic.

This particular variation is something new, at least to me. As you can see from the screen captures above, this isn’t simply a case of one person’s comment being scraped and re-posted by the spammer. No, they have actually grabbed sections from three different people’s comments and combined them!

Now, the likelihood is that this post was created by some scraping and spinning software that scanned the existing posts, took out selected parts and combined them to make the new post appear natural.

This is one of the very reasons why I don’t like auto-posting software. Sure, use something that automates certain processes legitimately, but if you use stuff like that for things like commenting, well you’re asking for trouble.

Why You Need to Ditch Your Teacher

 

A person who posts like this or uses software to do it doesn’t just wake up one day and decide to do it.

Well, they might, but there is a much more likely reason:

They have been taught to do it that way.

Yes, someone has either coached them, taught the technique in the material that came with some software, or taught it in a forum, e-book, course or some other means that the person has learned from.

If you have been taught that this approach to blog commenting is acceptable, then ditch your teacher right now!

Likewise, if you have bought a piece of software or course, etc. that advocates this kind of behaviour then bin it and never buy from that person again.

Extreme?

Not really. Not when you consider that your reputation and credibility can be dealt a death blow by such stupidity.

 

teahcer

 

Do you think that “Sneha” is going to get another shot at posting on my blog?

Pffftt!

Do you think that people who read this post will be on the alert?

For their sake, I hope so.

This one act of stupidity has rendered Sneha’s attempted comment useless other than to show them up for the silly spammer that they are.

Now, I know this may not affect them directly right now to any significant degree.

They have likely been doing this for a while and will probably carry on doing it.

But the point of my highlighting this is for two reasons:

1) Watch out for this kind of sneaky spam comment. Spammers aren’t only leaving “Great post!” type comments anymore. They are attempting to make their comments appear more and more natural and genuine, even down to stealing comments from genuine commenters.

2) If you are tempted to engage in anything that remotely resembles this kind of silly behaviour, don’t! Likewise, if you are being taught by anyone that this is acceptable or advisable behaviour, then kick them into touch.

teacherIf you go about your online business using silly, deceitful, unethical behaviour such as this, then you are hamstringing your business before you even get really started.

You see, this is not simply about a spam comment on a blog or even a number of spam comments across a number of blogs.

The mere fact that the person engages in this reflects a bigger problem  – that of their own ethics.

If a person thinks that this kind of behaviour is okay, then what else might they be willing to do, if they aren’t doing so already?

You cannot base a serious business on deceit and lies.

Sure, you may get away with it for a while, but it WILL catch up with you and come back to bite you eventually.

So don’t do it and stay far, far, far away from anyone who endorses such nonsense.

Over to you:

Have you witnessed any sneaky spam techniques?

If you have then I’d love for you to share them in the comments below so that we can help raise awareness.

Please don’t forget to share my post if you found it of value or think others will benefit.

And don’t forget to subscribe to get my free e-book! 🙂

About Me

Glenn is a Certified iPro Masters Partner

 

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10 thoughts on “How to Know When to Ditch Your Teacher”

  1. Hey Glenn,

    You know what, as soon as you said Sneha, I had to jot my memory and remember getting some comments from this person. It never dawned on me that they were spamming or using a software to scrape comments from other commenters to leave comments. It look legit, but now I’m about to go back and delete them.

    Yes, if there’s any “guru” or “teacher” saying it’s ok to do this, then that’s not cool at all. It becomes more of an ethical issue than anything, and if anyone is doing this, then definitely they should ditch their teacher. It shows bad character and you can ruin your reputation in the blogosphere.

    Thanks for bringing this to our attention Glenn! Have a good one!
    Sherman Smith recently posted…Why Your Blog Traffic Generation Strategies SuckMy Profile

    1. Hi Sherman,

      That’s interesting that the name jolted your memory, I’m glad it did. Of course I’m not glad that they spammed you too! But it’s good that you are now able to go back and rid your blog of their rubbish.

      Yes, it’s definitely an ethical issue and it’s this that riles me. I know a lot of bloggers obsess over blocking spam and get really uptight over it. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a problem with it aside from a few rogue comments here and there. But the clear disregard for anyone else other than themselves does annoy me, especially the people who are teaching that this approach is fine and the ones who create the software to do it. That stuff is not welcome here and I have no problem at all in naming and shaming anyone who dares to try use my blog as the dumping ground for their garbage.

      Thanks for stopping by, Sherman, I’m glad to have helped! 🙂

      »Glenn«
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Time Management May Be Hazardous to Your BusinessMy Profile

  2. Hey Glenn,

    Oh how we all do hate spam. I get these often myself and of course like you I read every single comment so when someone is commenting on a new post and what they’re saying it sounding all too familiar then that’s when I know they’ve stolen someone else’s comment and used it as their own.

    I also always check out the links and if the comment sounds iffy enough to me I delete it. If they do this kind of thing though they’ll instantly be marked as spam and deleted.

    You’re right though, somewhere someone is teaching these people this stuff and I guess for people who might not be that keen on blogging or how much commenting can benefit you they’ll allow these types of comments. It’s a shame really but there is so much stuff still being taught today like this I’m afraid.

    I’m sorry they did this to you but I’m glad you outed them and have made everyone aware of all the underhanded things people will still do to get their stuff noticed. If only they would realize how much this is hurting them in the long run.

    Hope your week is going much better though.

    ~Adrienne
    Adrienne recently posted…How to Have Massive Success With Your BlogMy Profile

    1. Hi Adrienne,

      Usually spam in itself doesn’t bother me too much. I view it as simply an annoyance and can’t say that I have too much trouble with it. But when someone comes along and steals the comments from my readers? That REALLY annoys me!

      It really is a shame that people feel the need to do this nonsense. For a little extra work they could do things properly and ethically and not risk having their entire operation or reputation slammed.

      Oh well, the side-effect of this is that people can at least see the contrast for themselves between someone who does things wrongly and someone who does things ethically. Rubbish like this only serves to strengthen the position of people like you and me who stand out like a beacon as people who clearly care for our visitors and want them to truly succeed in the proper way.

      Thanks Adrienne, I’m sorry my reply is so late, it somehow got overlooked. I hope you had a great weekend and wish you a great week ahead. 🙂

      »Glenn«
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…3 Essential Elements to Successful PositioningMy Profile

  3. Hi Glenn,

    Thank you for your post on very sneaky spammers. Using CommentLuv and a gravatar to get through. That really stinks. I think I had one of those today. It had all of the above but the address was weird so I spammed it.

    Ashley did a good job on my blog to keep spammers out. but when they are using a picture and CommentLuv, it throws you through a loop.

    Sorry that happened to you and thank you so much for letting us know Glenn.

    On a lighter note, I’m 63 years old and someone asked me to do a guest post and they were selling Viagra.

    You have an awesome week,

    Linda
    Linda Schrier recently posted…How to Generate Traffic to Your Blog?My Profile

    1. Hi Linda,

      Yes it definitely stinks, but what stinks more is that the person stole comments from those that had already been left by good people such as yourself!

      I’ve received strange offers too (nothing to do with Viagra though, so far!) asking me to write guest posts or people asking to write guest posts here. Of course I’m open to both, but only if they are genuine and will be mutually beneficial.

      Thanks for stopping by, Linda, have yourself a great rest-of-the-week. 🙂

      »Glenn«
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…RSS DemystifiedMy Profile

  4. Hi Glenn,

    I want to tear the hair out of my head when it comes to this! I get them almost every day and won’t let them in. Before I approve a comment I like to see what it is linked to. (gritting teeth) I find it is a savvy way for them to come onto my blog. I just won’t allow it.

    But what gets me the most is that I have to take the time to investigate. Indeed, it gets my feathers ruffled!

    Then there is that automation thing…I don’t like automation in any shape or form. What’s with that? Like you mentioned, eventually it catches up to them. I have been fooled the the past and let some in, but learned my lesson pretty quickly.

    I don’t know who is teaching this stuff, but any kind of unethical practices will tear down in time. It happens in so many ways and what gets my goat is that I have to be on guard, when most of my readers are ethical bloggers.

    Thanks so much for brining up this topic and putting us on “alert” I appreciate it.

    -Donna
    Donna Merrill recently posted…The 20 Percent SolutionMy Profile

    1. Hi Donna,

      Spam can be a nuisance and it doesn’t usually bother me. But when people start using techniques that show that they are really thinking about how to trick and deceive, then that annoys me because it shows an utter disregard for everyone but themselves and, as I mentioned in my post, shows that people are promoting this tactic as acceptable.

      What bothers me more than anything is not that people try to spam my blog. They can do that to their hearts’ content but they will never get by me, so pffft to them. But newer, less experienced and less savvy bloggers can be duped by this garbage and it’s THAT that gets to me!

      So, if I can call out the spammers and alert people to some of their more devious trickery, then I will do so. Hopefully my little post will help some people avoid being tricked by this particular technique and will prompt them to be ever-vigilant, not only with regards to the spammers but also to the people who teach and promote this type of nonsense.

      I hope you are keeping well, Donna. Thanks for stopping by, it’s always much appreciated. 🙂

      »Glenn«
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…I’m a Tortoise!My Profile

  5. Very sneaky (and wrong). It shows we all need to be ‘on alert’ at all times. When these types of people do these things you can understand why some people look at IM as a scam. Will keep a close eye on my comments from now on.
    Very observant – congratulations – and thanks for sharing this.
    Gill Watkins recently posted…Perceptions And ImpressionsMy Profile

    1. Hi Gill,

      It most certainly does. People can be very sneaky and not just spammers. It makes my toes curl to see some of the things that people will do just in order to try to make money. The thing is, these unethical practices are very short-sighted and are simply no way to build a sustainable business.

      Thanks for your comment. Have yourself a great week! 🙂

      »Glenn«
      Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Not Getting Results? Focus on the NEGATIVE!My Profile

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