I was so tired and frustrated recently by the amount of spam all over the web that a thought came to me. What is going through the spammer’s minds when they do what they do? Do they actually think they will get any traffic to their site by continually sending out links along with an unrelated or generic one liner everywhere?  What are they thinking? They use the most popular sites and news (obviously!) and completely spoil the experience for everyone by posting their links and not contributing in any way to the discussion or argument. Do they think that there are enough ill informed people out there who would click on their link?

So what did I do? I googled spammer and got a lot of information about this cursed lot.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mulad/264285948/

Apparently they are not as stupid as I originally thought they were. They are lacking in integrity and decency but not intelligence, because they are using a cheap form of advertising that actually works. (Okay, they are not ‘intelligent’ but they are not dodos either). I was shocked when I read this because it seems impossible to me that anyone would want to click on a link that sounds so… Cliché? Corny? Annoying? Ugly? All of the above?

Maybe these people (let’s call them clickers) don’t spend enough time online to be able to recognize spam. But is that even possible? Or maybe they just like to click. I don’t know. But whatever the reason clickers do what they do, I really wish they would stop.

I came across an interesting site during my mini research of spammers. This site speaks of the different ways a spammer collects e-mail addresses to use to send spam. (The writer uses words like ‘harvest’ and says things like ‘there have been reports of’ both of which gave me chills but I think it is mostly because of the black background of the blog. Not only did it hurt my eyes, it also put me ‘in a dark place’.)

So anyway, this write-up talks about how spammers have all these different ways of getting access to e-mail addresses. I guess any wannabe spammer can just check this site or the (I’m sure) countless other sites that provide the same information to become a pro spammer. But I am in no way criticizing the person responsible for this write-up. He is just sharing information that I feel should be out there anyway and he is also giving us very valuable information on how to counter spam along with legal resources and a lot more information.

I also came across another site that has a humorous approach to this issue. The page is based on the idea of spamming being a ‘problem’ much like drugs and alcohol and needs to be addressed individually. The result? Spammers Anonymous. There is also a quiz to determine whether you are a spammer or not which I found really funny.

The message is clear – when the spammers stop the spam will too and that is what some websites are trying to get at by increasing awareness either consciously or not.

Unfortunately the only way the spammers will stop is if they find another source of cheap advertising, which is unlikely. I only wish they would realize that they are not gaining in the long run and would start to take up social media optimization instead. It might be a bit slower than what they are used to, but it is a sure way (if done correctly) to build the consumer’s confidence in the product for the long run. I mean what better way of selling whatever product or service you have than by doing it socially. By making acquaintances online and zeroing in on only those people who might be interested in what you are selling. In fact, if done correctly, the prospects will come to you.

The spammer’s mistake is obvious to you and me, who have the resources to be able to preach. But it’s not that obvious to the spammer. I wish it was for their sake, as well as ours.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusmeissner/3243734765/