Welcome to hell, yeah im in rant mode again..
DISCLAIMER: There may be slight obscenities and unpopular subject matter in this post. If you dont like it? Dont read it!
# rant on #
Im annoyed. Very annoyed. Im no spammer per-se, I dont like to do things that may annoy somebody, or harm the hard work that they have done.
Today, I talk about Guestbook spamming. We’ve all done it, perhaps not on the level that some do, but most of us have filled out a guestbook comment, added our site in the url field and submitted it yes? Ok so you probably didnt do it purely for the linkback, you probably did have some very positive comments on the authors site. Whatever you would have yourself believe, you’re entitled to it.
I use an automated program to find guestbooks, yeah i do, then I will go to the guestbook, check to see if it has a bunch of spammy comments, and usually leave. In this process, I am looking for guestbooks that have not been spammed but have nice comments and very few of them. I will then go to their website, briefly read through it, gain some knowledge on whatever the hell the website is about, and then fill out a comment form. Usually in the vain of, “Thanks, *something personal about their site or information inserted here”, and then a link back to one of my sites.
Its a good way to get some links. And if im looking for guestbooks in my niche, more often than not I walk away with some more information to add to my site, *read, inspiration* and i get a link. Sweet huh! And Im being nice too. Just like a blog where if i comment on it, and leave something there that is relevent to the conversation, the owner will more than likely leave my url there, mostly it has the anchor text of whatever username i am using, but whos complaining.. FREE LINK.
Well, of late, ive been noticing a lot of “Stupid spamming”. You know the sort. Multiples of the same link, comments with links where the poster obviously hasnt taken the time to learn which format the html or bb code needs to be in to make it work… What the fuck is wrong with you people?
First lesson of SEO 101, you only need 1, READ, ONE LINK, on a site, in order for a spider to crawl it, and give you link love. What the hell goes through your mind that makes you think putting something like “bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode, bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,bbcode-VIAGRA-end bbcode,”??????? is going to give you better results..???
Fuck, and dont tell me you are trying to make the page more relevent to your anchor text, that is plain bullshit. More than likely the domain that you’ve just spammed has a totally different niche to you anyway, what makes you think you can bump up any benefits by spamming them like that?
You do realise that all the while, you are ruining what is left of this method for the rest of us. Dont get me wrong, spamming guestbooks will have very little return soon, but some of us would still like to squeeze a little out of it yet.
Dickheads, it only takes an extra minute to write something nice in there too, so that the owner doesnt simply delete your stupid entry.
Most guestbook owners end up closing their doors to new comments because of what you are doing. You are only bringing forward the extinction of guestbooks quicker.
Anyways, why i wasted my time with this, I dont know, most will never learn. I should have just spent the time searching for another 5 guestbooks to add to my arsenal. Or finding another *smart* way to get backlinks.
# rant off #
Ok so now this is very quickly becoming my ‘rant’ site. Lately Im finding myself reading latest news, forums, blogs and the like and simply coming away feeling either disappointed with peoples opinions, and even better yet, utterly disturbed by the bullshit and patheticness of it all.
The worst part? I let it affect me.
I shouldnt. I should perhaps just get on with things, make my money and then go out and spend it, like normal people do. I almost wish sometimes I was back in the 9-5 day job, where i could ‘knockoff’ go home and sink a few ales, and forget about work, have fun with my mates, girlfriends, and then relax and recouperate for another week of working for the man. But then again, I hate the idea of that and will probably never go back.
I suppose forum, blog and conversation frustration is the equal to workplace dominerance and annoyance with ones fellow workmates for me.
If this is my outlet.. then so be it i suppose. This posting may not really give you much in the way of ‘latest news’ or ‘industry gossip’, but they are my thoughts none the less, so if you dont want to read them, dick off… But then again, some of what Im saying may rein true for some of you reading this so enjoy.
There actually isnt even really any point to this post, so I’ll probably have to post something substantial in a second to retrieve my dignity and the interest in my readership but hey, everyone has to be vulnerable and pathetic at some stage. So here it is, I suppose Im really hitting out at forums, and places of community conversation, dont think im just having a bad day, well i am 
,.. but i bet you’ve probably thought the same time and time before yourself 
.
I will start with my hates, as my loves may brighten the end of the post and make you feel a little more warm and fuzzy after reading..
My Hates
- Newbie posters
For the pure reason they dont search for a topic they want to read about. Make the effort like everybody else did before you dude!
- Unrealistic opinions
Opinions based on other peoples opinions, with no thought of your own, and no addition to the general conversation. Simple rule, if you dont think your post will add anything to a forum thread, then dont post. If you have something you feel is important, then by all means say it.
- Sheep
Ferfucksakes, have your own idea man! Me too posts are for idiots just trying to build a post count or become known purely for the fact that everyone sees your name everywhere.
- Misinformation
If you have to reply to someone, and are not 100% certain that you are correct, then DONT REPLY! Actually I retract that, do it, because i enjoy flaming people who half assed reply with bad advice.
- Repetative Questions
By all means ask a question, but if you very quietly get directed to a newbie section or a FAQ post, dont get pissed. Show some respect and the dignity to go and read as much as you can. You will come out more informed.
- Some people just dont get it
Read entire conversations. Its simple. Read it, and dont come back into the same one to ask the question all over again. More than likely it has already been answered. If you are told so, suck it up and dont argue.
Ok Im over the hates now, so Ill get onto my loves, and why I do lurk and whilst once upon a time I ‘was’ a very active poster at most forums, I simply dont have much time for it these days.. Anyway, here is why I do love them so much..
My Loves
- Community spirit
Although sometimes I do find it pathetic, in a follow the leader, sheepish kind of way, I do have to give kudos for the bringing together of people from all over aspect. It is nice to have a group of people that share similar interests and follow similar things.
- The fun
The fun of calling someone out… The enjoyment of proving someone wrong, the enjoyment of being correct and actually being able to make a difference to someone, and educate them where they would never have been able to have figured some things out for themselves… Yeh thats the warm and fuzzy…
- A sense of belonging
Somewhere where you can be recognized.. well for us internet entrepeneurs (probably spelt wrong but frig it.) that is.. Some of us have companies, that simply dont recognize our accomplishments, Its nice sometimes to be able to voice them and have a community that sees the big deal, and congratulates you. Again.. Warm and Fuzzies…
- Being able to build a name from mud.
We all can. Thanks to online communities, there is always someone there that will go to all lengths to help someone that has helped them before, or possibly been one of those that have given them inspiration to continue over time. Being the internet, outside businesses, sometimes dont realise the positives in this. Albeit it is just like offline networking, perhaps we may not get to know the big-wigs, but we can certainly get to know the little guys that feed the big-wigs families Sometimes this can mean big business… Even bigger than offlines could imagine..
- The unsaid tid-bits
Often you’ll not get the whole story, as none of us want to give it out on a silver platter, although, you can get enough info, to expand and make something your own. We all go about things differently. Much the same, but we all put ourselves into it, due to no step by steps. Thats a good thing. That is why we dont need universities to succeed on line.. Well not yet. Because the human touch, and forced ability to have to go alone, helps you learn. And trust me, it is a much better way.
Ok so thats it.. I cant be bothered typing anymore.. This is more of a rambling post but hey.. its what i do. I hope someone at least gets a giggle out of it.. If not, more so equates to it, and you find it good reading!
*Runs off to find something important to talk about.. *
Ok so you’re all probably aware of the latest news with some dude getting a few billion pages of auto generated websites, and subdomains, indexed in google. Its probably old news now, but this… Im not ranting about.
And no Im not linking to it or any of the other discussions going round the net at the moment, simply because everyone else has and Im totally disgusted by the outing.
I say to whoever you are, great! Good job! Hope it works out for ya!
Why do i say this? Because I realise that the guy has probably put alot of time and effort into it and has this shit together. And I also realise that he has overheads and is likely trying to make big bucks before he gets banned. Effectively trying to get his return on investment as high as possible. The very fact that he’s done it on such a large scale shows that hes got great big rhino sized bollocks.
Now, because hes done it on such a big scale is because its drawn the entire industry’s attention to it. All it takes is one do-gooder to mention it in a forum, and it becomes viral. Hey perhaps thats not such a bad thing, after all, all of those thousands of webmasters reading forum posts, will go an have a look, maybe click on a few ads to see what its all about and then go an bitch and complain about it. He might make a little extra money from them. But also on the flipside, with those thousands of clicks, will probably come hundreds of spam reports to the search engines.
Now to details.
Is the site spammy? (or not of use to anybody)
Doesnt look like it to me! On entering it shows a listing of sites, obviously scraped from some ppc search engine. The site itself has a search box at the top and seems to me like a kind of smaller search engine. When you type something in it comes up with results. Again, Im gonna mention this. Can you find the information you need from this website? YES! So does it serve a purpose? YES! So whats the friggn problem? I dont know.
The only thing i can see to pick about is the fact that these are spread over multiple sites and subdomains, perhaps not the best thing to do, but hey i see legitimate e-commerce sites doing exactly the same thing everyday. Its called multiplying. We do it with real estate development, using our equity to purchase secondary buildings then a third, then a fourth, and so on. So putting it into a real world example, Im still not seeing a problem.
Just seems like alot of the self professed White Hat SEO’s or followers out there, are getting on the spam wagon and outing these types of sites of late, I have no idea why, the only sane reason i can come up with, is that these types of sites are ranking better than theirs, and they are simply jealous of the business plan. Calling them unethical and .. well.. evil.
Do I need to mention again, that even the White Hats are gaming the search engines?
Get off your fake high horses people, realise that you are simply destroying another’s business model, and hope that someone never does it to you. Hey who knows, in a year’s time, whos to say that even product review sites will be treated as spammy? What about forums? Blogs? Perhaps we should just get rid of ALL e-commerce or money making business models from the internet, because to monetize the internet is just plain evil, in some peoples eyes. Ok so i probably took that a little too far, but tell me where does it end?
Seems like there are just so many bored, holier than thou, people out there that need a life.
Ok so Ive been just playing around, and running a few searches here and there to catch up on whats been happening in the world of SEO today. And I came across a few articles arguing the old argument. Black Hat Versus White Hat Search engine optimization. I could have gone around throwing my opinion around all of those blog comments and forum posts, but screw it, I cant be bothered. Id rather have the content here on my blog. Yeah and im posting here rather than seostreet, I dont know why, I just am so bite me.
What I dont get about this whole argument, comes from both sides. White Hats have this preconceived notion of what Black Hat SEO is. White Hats seem to believe that Black Hats are somewhat less ethical than they. And that sites created by Black Hats simply wont be around for long because of the risky methods involved and the Google bannings.
Black Hats look at White Hats as ball breaking SEO snobs that think they are better than Black Hats and dont have a problem with voicing their opinions. Effectively driving the methods used into some type of forever spiralling, ill thought of practices and something that White Hats can spit on when they decide they want to rant about something or that they’re sites are not performing.
Well Ive got news for both of you. Whether you are Black Hat, white hat, green hat, purple hat or some other kind of vagued colored hat, you’re all there for the same reason right.
You are there to ‘game’ the search engines.
Seo should be renamed. I think it should be called Search Engine Manipulation. Or SEM for short… Then when describing SEM we can cover both fields.. Search Engine Manipulation, AND Search Engine Marketing all under the same banner.
After all thats exactly whats going on. We are all trying to manipulate the search engines in order to rank our websites higher in their rankings are we not?
Its all about traffic, which ever way you go about it.
Me, personally.. I just dont care, you can put me under whatever banner you like, and yes, I game the search engines by my above definition. I dont believe I do anything unethical, or illegal. I simply want to get a better ranking so i can get more visitors, and make more money. Its business. And thats what a business does. Makes money.
I’ll take techniques from all and apply them in a way that well… works for me.
Some define this as Grey hat.. Well, I think I’ll change that.. Id rather be called an “IDontGiveafuck” Hat. Actually maybe I should put that in Wiki, might get me one more backlink ….
Now onto the definition of Search Engine Spam.. Now this really gets my tits up.
Spam, spam, spam… Why the hell is it called spam? If you put up a page with random crap on it.. throw some ads up.. and get into the search in any way you possibly can….
You’re actually still giving the end user, the information he is looking for, either directly on page, or through the ads you are serving.
My definition of spam is unsolicited stuff, you know shit you get that you did not ask for. Spam emails, yep thats spam. So going by that definition, that would make every site in the search engines NOT spam. The person searching, approved of his results when he typed his word into the little search box. Simple. He asked to see it.
Now onto the discussion of ‘people complaining about spam sites beating them in the search engines’… Ok this is just stupid.
I stand back and watch in amazement that some SEO’s complain about a spammy site kicking their proverbials in Google for ‘their’ targetted keyterm. Get a life.
SEO is by my definition, manipulation. You’re obviously just not as good as a ‘manipulator’ as they are. Thats why they’re beating you. So sit the hell down and shut the hell up, suck it up, learn some more stuff, and work on it. Complaining never got anyone anywhere.
And yes, Ive had useless, low on content sites rank above mine, and you know what i did?
No I didnt file a complaint, and no i didnt sit around pissing and whining about it. I dug my nails in, with determination and work, and beat the hell out of them.
Hell, sometimes its not even the site owners fault, sometimes googles algo just gets all screwed up and throws random pages to the top.. It happens, either wait it out, or do something about it. Plain and simple.
Ok, so ive rambled a bit… To end this post, I do just want to say that at the time of writing this, Im just a tad annoyed about the constant witchhunts and bullshit sissy girl attitude of some webmasters out there, who just havent taken the time to soak things in and see things from all sides of the square. The ones that jump on forums, and just agree, for the hell of it without reading things, and without putting an original thought in about a topic that they are responding to. There ARE obviously differing opinions and I welcome them, we all have a different perspective, and also all desire different results.
Lets just cut the bullshit and see things for what they are… Without the search engines to manipulate, and get our traffic, none of us would be here. The web would be an endless void of type in domains, where nobody could earn a living. Be thankful they are there and that we can all get our slice of the pie. Actually forget that, just bog down and keep working, Im sure you’ve probably got something better to do than read my rants… If you’ve gotten this far, get back to work!!! Your sites are falling in the serps as you’re reading this!