Flatterspam

Spam comments on a blog are par for the course but while some comments are from genuine readers many are just rubbish to delete. They used to largely consist of sites selling Viagra/Canadian pharmaceuticals, sexual enhancement products, Swiss watches and occasional Nigerian investment opportunities.

Leaving blog comments is a form of link building for SEO but as Matt Cutts, Head of Google’s Webspam team, says here, "If your primary link building strategy is to leave comments all over the web...we reserve the right to take action."

So with changing tactics to get comments left untouched flatterspam has become more and more popular. This is where flattery is used to make you feel so good about yourself that you leave the comment for all to see. And the link to the 'dodgy' site often stays too.

Initially it was nice to get those comments as deep inside we all like to be praised. But now we have to face the facts that the spammers have found a new way to work and we have to at least strip the links out if we are going to keep the comments.

As, this site points out, for the flatterspam to stand any chance of getting through your filters, and your love of compliments, it has to at least pretend to be sincere. Therefore this is not going to stand much chance:

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• "This is really fascinating, You’re an overly professional blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to in quest of extra of your excellent post. Also, I’ve shared your web site in my social networks."
  

This site rightly noticed that "It’s as if someone learned English entirely from reading books (but not language instruction books), and never learned how to construct sentences properly, though they have a wide vocabulary." Which is an excellent description.

I know for some, especially those who don't have English as a first language, this could leave you concerned that when you try to leave a genuine comment it may get deleted. Sure, that could happen, but if your comment remains focused on the article then there's no reason it won't get published.

Now, just for the sake of fun, here are some of the entertaining flatterspam comments I've seen recently.

• "You’re so awesome! I do not think I’ve read something like that before.So good to find someone with a few unique thoughts on this subject matter. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is one thing that’s needed on the web, someone with a little originality!"

• "You need to take part in a contest for one of the greatest blogs on the net. I am going to recommend this blog!"
  

• "Your writing is the greatest thing to happen to writing since writing started becoming writing!"
  

• "I’m impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is an issue that too few people are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I stumbled across this during my hunt for something regarding this."
  

Some, possibly, try too hard:

• "I must express some appreciation to this writer for rescuing me from this setting. After scouting through the internet and obtaining principles which were not helpful, I was thinking my entire life was over. Being alive without the presence of answers to the problems you have sorted out by means of your entire blog post is a crucial case, as well as the kind that might have badly affected my entire career if I hadn’t noticed your site. Your main skills and kindness in maneuvering a lot of things was tremendous. I am not sure what I would’ve done if I had not discovered such a stuff like this. I can at this time relish my future. Thank you very much for the reliable and amazing guide. I will not be reluctant to recommend your blog to anyone who wants and needs tips on this issue."
  

And some like to keep it simple:

• "You are a very smart person!"
  

Do share your favourite flatterspam in the comments below but, do note, all links selling insurance, designer shoes, or any other other such nonsense will be removed.

Image source: freedigitalphotos.net