Image Credit: AI Generated
Apparently, I’m Very “Inspirational” to Robots
Hi, welcome back to Life Captured! I have a confession to make: I thought I was becoming an overnight sensation. 😉
When I saw my notification count climbing this week, I thought, “This is it! My social strategy is working! People love my photography!” I sat down at my computer, ready to reply to my new adoring fans… only to find out that my most dedicated followers are actually a group of very confused robots.
It turns out, according to “User92837,” my blog is:
“A very splendiferous weblog with much utility for the feet and handbags.” (I haven’t even written about shoes yet, but I appreciate the vote of confidence.)
The Anatomy of a “Spam-pliment”
If you’ve ever run a blog, you know the specific brand of weirdness that is bot spam. They are like that one person at a party who is clearly eavesdropping but has no idea what the conversation is about. My favorites so far include:
- The Victorian Explorer: I had one comment that sounded like it was written by a 19th-century traveler who accidentally stumbled onto the internet. They called my latest post “a magnificent odyssey of digital enlightenment” before trying to sell me a refurbished power tool.
- The “I’m Definitely Human” Liar: Then there’s the one that tries too hard to be relatable. “As a fellow person with skin and hair, I too enjoy your high-quality word-sentences.” Nice try, Skynet.
- The Accidental Poet: Sometimes they get weirdly deep. I got a comment that just said, “The sun rises on the link, but the click is the shadow of the heart.” It sounded like a rejected greeting card, right before it gave me a link to a suspicious gambling site.
Spotting the Difference
Just in case you were wondering how I tell my “Super-Fans” apart from my “Spam-Fans,” I’ve put together this handy guide:
| Feature | My Real Human Readers | My Robotic “Super-Fans” |
|---|---|---|
| Topic of Interest | Life, photography, and stories. | Industrial furnaces and handbags. |
| Vocabulary | “Love this!” or “Great tip!” | “Magnificent weblog utility.” |
| Vibe | Warm and supportive. | Aggressively focused on power tools. |
| Favorite Food | Pizza, Tacos, Coffee. | Electricity and your data. |
Let’s Get Real (Literally)
While I’m flattered that the algorithms find me so “splendiferous,” I’m much more interested in the humans.
Spammers might be able to find my URL, but they can’t appreciate the stories I’m trying to tell here. So, I’m tightening up the security around here. Therefore, think of it as a “No Robots Allowed” sign on the clubhouse door.
To my fellow bloggers: What’s the weirdest spam comment you’ve ever received?
To my human readers: To prove you aren’t made of wires and code, drop a comment below and tell me something a robot would never know. Like your favorite comfort food or the last song that made you dance in your kitchen!
Want to see what I’ve learned along the way? Click here for my blogging tips.
Yesterday is today’s memory.
Be sure to capture your memory today!
All the best,.
Debra Ellen
Don’t miss a frame. Subscribe for more life, captured.
Who hoes to Topeka with me for steak?
Yes, we need to pick a date!
Then you’ll find bot subscribers.
I haven’t run into this yet.
That’s good. Last year, quite a few here got these bot subscribers, suddenly you see your subscriber count increased, it was in droves. I had to manually unsubscribe them. The id is alphabets followed by long numbers. I think it’s still happening, I’ve seen one or two again but not as aggressively.
So far, I haven’t seen this being an issue. Each week, I visit my subscribers websites. The ones who provided their website address that is. Thank you for the heads up. I am sure anyone who reads this thread will appreciate it as well.
All the best.
I’ve found this is a great place where everyone willingly shares information.
Thankyou and best wishes to you too.
🖤
Oh gosh yes, I’ve gotten some weird bot comments over the years– though sorry no specific ones to mind. I also love the ones that I think might be real but can’t be 100% sure like the ones that just say “please read my blog” or “lovely post”… literally that’s their only comment over and over either on multiple posts of mine or I notice the same name and comment left on all the other blogs I read.. so I mark it as spam anyway. This time of year my favorite comfort food is ice cream.
yes, ice cream and the homemade kind is the absolute best!
Hi, Joanne.
Have a wonderful week.
All the best.
And then there are bot subscribers 😁
Yes.
*Sighing*
The ones that really bug me are filled with link upon link upon link! I’m so afraid, by scrolling down, that I’ll accidentally hit one of those links! And, yes, the bots are becoming a little more intelligent in their comments, but you can still spot them!
Key Lime Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory may be my favorite dessert of all time!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
You know, I’ve actually been looking up the IP address when I run across a comment I’m uncertain if it’s legit or spam.
Thanks for visiting and commenting. And yes, the Cheesecake Factory has the best cheesecakes!
All the best.
That sucks and I’ve been there too. Thinking I was doing soo well, visitor stats soaring! Turned out it was a bot.
Hi, Nicole. Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Those bots are getting sneaky!
Have a fun, cooler week.
All the best.
This did make me chuckle. I get the odd spam comment and I had a post years ago about bath bombs and it was hit with spam comments. I have no idea what attracted the bots.
My favourite comfort food at the moment is ice cream! It has been hot, hot, hot here!
Hi, Kim. Here in Kansas we are in ‘Extreme Heat Warning’. It’s expected to Last until 9 pm Friday, according to the weather app on my phone 😉
Ice cream – 100% agree!
All the best.
Such a funny post! We all get excited to receive new comments. Sadly I wish mine were just weird. At the moment I just get hate spam 🙁
It made me happy that you found the post funny 🙂
Hate spam, really? I don’t understand why anyone would want to take their time to do something like that. Just delete them, and don’t spend your energy thinking about them.
I hope your weather is nice. Seems like a lot of us are in heat advisory.
All the best.
Made me chuckle. I have spam filter and firewall installed on my website. Haven’t had any problem since then. I also have closed comments on posts that are over 3 months old.
My favorite food/beverage is tea and yes, I do consider tea as food.
-Soma
Hi, Soma. I was wondering about turning off comments after so long. I decided not to. I did select the option to approve all comments before publishing.
You made me think about tea being food. I just considered drink and food was all in one, together. Kind of like the Frank Sinatra song, Love and Marriage
All the best.
So true–I learned many years ago to put comment moderation on my blog so I could read comments ahea dof publishing them and report and delete the SPAM comments and not allow them on my blog. Most of them are ads but every now and then something inappropriate.
Hi, Pat. My spam folder is growing by the day. Ugh……
All the best.
This did make me smile. I’ve had so many weird spam comments over the years. They all get filtered to the bin now! 🙌🏻
My favourite drink has to be a nice cup of tea! Currently enjoying one at my desk, after doing gardening for most of the day.
Hope you’ve had a lovely weekend, Debra. 🙂
Hi, Jayne. Nice to ‘see’ you! Yes, I’m having a wonderful weekend.
Visit anytime. Always welcome.
All the best.
Those are some good ones! ha ha Gosh, I can’t recall what my most humorous spam comment was, but I will tell you they get a big sigh from me every time. *eye roll* And I do know the deflated feeling at realizing you haven’t just gone viral and found 100 new fans. Sigh. Oh well. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this with us at the Will Blog for Comments #87 linkup! We hope to see you sharing again (old posts or new) at #88 which opens Monday morning. Hope your week is great!
Hi, Jennifer. I will certainly be back for Will Blog for Comments #87 🙂
All the best.