Kimler Adventure Pages (http://randsco.com)

How about this: Software that targets b2evolution blogs and ONLY b2evolution blogs! We're talking comment SPAM here, folks. Ever wonder why you spend so much time deleting comments from your blog? Find out more ...

b2evolution Comment Spam Software

Did you know that you can buy software specifically for spamming b2evolution blogs? How about that "howdy-do" with your morning coffee? Just think of all those SPAM messages you spend time deleting from your blog. Perhaps many are coming from this software?

It's enough to make steam come out of your ears.

Of course, if the programming is crafted as well as the banner ad (notice the spelling error?), then b2evolution owners don't have too much to worry about.

- -

BlogVerSpamming Software

Last December, just for fun, I downloaded and tested a SPAM program (euphemism: bulk marketing tool). I did it to see how it worked and I learned a few things.

Spammers have been busy since then, marketing spamming tools for targeted audiences. Our b2evolution blogging software is one such target. Why? Because it's easy to spam? Because it has a world-wide audience (and Google loves links from different geographic areas)? Because it's widely distributed and used? YES ... YES ... and ... YES.

Don't feel like b2evolution is being picked on. You can also buy SPAM software expressly for Word Press. One I particularly like, is aimed at Blogger. On a tutorial page for the product, is the claim that every blog to which their software posts, is done at the permission of the blog owner.

Blogger.com is very well aware of Blog Submitter Pro! They know exactly who we are, exactly what we do, and exactly why we do it…. And They Do Not Mind One Little Bit

These software packages are not inexpensive. The price point seems to be in the $250 USD range. (Ironic, really, considering that they're piggy-backing on top of free, Open Source software. Think these people ever donate to b2evolution or Word Press? They should. )

The concept is simple. By putting unwanted links and keywords in comments and trackbacks, marketers gain Search Engine page rank by generating back-links and site traffic from unsuspecting clicks. I call these deplorable methods - "BlogVerSpamming".

Does "black hat" search engine optimization (BlogVerSpamming, Comment Spamming, Trackback Spamming) work? Unfortunately, it appears to, which is why there is a market for it. One review indicates receiving more incoming links and traffic.

Digging a Tad Deeper

Using some of the domain tools available on the Internet, I did a WHOIS database search on the b2evolution BlogVerSpamming site B2E Blogger. What I found out was interesting.

The IP address (216.171.218.222) emanates from a California location (Loomis, near Citrus Heights, just outside of Sacramento) called "Marketrends Productions". They've hidden their contact information behind the domain registration company "Domains by Proxy, Inc.". A reverse IP look-up shows that there are 44 other sites that are hosted from the same server.

The domain names on that server read like a who's-who of comment SPAM and several are worth noting. Anyone who thinks the software I've written about in this article represents a bunch of different people ought to look again. Every one of the domains linked is hosted on THIS server. In fact, the main site name spagack is a redirect to Marketer SOS, where you can see nearly full-listing of available software. My guess is that they all use a similar engine, with only a few changes for each one. They talk about 3 new software packages coming out, but I'm taking a guess that two are a "Shout Box" Spammer and a Drupal Spammer.

There's nothing worse than a snake oil salesman, selling to other snake oil salesman. I feel greasy, just visiting the site!

The really funny part? They're an equal opportunity company, as they also offer "legitimate" web hosting (but it only looks like there have been a few takers). Most are "Black Hat" SEO related.

What Should You Do?

Regrettably, it's beyond the scope of this article to discuss anti-spam measures. (And the last place I'd publish them publicly, would be in a post like this). Know that me and my mates are working on the problem, testing things and so far, the results look very promising. We've actually killed the blacklist on our site and no longer rely on any of the "out-of-the-box" b2evolution SPAM solutions. At the same time, we allow links in our comments, don't make commenter's jump through any hoops (captcha), and have our comments open to the entire world. So there ... take that spammers! Yes, we still get the occasional (manually entered) SPAM message, but it's on the order of maybe 2 a month. Nothing dramatic. I guess manually entering SPAM isn't as "inexpensive" as paying $250 for an automated version.

I suppose, in a way, this article gives the spammers what they want (backlinks from a legit blog), but perhaps, in return, they'll give me more of what I want ... automated SPAM comments for study! (Oh ... the images on this page are served from their site! Since they feel no compunction regarding abuse of my bandwidth, I thought that I'd return the favor!)