It's not all sweetness and light out here in virtuality. There be sharks lurking in them there cyberwaves waiting for unwary surfers like us ...
I received an email a couple of days ago entitled 'A fiction writer wants to link up'. Cool, I think. Apparently this guy (who shall remain nameless) has already linked to my site on his which is all about interactive fiction.
I checked it out (none too thoroughly, I must confess) - it wasn't something I'd want to get into, but I remembered a woman who used to come to our writers' group who was addicted to it. No harm, I thought, although to be honest I wasn't mad keen on the way he was promoting himself. Some little niggling vibe ... definitely no lightbulb, as Minx would say.
Anyway, I dismissed the vibe and created a blog post with a link to his site, thinking I'd let you all know about it in case it was something you might be up for. I then went back to my email and replied to let him know what I'd done.
Moments later, my email got bounced back with a warning that this guy was on a spam blacklist! I went straight back to my dashboard and deleted the post - probably before anyone saw it.
I'll be a lot more careful next time ...
Author of contemporary urban thrillers, freelance editor, mentor and creative writing tutor.
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2006
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June
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- Hope they enjoyed it too ...
- Er - thanks, Juliet ... I think ...
- A(nother) plug for Etain
- They're books, Jim, but not as we know them ...
- A warning!
- If south London doesn't seem like another planet ...
- It's all about creating a karmic climate ...
- Whatever next?
- An interesting new slant on the old debate ...
- This is a goooood week!
- Homeless hero
- The blog about the book about the blog about ...
- So funny I could've cried ...
- Thatstupidbloodybusinesswiththe tax ...
- A fab new review!
- A plug for Etain
- I'm back - and to prove it - I'm here ...
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June
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8 comments:
I saw the post! ON bloglines, It was weird becuase I read the post and then went to your blog to try to comment, and nothing was there! I guess these deleted posts must stay on Bloglines for the time interval between you posting it and Bloglines deciding it isn't new any more. Just a warning that you can't be sure you've deleted anything on a blog!
Anyway, good that you managed to get rid of him before you got spammed. What a nerve.
Are you responsible for my dire case of spamitis then?
Now that I've managed to enter the virtual world.....you could read this. The Psychology of Cyberspace. It doesn't seem to be available in RL (Real Life). Only in Hypertext whatever that is...I can hear rustle of reforestation above the hum of the computer. Take the Ritalin and follow the white rabbit.
Since I started about a year ago I've had only two odd comments which I deleted. However, I did set up an email account specifically for the blog and I'm very happy I did. Gmail chucks all spam in a "spam box" and deletes anything in it that is older than 30 days. Thus, to date, my 30 days' worth stands at around 190 spam emails.
I periodically check it for something that should have hit the inbox and also for a laugh - the names of the senders crack me up. Examples: Jazmyn Fried; Yusef Work; ellary egan; garrott wolf; rogers smiley; Mr Kassidy Ceniceros.
Many think they know my buying habits. They want to sell me "LUXURY [insert designer name of your choice]", but the next words in the title are "TOP NOTCH REPLICAS...".
Many think I have erection problems. I don't have that apparatus for a start, so perhaps I know someone who does? The products promise to raise said apparatus to the size of the Eiffel Tower. If the "product" does what it says on the label, where would the poor man put it? (A ruined sex life becomes a ruined sex life in another shape and form.) But, as the world is not well populated with men lying in the recovery position on disused airfields, I guess it doesn't do what it says on the label.
I could also pursue "the perfect body with Hoodia 920+", but I'm not sure whose idea it is, this phenomenon of the "the perfect body". I'd hate to turn into Jessica Rabbit in my early middle age.
I'd also hate to get all this crap in my main email account on a daily basis - it would drive me nuts. It brings home the message of what "virtual" really means. You can't even find these invaders of personal space and time, let alone grab them and throttle them!
Always beware unsolicited emails!
(I hope Debi won't mind the following...)
Just in case anyone is interested, I did read a good contemporary British crime novel that included cybercrime in its plot. After discussing the novel I added some comments about cybercrime and provided some links from the UK about the risks and how to manage them.
If you wish to read it, you can find it here: http://itsacrime.typepad.com/its_a_crime_or_a_mystery/2006/02/now_you_see_me_.html
Spam is just the start.
Happy surfing folks!
I found myself on a spam blacklist last year for absolutely no reason other than that I'd sent a round robin email to a bunch of friends and relatives to give them some family news. It was horrible and took me ages and lots of emails back and forth before I got off it.
So... the moral of the story... being on an email blacklist doesn't always means you've been a naughtly girl/boy.
Maxine - Bloglines? Who dat?
Minx - I hope not ...
Melony - great to see you here. Will check out the book though without the chemical cosh. About to post re forests etc.
Minx - I know Melony. And you're right to be afraid!
Crimeficreader - thanks for making me giggle. And please feel free to use this space to point people to your excellent blog. BTW, thanks to my emails I haven't had an erectile problem in ages - not since the penis extension.
Sharon - oh dear! Now you've gone and muddied the waters just when we thought we were getting somewhere! Thanks for letting us know it's not all b&w and obvious goodies and baddies.
www.bloglines.com is an rss reader. There are others out there, but if you don't have one, Debi, please do go to bloglines and have a look, and sign up if you like.
You put on it all the blogs you want to read/track. Then every time any of them posts a new post, bloglines tells you. No email to stress you out, and you just have to go there when you feel like reading blogs and start clicking. You are in control!
you can add and delete blogs at will.
Highly recommended!
maxine.
I'm good at churning up mud. And other things that resemble mud!
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