A blogger at AR was offended by the following comment I posted on her blog:
“Excellent comments! There’s a constant negativity being fed to the public. That’s why it’s so important to educate buyers and sellers to approach this market from their own personal circumstances, and not from the angle that the media brings to it.”
This blogger deleted my signature (even though she reposted the comments), and said that she considered this as “comment spam.”
At the time this was a new term for me. So I posted again and asked, a bit confused and embarrassed at the same time, to see if I could understand what had happened.
The answer I received was that signing with a graphic signature “ says ‘I am more important than your post and I want everyone to know it’.”
WHAT? How is it possible to come up with such an interpretation??? I must be more powerful than I think I am, to be able do all that with a single copy and paste of my first name… oh my!
Anyway, I did my research about comment spam. Even if I was not familiar with the term itself, I immediately recognized various cases I’ve seen as comment spam. For example, posting a blatant promotion of your self, business, websites, or blogs, instead of a real comment. Another example is embedding links on the signatures or the comment itself, or adding a phone number or email address to the signature.
It makes sense to call these examples "comment spam." But to say that my comment fell under the same category as those examples above seems to be stretching the definition a little bit too far. I guess this blogger can call “spam” anything she doesn’t personally like, and she obviously dislikes graphic signatures as the one I included. But I don’t have to agree with her definition.
And I don’t.
I usually have a good sense of humor. And, usually, I don't waste my time with stuff like this. But lately I find myself a bit moody. Don't know exactly why. I also have hot flashes...Mmmm...It must be the market, dam it! ;-)
So I said to myself, should I be gracious and leave this woman to her own “spamic deliriums”? Or should I make one more comment. Just to get it out of me. I couldn’t resist, so I made a comment.
This is what I wrote:
“(her name) thank you for all the links. I believe that now I have a clear idea of what constitutes comment spam. I already knew it, only I didn’t have a name for it before. Making comments with links to your own website or blogs is no doubt disrespectful and obviously one of the varied examples of comment spam.
However, I still fail to see how the signing of a first name by itself could be considered comment spam. My first name was written in cursive colored letters without any links added, nor any other self-promotional material such as a phone number or an email address. I also don’t understand how you can interpret that I was saying ‘I am more important than your post and I want everyone to know it’ just because I signed my first name.
But then again each person sees things differently and you are entitled to your opinions and interpretations as well as I am entitled to mine. I realize that when I visit a house I am a guest, and that I am expected to adhere to the customs of the home I’m visiting. So if I find those customs too restricting or exasperating I may respectfully excuse my self and leave. I guess the same logic applies to blogs. So Thank you and good bye. “
I almost added "If offended, feel free to delete" at the end of my post, but I knew she would delete this post anyway. AND SHE DID!
Now since this is MY BLOG, I can do whatever I want. So here it goes!!!
Some people will be offended no matter what you do. Let this one slide, and enjoy the rest of Active Rain. Those who treat their commentors badly will end up with none.
Lexa
Hi Griselda-
The use of the custom signatures is getting more and more popular - and I do find it annoying.
I've never deleted a comment because of a signature. The annoying part is that a Members' name is automatically inserted at the bottom of every comment - so when someone adds a signature, it can come across as pushy.
By itself - it's a trivial problem. But there are SO MANY little problems, that they do tend to add up.
Good luck with your new blog!
Rich, thank you for your comments. It seems you have developed a system that allows you control over your blog while remaining polite to your visitors. Good for you!
Lexa, that's true. And I do enjoy AR very much.Love to read the blogs, particularly those of Broker Bryant! and TLW. I would like to have more time to read more of their blogs. But lately I have tried to read other bloggers too, to get a feel of the larger community. Thank you for your comments.
Marc, it is fine to find these signatures annoying. It is a question of taste, really. I find them cute. Pushy? I don't think so. It doesn't matter that your name is already inserted under your comment. Because what you are doing is giving your comment a bit of personality and a bit of human warmth. Some color and a prettier font help give the sense of a real person behind the comment. This is how I see it. It is the same if I am sending a note on paper that has my name on it. I still sign it, preferably in color. Thank you for your comments.
Melissa, thank you for your comments. That's the beauty of democracy, isn't it?
Maybe it's because I'm still a newbie, maybe it's because I'm just me....but I don't understand the resistance to the cursive signatures. There was an entire post dedicated to how to make a signature that way.
Maybe I just don't think that it's worth getting worked up over. Who knows. Just blog and enjoy!
Carol, I really like your signature and you are always welcome to use it when you visit me. ;-)
People get annoyed for different things. So when we have a large community like this one, there are always going to be problems such as the one I encountered. I realize that. But that doesn't mean that I have to remain silent, particularly when I have a blog of my own and can express myself here. So that's exactly what I did. I agree that we do need certain rules to keep some order here, and that we do need to keep people who abuse the system in check. But I cannot accept somebody telling me that because I sign my name on my message I am being pushy or that it means that I am saying that I am better than their post and I want everyone to know it! That's not true, and I have a right to say it here.
By the way, I also read the blog on making graphic signatures, and that's how I started doing it a few days ago. Thank you for your comments,
It is comment spam!
To them.
To me, I think we are graphical people by nature. We remember peoples faces better than we remember peoples names. Almost from Day One, I have signed each and every post with my graphical stamp. It's called branding.
The post is not mine, it's theirs. If they feel that way, like Marc does, I fully support their deleting me.
Adding a link to another post, "...great post, Grisleda. have you seen this one? " would be comment span.
Delete me, Baby!
I forgot that I was going to graphically signature Spam you.
Now that's Comment Spam!
Seriously, you have the right approach, sit back relax, don't let this little stuff bother you. And besides, like you said, this is YOUR blog. Have at it!
I didn't realize I had so many. I created the shoe guy just for my entry into the Carnival of Content, and Mortgage Man was just for Jeff Belongers excellent post on branding vs marketing.
Howdy Griselda
I have gave you a rating of a 5 for a very good post.
I have seen a lot of pepole use graphic signatures in posts on AR. I do not think it takes away from anyones blog post.
There are even some group founders that del. posts that are to thank pepole and to be helpful to pepole here on AR.
I liked reading your post very much.
Have a good one
Mike, you went all out with your signatures! the hockey guy is my favorite. And yes, a commentary like that, with a link pointing to another blog, etc., is spam, no doubt. Actually, I deleted one like that on the first blog I wrote a few days ago. It was even more blatant than that, the person didn't even bother to enter any commentary, just the link to another blog.
Thanks for your comments, and come back, and bring your graphic signature with you. ;-)
Dale, WOW, thank you! I always forget to rate blogs. I think I've done it only twice after reading about it. Actually, after writing my post I did a search and it seems this subject has been a sticky one for a while. I am not trying to convince anyone who doesn't like graphic signatures to like them. But I don't have to accept other people's assumptions about them. I like color and I like a pretty signature, like this one!
Hi Griselda, A lot of people don't like the signatures, and a lot like them. I guess we just need to know who does and who does not. You will find such a diversity of opinions here at Active Rain, it can get you a little "moody":) Basically try to ignore the parts you don't like and enjoy the parts that you do.
Does this mean you accept signatures on your posts!
Hi Griselda:
Many Rainers feel the use graphic signatures are spam and will delete them. Back a few months ago, seemed like everyone had one - everyone used one. The use of graphic signatures has seemed to have died down a bit.
Personally, I like the signatures. And honestly, I'm with you. How the "signature" with absolutely no link could be consider spam is beyond me.
Keep blogging, with signature!
Karen, thank you for commenting on this post. I guess you get to know people here at AR as you interact with them, the same way you do in real life. That's probably how you find out who is bothered by these signatures or not. BTW, nice signature! It looks as if it was done by a professional graphic artist. Was it?
Sandra, I really had not paid much attention to signatures before this happened to me. So I didn't notice the change. There could be many reasons for it. If it is that people are afraid to use them and be accused of spamming, then it is a sad change. I hope people don't allow themselves to be bullied into not using these signatures. But it could be simply that the novelty of using these signatures faded away. Or it could be that the extra work of "copy, paste and insert" needed to sign each comment proved to be too much. Actually, I don't see myself inserting a signature on every single comment. I like the yellowy background of your signature. Nice contrast!
Kathy, thank you for your comments. That's the main point of my post. I disagree completely that a graphic signature of somebody's personal name is "spam", when that signature is just the name by itself, without any embedded links or added information. And Kathy, where is your signature?
I am rather new at this & can't quite figure how a signature is any different than any other graphic inserted into a post.
It's just part of branding your identity.
Pat, I haven't done any research on inserting graphics on your comments, but I am willing to bet there's some people who are bothered by that too! Thanks for commenting on my post.
Joddie, you made me laugh! It might be true, I can relate to that! But the whole thing with being "moody" is that your mood changes, isn't it? So this woman must have her "good mood" time only when she is not logged in to AR! ;-)
Julie, thank you. Love animals, they can be sooo... expressive! I'm glad you like these pictures. Click here to go to the post where I got the information for the graphic signatures. You are welcome to show your creations here. Enjoy!
Shane, thank you for your comments. Click on the link I entered above for Julie. Have fun!
Joe, I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I believe that's exactly the problem. Some people take it "very,very seriously" but it is just a signature. Nothing THAT big, nothing THAT intrusive, nothing much, really, just something that personalizes your comment and reflects a little bit of the human being that's behind it.
Karen, WOW, that's my kind of appraiser! How come I don't know any who can do that? ;-) Yes, I did a search and read a few of the blogs and found different opinions. I plan to read more to get a better feel of the different people who participate at this forum.
Griselda! I personally like the last signature (since it's almost exactly like mine). I love the signatures. I think it gives a comment a personality and I like to feel connected to the people who comment on my blogs and I want the people I comment for to feel a personal connection with me. Sometimes, I even put a cute little animated image that helps get across my point. I don't see anything wrong with a little cuteness!
Hello, Griselda!
Thank you for allowing us to show off a bit. Can't we all just have fun...sometimes?
Allison, yes it does. I agree with you completely. It gives some human warmth to a medium that otherwise is cold and impersonal. Thanks for your comments.
Angie, thank you, that's one of my favorites signatures too!Love the animated image. Where do you get them?
Yolanda, go girl, you are my guests now, so we can have all the fun we want! yeeeeeeh!!! ;-) Love the girly signature, hearts and all! Thank you for your comments.
This one would be nice for Halloween:
Griselda-
It would be a whole lot easier to identify your branding if you used the same signature all the time. It seems a waste of good spam to loose your branding, but hey, shat do I know, besides it's your blog.
Hi Griselda
I think I may have offended that SAME person! SO what is your verdict? I just did a similar post, and someone pointed me over here. I got a general consensious saying OK, and a few that surprised me really, and I was surprised to see Marc Blasi's comment here. Having the change to actually "TALK" to him via phone, he struck me as a very respectful easy going person, wouldn't peg him being annoyed by this type of thing. One never can tell hummm? I still like him, and would refer him again, hands down...
I liked your post and your signature, so visit my blog ANYTIME!
Dan, thank you for your comments. I am using different signatures here because I am playing around with them on this post. I am having fun :-) I don't think I'll get married to just one signature. At least not for now. I want to experiment a bit before I settle with one. Besides, there are ways and ways of branding yourself and it doesn't have to be through identical repetition (ask Madonna!).
Katrina, first let me say what a lovely fairy you have there flying around your signature! It is very cute and it doesn't distract from your comments or from mine. You are always welcome to use it on my posts. I see you had a similar encounter to the one I had. In a large forum like this one you are bound to have differences of opinions. That's also why you have an option to delete any messages you find offending. I think it's great that we have differences, it allows us to show our own individuality. And I plan to keep on showing mine... ;-)
Karen, thank you for pointing to Nick's post. I'll read it later as I read other posts I bookmarked on the same subject.
Peggy, thank you for your comments. I guess it's all a question of perspective and how you yourself react to a post with graphics. As a matter of fact, I find it much more interesting when I see a post that has many graphics. And I am not that young (not that old either), so I grew up without computers or seeing graphics everywhere. I still read books without pictures. But on the computer monitor is different. I actually find it easier to read a post that has lots of graphics in it. Can't explain why. But that's the case.
I know exactly what you mean. I wrote a tax tip about how you can save money if you buy a Hummer or other SUVs weighing 6,000 lbs, and somebody marked it as Spam.
I don't know how giving tax tips can be mistaken for Spam, but I guess it does happen.
Scott, I guess it all depends on how you define "spam", and it seems there there are a few definitions out there. Thank you for your comments.
I'm simply happy you have a picture of a monkey on your page! I don't know what the heck it is about monkeys (well, I guess its an orangatang..ha...I can't even spell it), but in either case these animals crack me up silly. I can see them on a card, on a commercial or even on YOUR site and it makes me laugh...could it be because they are so "humanlike" and they remind me of tooo many people I know! Anyway, thanks for you blog and the PIC!
Hi Rochelle! Yes, I agree. Apes, particularly orangutans, are very expressive, and they can be extremely funny too, like the one of the picture above. Isn't she adorable? Thank you for your comments, and I am glad this picture put a smile on your face!
Rochelle, go to this website and follow the directions. You can create as many signatures as you want. Just download them to your computer once you are done. Then go right back to the beginning to create another one, and another one... I found the link on this blog. Have fun!
Griselda...
Ahhh. The ongoing controversy over graphic sigs. This post helped explain why I have been getting emails about this. It's ALL your fault. LOL.
This debate about sigs will continue. It has always been like this. Some like the sigs. Other's see it as spam. I stopped using my sig because I don't want emails about it. When it comes to emails less is best :)
Now seeing as how you like the sigs I'll show you my old one...It was designed by "Hubba" (Jeff Turner)...
TLW, nice signature, love the hat over the W! It's a shame you are not using it anymore.
There's no way we can please everyone. If I learned something by reading the posts here at AR is that there are as many opinions as there are members. So I am going to keep on using my signature. I adopted one that I am using for comments, and another one (larger and bolder) to use on my own posts. I believe it is a lot of nonsense to say that the use of these signatures in comments is in the same category (comment spam) as the use of links to your own posts, websites, etc..
Thank you for your comments. You are always welcome, and bring your signature (and hat!) with you every-time!
Hi Griselda- I think the custom graphic signature is great. Sounds like someone was a bit jealous or insecure, if they made that comment.
I also know that in this business, as in any other, you have to be true to yourself. If you pretend to be what you are not, you will come off as phony, or worse. I have a pink cover on my phone, a pink to go cup, and I get many comments on being so pink! Especially as most people don't think of me as a pink person. I have a quirky sense of humor (I think that is a nice way of saying I am slightly twisted) but my friends and clients know that I have integrity, what they see is what they get, and I am always honest. I walk the walk.
Keep being you, always!
Like this?
Carol, thank you for your comments. I agree with you. Being true to yourself is what really matters. If you don't, not only will you be discovered as a phony by others, but you'll have the sad experience of knowing it yourself. Wow! that sounds too serious. Actually, I believe that when you are authentic and at peace with who you are then you don't take yourself so seriously. In you honor, I'm going to use my very pink signature
Rich- yeah., like that. Maybe you should have yours in pink too? LOL
Griselda, thank you for honoring me with your pink. I would have gotten a pink laptop, but the one I wanted didn't come in pink at the time. Plus, that may have been pushing it, even for me!
Yes Rich, like that. Your signature looks too real! It looks as if you used real ink and a dipping pen. I'm starting to like this one:
Well Carol, don't know about the computer. But it's not difficult to find a computer case in pink. Mine is red, and I bought it at Levenger. There are also many great places on the internet where you can buy folios, cases, covers, etc.,for your business that are NOT black, brown or burgundy. A little bit of color is great, and makes work more fun. Here is a bunch of pink!
Brande, yes spam needs to be a thing of the past, but I agree with you, it is probably here to stay and it seems there's more of it every day, and of the "real" spam. And yes, I am keeping the signature or signatures, since I keep on changing them. Thank you for your comments.
Griselda, I can relate to your "I don't usually do this kind of thing" post. Good for you though, don't you feel better? You've gotten great support. I wish I had a signature to spam you with! LOL but alas, I'll refrain
Colleen
It doesn't bother me in the least. Yes, our names are in the post; however, it's always nice to see a "familiar" signature or logo.
Griselda,
I like your signatures. Maybe that other person should go and sell some houses and not worry about such nit picky things. I am new to this world of blogging, I dont see what the big deal is!
It is really funny to see the egos expressed here in AR.
Of course, we are all different and have different ideas of what we wish to express, but for me this site is all about learning and teaching. It is a place to exchange ideas, thoughts, concepts and provides an open book into the personality of those we read.
On any of my posts, anyone is welcome, and they can sign it anyway they want, add links if they want, if it contributes to the dialog, and make suggestions for improving what I have to say.
Anyone (blogger) that thinks another blogger is going to steal their thunder by a signature or a link, is a fool.
Colleen, I do feel better! Oh, just go to this website and create your own signature. If you do let us see it!
Dionne, I didn't get it. Did I miss something?
Tinna, I agree. But I have a complain about your signature/logo. It's hardly readable. It might be my monitor, but the color appears too light. If you adjust your colors let us see the new version.
Thank you all, will come back later to answer the other comments.
I suppose any of us that leave a comment are spamming then since every comment we leave has our NAME anchored to our page on AR with ALLLLLLLLof our information LOL
Isn't it odd how the written word on the Internet can highly affect our emotions...
Matt, thank you. Actually, I just dropped by to leave a comment on your blog (hope I don't get deleted!). ;-)
Gary, thank you for your comments. Yes, signatures without links or addresses/phones/etc. shouldn't have any importance at all. But then again, some people feel threatened by everything. What are you going to do? Write a post about it and have some fun with other members who don't take themselves so seriously!
Audrey, exactly! There is no big deal. But you know what? This lady ended up doing me a favor in more than one way. From this I learned a new concept, that of "comment spam", learned about the different sub-cultures here at the Rain and how they interpret "comment spam", got to know a bunch of great people, and even picked up a few points along the way. So there. There's something good hidden behind almost every kind of experience, even the ones not that important or not that pretty.
Wow! As I started to respond to the next comments I see they are by two members with the same first name of "Don", so for a moment I thought I'll also use the first letter of their last names to distinguish them and then I see that they both start with "D"! So here it goes, complete last names and everything, even if it sounds too formal.
Don Draughn, thank you for your comment. I don't know, but it seems it matters for some people.
Don Davies, yes, it is interesting to see how people react differently. Kind of like "people watching" but online. In regards to the links within comments, I believe that it varies, and that each blogger should decide what to accept or not in their own posts. One thing I'll not accept is a "comment" where there's no comment at all or a couple of words that have nothing to do with the post and then a link to another post, personal website, etc., etc.. These are obviously made by copying and pasting these supposed comments from post to post to create links to websites and blogs. This is blatant spam and bad manners to the ninth degree. It's like someone entering your home when you open the door, passing by you without acknowledging you are even there, and then getting something to eat from your refrigerator! But then again, somebody else may not be bothered by that. And that's OK with me. It is THEIR home/blog after all.
Kathleen, that's the choice of the poster. Each one of us are free to delete a comment we don't want and I'm fine with that. My point is that I don't agree with the definition that a graphic signature without links constitutes "comment spam." Thank you for commenting on this post.
Sara Lee, don't know why by I'm starting to get hungry...;-) Actually, the point that various AR members who oppose the use of graphic signatures make is that these signatures are unnecessary because our names appear at the bottom of every one of our comments. I don't agree with that reasoning, because while it's true that there is no actual need to identify the commenter, there's still that factor that you want to give the comment some of your personality, some human warmth. It's the same as when I send a note or a letter to my clients. The paper I use has my company name and logo on it, and it also has my own name and contact info. There is no NEED for me to sign the letter, because the person receiving it will clearly identify who is sending it anyway. But I still want to sign to give it that personal touch, even if it is a handwritten note.
OOPS! I forgot to add a signature! here it is:
Peggy, that might be the case, who knows for sure.
Martin, thank you for your comments.
Lindsey, thank you, and yes, it's fun to create all these signatures.
Matthew, I appreciate that. I'll surely drop by your blog later.
Griselda,
If a 900 lb gorilla sits on a delete button, what happens?
Happy Friday!
Steve
Steve, it deletes, I guess?...Happy Saturday!