Why Spamming Newsgroups Is Still A Good (If Immoral) Idea.

[ecchi]

I run a website with JW Throat that covers sorority initiations. Before Panda or Farmer or some similar update, we were third from the top in a Google search for "sorority initiations" (without the quotes), now we have disappeared so low down the ranking that I have no idea where we are.

However I have been cleaning up the site recently, and I just looked to see if this had improved our Google ranking, it had not (or at least, not yet, but I am still working on the site) However while checking, I noticed that the 5th search result for "sorority initiations" (without the quotes) is now a page on a Google group site, which gives a longish extract from an eBook followed by a link to buy the full eBook.

About three years ago I did some web work for a friend, and in exchange he spam posted all the newsgroups for me. That post is one of them, and three years later it is still number five in a Google search, and bringing me in sales!

So I may be a "dirty filthy spammer" (at least by proxy) but it is worth it!

[Jeremy82]

Thanks for sharing, it's really interesting...

[Greenguy]

Newsgroups?! Holy shit! I haven't thought about them in at least 10 years!

I remember spamming them back in what they call "the day" & seeing some decent results.

Are they still filled with illegal porn like they were back then? Not that I ever looked at that stuff...

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by Greenguy

Are they still filled with illegal porn like they were back then?

Last time I looked they were filled with standard photos of the type we use on free sites and galleries, in fact they were probably swiped from our free sites and galleries!

However you still get the nutters from time to time. You know the sort of thing:

Letterman is sending me messages through the TV. I have told the FBI many times but they refuse to do anything about it. I think the FBI are in league with the networks and are using chat shows to control our thoughts - and I CAN PROVE IT.

[Fonz]

I still get most of my content from newsgroups

[jollyhumper]

Do I get you right;

If I spam a newsgroup with the free content I have access to along with link and a keyword text, I can get a blog ranked higher?

jolly

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by jollyhumper

If I spam a newsgroup with the free content I have access to along with link and a keyword text, I can get a blog ranked higher?

That may be true, but it is not what I am saying. The post in question was an extract from one of Throat's eBooks that I market, and is really just an advert for the book. What I was saying was that it is an advert, and as the "advert" is high in Google's ranking it will get a lot of traffic, so is responsible for a lot of sales. IE both Throat an I make money from the spamming.

However your reply has set me thinking. I have an old TGP which has a PR of 2. Not very good, but most of the links are reciprocal and through a script, so it should have a PR of zero! I have often wondered why it has a PR2. Reading your post I remembered that when I started it, and again about a year ago when I gave it a boost, I tried to get a surge of traffic for the trades by doing mass newsgroup postings. It is probable that some of these stuck in "groups" sites and on newsgroup harvesting sites, and that is what is giving my TGP a PR of 2.

[ecchi]

Addenda: The posts I am talking about are mostly story posts, with either short relevant stories or extracts from eBooks that I market. If you are thinking of posting a photo with a list of keywords, I doubt if that would work for three reasons:

1. Google is good at spotting keyword lists, so will probably ignore them.
2. A lot of groups strip the words and just publish the photo.
3. Most newsgroup harvesting sites publish text posts in the public area (where SE spiders can see them) but hide photo posts behind a members only barrier that you have to pay for (which also excludes SE spiders).

So if you want to try this you are going to have to hone up on your writing skills!

[jollyhumper]

Thanks for answering, I often express myself a bit wrong, I do know it wasn't what you were saying. It just got me thinking as well.
It sounds risky though, but I am curious and might give it a try on one blog that can be canned if it goes wrong.
I never liked newsgroups and had completely forgotten their existence.
If I ask I might be allowed to put my own address on the pics, could be worth a shot that as well, just to see.

Jolly
P.S, writing is the fun part for me.

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by Fonz

I still get most of my content from newsgroups

I can still remember some clown telling me that, once a pic hits a newsgroup, it becomes "Public Domain" and can be used by anyone

Ahhh, those were the days!

[jollyhumper]

Originally Posted by Greenguy

I can still remember some clown telling me that, once a pic hits a newsgroup, it becomes "Public Domain" and can be used by anyone

Ahhh, those were the days!

Every free pornsite had a disclaimer saying "the pics are believed to be public domain".

Yea, those were the days

jolly

[Uncle Buck]

I have a sizable list of yahoo adult groups. But it seems most sponsors don't allow spam. Is this considered spam? Is this OK kind of a wink and a nod type of thing?

I've done it with my own site many years ago and it does generate a lot of traffic.

I have a pretty large database ( > 85,000) categorized by type and a program I wrote to send the messages by category but have been afraid to use it and get in trouble. With the one exception of an e book sponsor.

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by Uncle Buck

But it seems most sponsors don't allow spam. Is this considered spam?

As a general (but probably not exclusive) rule, sponsors will not let you spam their sites directly, but turn a blind eye to you setting up your own blog/free site (with ads to their product) and spamming that. Also, most are only talking about email spam, and turn a blind eye to newsgroup spam. A1 (who handle payment for my eBooks) actually encourages newsgroup spam (which is probably why I originally thought to get my friend to spam the newsgroups as payment for the work I did for him). So you are OK if you use my sponsorship program - see sig (now that was spam ).

Originally Posted by jollyhumper

It sounds risky though, but I am curious and might give it a try on one blog that can be canned if it goes wrong.

I have never had a site de-listed for it, and a few years ago I did it a lot. However if you are worried - one strategy I have heard others use is to set up a second site with links to your main sites, then spam post the shit out of that site. The theory is that if it works, the extra kudos that the second site gets will be in part passed on to those sites it links to. Also, some of the traffic that site gets will pass through the links to your main sites. However if the shit does hit the proverbial whirly thing, you can simply ditch your (otherwise unimportant) secondary site.

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by ecchi

...but turn a blind eye to you setting up your own blog/free site (with ads to their product) and spamming that...

Exactly! That one simple click makes all the difference