What if people did not create "what-if" threads?

[Egbert]

1. You can click on spambot links to see if they work, if you are in an internet cafe. (Not on your home or work computer. Particularly not at work, might be an animal porn site).

2. I agree itr is a good thing that you can't delete a user as spam once they have a certain number of posts. You might push a button by mistake and delete yourself.
Worse, much worse, you might acci dentally delete all of my wondrous contributions just by the pushing a wrong button.

[MikeH]

You still give them traffic, even on an internet cafe, which means their technique seems to be working. And often they code something into the URL to say which site it worked on. Which means you are more likely to see more spambots in future.

[Egbert]

Umh, yeah, I hadn't thought of that. Good point.

MikeH speaks the truth

[Aeson]

It's easy to see which sites traffic comes from. (Google Analytics or other scripts on your site.)

What you should do is click on their links many many times. Screw up their stats. They'll be like... "OMG! My sales page must suck because I only get .003% conversions!!!" Then they will spend the next 2 weeks crafting a new sales page instead of spamming your forum

Then be sure to clear your cookies because they'll often try to stuff in Amazon, eBay, whatever affiliate cookies.

[Aeson]

Also should nofollow username links to the profiles, and the profile "homepage" links. Also any links in posts. That at least will stop Poly from getting on the "dofollow" lists.

Although the best option would be to send anyone who puts a homepage url in their profile or a post to a "squeeze page" where you offer to give them a free newsletter about how to better spam forums, then in the newsletter sell them the list of emails you just put together for like $5, follow it up with weekly offers for the rest of the list as you build it. Put in some affiliate links for SEO courses, and offer them to help promote your courses as affiliates... and you're golden! WHEN GOD GIVES YOU LEMONS, SQUEEEZE THEM FOR ALL THEIR WORTH!

I just dropped $1million worth of knowledge on you. Are you going to be one of the people who thinks about if it's worth it and eventually loses interests... or are you going to GO OUT THERE AND JUST GET RICH? I know what I'm going to do! >> CLICK HERE <<

[MrFun]

[ColdWizard]

He couldn't be a spambot. None of his links work so he has no credentials as a spammer. Any spammer worth his salt has working links to shonky websites all set up to relieve innocent Pollytubbies of their money and/or bank account details as well as downloading malware and spyware onto their computers.

He's not a spambot because his grammar and spelling are correct.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

what if no Pollytubbies are innocent?