Sorry, but I have a bit of a rant to make to the spammers in the world: Please Stop!
I am getting a bit aggravated lately by people on the forum. No, I am not talking about the countless “honest” members who have taken the time to share their stories, tips, and so forth. For you serious forum members out there, thank you so much. You have no idea how much you have helped others with this condition, and how much I value your participation.
Instead, I am talking about the deceptive individuals who think they can make a quick buck by lying and promoting their spammy products (as if we were born yesterday or something…). I don’t tolerate that stuff for one second. Recently, this seems to be an increasing problem.
I realize I am probably “preaching to the saved” here. After all, most spammers won’t waste their time reading a cholinergic urticaria blog post. They just want to sign-up on this forum (and others) as fast as possible, and create their fake stories to con you into buying a product. So this post is really going to tell you “honest” members how to avoid falling for a con, and what I will absolutely delete in a second just in case any spammers think it would be worth their time.
Why I am Writing this Post
I am an honest guy. I would NEVER push some product on anyone and give them false hope of a cure in the name of making a buck. I still struggle with Cholinergic Urticaria every day. I hate it. There is nothing I want more than to be rid of this condition, or find a cure and share that with everyone here. As you all know, I have tried countless experiments over my run with this condition, and none have eliminated it.
So when you read a blog post from me, or see my posts on the cholinergic urticaria forum, you know it’s the real deal. I won’t lie to you, I won’t scam you. Period. That is my everlasting promise to you. Some things are more important than money, and honesty is one of those things.
Unfortunately, there is no shortage of people in the world who will scam you. They would love to sell you their $100 junk creams, or $100 fake pills, $100 miracle berries, $100 magical drink, or their $100 magical parasite zapper.
In my earlier struggles with my hives, I did buy into some of these scams (like many others), only to be disappointed (and poorer) later. I am EXTREMELY protective of the real forum members, and I don’t want anyone misleading them or trying to con them. Period. I know how hard it is to live with this, and I suppose most of the people on this forum are not filthy rich (I know I am not rich). So these products are not only a waste of time, but a waste of hard-earned money. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Fortunately, it is getting harder and harder for these “snake oil salesmen” to pull such scams. People are getting educations, federal agencies exist to crack down on deceptive claims and fine these corrupt individuals. But the fight is still not over yet.
Example of Recent Forum Posts I Delete Instantly
When people “pretend” to have cholinergic urticaria (in an effort to give a fake testimonial), it is pretty obvious to me. I won’t go into tremendous detail, but just know that I can quickly spot a fake (and there have been a few recently), and I read EVERY single post made here (and always will). I also look at IP addresses, email accounts, and other factors to help me judge a spammer from a real person.
One quick way I can spot them is when they begin posting URLs to sites or mentioning specific products that, “Are really making my hives better.” The second I EVER see a URL posted to some website selling stuff (especially by a newer member), I will delete the post and member, no questions asked. Period.
People are getting more and more sneaky. Some have even gone as far as to create a fake and elaborate ”story” of their hives, and then post about some product a few days later (and on other sites on the web). Very sneaky indeed! But I caught it and deleted them instantly, as I will any person who thinks they can con us.
That may seem a bit extreme to some of you, but I just have zero tolerance for that nonsense because it wastes my time. In order for this site to be truly helpful for people, I HAVE to weed out the nonsense spammers or fake posts. Sorry, but it just has to be done.
Clarification of Listing URLs or Links, or Advice
Some members have posted ‘genuine’ URLs in the past, and those are perfectly fine. In fact, if you are a current member, you know that yor posts are perfectly fine (otherwise you wouldn’t be a member). Here is a quick list of what is a good URL vs Bad:
Good URLS or Advice:
- A URL to a medical article on cholinergic urticaria is fine (as long as they aren’t selling a “cure” and it is a legitimate non-homeopath site)
- A URL to an authority medical site is fine (Such as WebMD or eMedicine)
Good Post or Advice Examples:
- Hey guys, Vitamin D seems to be helping. You may want to talk with your doctor and see about trying a supplement (since this can be purchased anywhere, and you are advising they speak with a doctor first).
- Hey guys, XX antihistamine seems to help me manage my hives, you may want to try it or check with your doctor (since they can buy most antihistamines over the counter, or safely via their doctor)
Bad URLs or Advice that gets deleted:
- URL to ANY site selling a product or service. Period.
- URL to any personal blogs or personal sites. (I make exceptions for those who are real members who have posted a reasonable amount of times, and I wouldn’t mind to give you a backlink either).
- URL to any porn, illegal drugs, or illegal content. Period.
Bad Advice/Post Examples:
- Hey guys, I tried some acai berries and I am cured. I don’t sell the stuff myself, but you can get it at XXX site (NOTE: I would delete that post in a heartbeat).
- Hey guys, I have recently tried a new homeopathy doctor. It is amazing. I was skeptical at first, but he is great. He put me on this supplement and my hives are nearly gone. Here is his site: Blahblah.com. (That will get you deleted in a second, probably before anyone even reads it).
So if anyone sees any of this, please feel free to report inappropriate links on the forum. I will probably delete it before you even see it, but just in case I am not online for a day or two (which is rare), please report it.
Note About Advertisements
This site costs money to run. I have to host it on a server, I have domain expenses, I have to update software, write content, I have taxes, waste time deleting spammers, and so forth. So I do run ads on both the site and forum section. These ads cover my costs of running the site, and I do have a very small amount left over each month.
I also run other blogs/sites which make more revenue than this site and combine to help me to make a very small portion of my income (and I am still very much struggling in my career). I also do freelance writing and other things in my struggle to make a full time living. I do not run this site for the money, as this site alone will never make me rich (or even reasonably comfortable). Running this site really only buys me about 1 fast food meal each month. I run this site to help others, and because I enjoy having dialogue with others suffering from hives.
I realize some people probably aren’t crazy about ads. They have never really bothered me. Pop-ups annoy the heck out of me. In-line “link” ads annoy me. Those pages you click in search engines that take you to a video advertisement before you can read the content annoy me. But the ads I run on this site don’t annoy me. So I stick with them.
All of them are marked with a “sponsored links” section so you can know they lead to an external site, of which I do not endorse or even know about. I have no affiliation with these sites, and I do not choose which sites will display. Google automatically chooses the ads based on my content keywords, and the ads constantly change. So always use common sense, and know that I do not endorse any particular advertisement you see here.
I just insert a code, and Google chooses which ads to display. So please understand that I have no control over that, and you should always use discretion and common sense when dealing with any questionable sales pages.
Final Words to Any Would-Be Spammers
- Please stop. You will NEVER be able to push your product on the forum by lying or creating a fake post. At best, the post may last an hour or two. It will then be permanently deleted along with your account, and I seriously doubt you will ever make even $1 from your labor and time. So use common sense and don’t do it.
- You are wasting your precious and limited time here on Earth by even trying to promote a questionable product. If you have to reduce yourself to a liar and cheat to sell your product, it probably isn’t worth selling is it? Take the hint and change business plans.
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This post was written by Ben on March 29, 2010
