Comments on: Celebrity Spam http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/ Home cooked goodness Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:55:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Helen http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-18463 Helen Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:35:53 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-18463 Aha! Another post about the lovely Benjamin Christie. I held back from naming and shaming him in my latest post but now I think I should have done it! You are right, everything that is on the web about him is either written by him or his team in the name of shameless self-promotion. Personally, I found the guy to be incredibly arrogant and rude. Here's the post - maybe I should update it with his name?! http://helengraves.co.uk/?p=462 Aha! Another post about the lovely Benjamin Christie. I held back from naming and shaming him in my latest post but now I think I should have done it! You are right, everything that is on the web about him is either written by him or his team in the name of shameless self-promotion. Personally, I found the guy to be incredibly arrogant and rude. Here’s the post – maybe I should update it with his name?!

http://helengraves.co.uk/?p=462

]]> By: Sue http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-827 Sue Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:19:01 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-827 Hello. Can you please comment on my website? I am a celebrity. Yes. Really. Hello. Can you please comment on my website? I am a celebrity. Yes. Really.

]]> By: Matt http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-824 Matt Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:09:08 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-824 Tony, thanks for a bit more background on the consistency of spammy activity. It seems our mate BC just never really got it. Such is the problem of people thinking that the net is ripe for the plucking. Yvo (VIII), thanks for coming back, if only to check this thread. Very interesting that the food candy site has done an interview with him. I can't say I use the site very often, but it looks like they're into the reciprocal linking/marketing deal. The interview is as expected, and still even contains links with affiliate ID's back to BC's site. Jean, i think it would be slightly creepier if he did use my real name...but I know exactly what you mean... If you didn't ask for it, and if it makes no effort to interact with you personally... it's spam. Anthony, Interesting you should say that, as I have recently come into the possession of a large quantity of lard that was given to me by the widow the the late Nigerian head of state, Gen. Sani Abaca. After the death of her husband who died mysteriously from a cardiac arrest... perhaps due to eating so much lard. The widow was able smuggle the lard out of the country in four metal boxes and since she needed a place to keep them (away from the probing eyes of the new regime), I kindly offered to help her. Now that I am an expert in these strictest top secret and intimate confidence matters I will be more than happy to deal with you in a nature becoming the magnitude of the request. Tony, thanks for a bit more background on the consistency of spammy activity. It seems our mate BC just never really got it. Such is the problem of people thinking that the net is ripe for the plucking.

Yvo (VIII), thanks for coming back, if only to check this thread. Very interesting that the food candy site has done an interview with him. I can’t say I use the site very often, but it looks like they’re into the reciprocal linking/marketing deal. The interview is as expected, and still even contains links with affiliate ID’s back to BC’s site.

Jean, i think it would be slightly creepier if he did use my real name…but I know exactly what you mean… If you didn’t ask for it, and if it makes no effort to interact with you personally… it’s spam.

Anthony, Interesting you should say that, as I have recently come into the possession of a large quantity of lard that was given to me by the widow the the late Nigerian head of state, Gen. Sani Abaca. After the death of her husband who died mysteriously from a cardiac arrest… perhaps due to eating so much lard. The widow was able smuggle the lard out of the country in four metal boxes and since she needed a place to keep them (away from the probing eyes of the new regime), I kindly offered to help her. Now that I am an expert in these strictest top secret and intimate confidence matters I will be more than happy to deal with you in a nature becoming the magnitude of the request.

]]> By: anthony http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-815 anthony Wed, 20 Sep 2006 03:37:26 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-815 REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR STRICTEST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. THIS IS BY VIRTUE OF ITS NATURE AS BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND 'TOP SECRET'. I AM SURE AND HAVE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR ABILITY AND RELIABILITY TO PROSECUTE A RECIPE OF THIS GREAT MAGNITUDE INVOLVING A PENDING RECIPE REQUIRING MAXIIMUM CONFIDENCE. REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR STRICTEST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. THIS IS BY VIRTUE OF ITS NATURE AS BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND ‘TOP SECRET’. I AM SURE AND HAVE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR ABILITY AND RELIABILITY TO PROSECUTE A RECIPE OF THIS GREAT MAGNITUDE INVOLVING A PENDING RECIPE REQUIRING MAXIIMUM CONFIDENCE.

]]> By: Jean http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-807 Jean Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:50:31 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-807 Have been marking his emails as spam since receiving the first email. As Sam once mentioned on FoodBlog school (I think!) if he can't get my name (or even my nick) in the email, it's just spam like the others. Have been marking his emails as spam since receiving the first email. As Sam once mentioned on FoodBlog school (I think!) if he can’t get my name (or even my nick) in the email, it’s just spam like the others.

]]> By: yvo http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-805 yvo Tue, 19 Sep 2006 19:44:55 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-805 oh that is too great that you emailed that to him! funny enough, after leaving your page last, I Wiki'd him and noted that someone must have edited the page but how funny it was. I also came back here doing my normal rounds and because today, after randomly stumbling on a site that had my page linked somehow (yay!), I saw his profile front & center! thought you might be interested. www.foodcandy.com :) oh that is too great that you emailed that to him! funny enough, after leaving your page last, I Wiki’d him and noted that someone must have edited the page but how funny it was.

I also came back here doing my normal rounds and because today, after randomly stumbling on a site that had my page linked somehow (yay!), I saw his profile front & center! thought you might be interested.

http://www.foodcandy.com :)

]]> By: Tony http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-799 Tony Tue, 19 Sep 2006 06:56:26 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-799 Chef ben used to spout his "expert" opinions over at the tv aus site during the my restaurant rules days. Every post would be an ad for his website looks like he found a new way to push his site. Chef ben used to spout his “expert” opinions over at the tv aus site during the my restaurant rules days. Every post would be an ad for his website looks like he found a new way to push his site.

]]> By: Matt http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-786 Matt Mon, 18 Sep 2006 02:34:52 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-786 Thanks Reb for the info, and for giving me a proper word to use to describe his tactics. Astroturfing fits quite nicely. I had a similar feeling about the comments on his site... Short, generic sounding affirmations of his own opinions. But criticizing the actual content of his blog is for a whole other post entirely... I'm still yet to hear any response to any of my emails or this post from BC himself or one of his team, so I'm not sure if he feels the need to respond or not. One would think that if he does have any interest in the food blogging community he'd take the time to address these comments. And thanks about the Wellington...it was a labour of love, and meat :) Thanks Reb for the info, and for giving me a proper word to use to describe his tactics. Astroturfing fits quite nicely.

I had a similar feeling about the comments on his site… Short, generic sounding affirmations of his own opinions. But criticizing the actual content of his blog is for a whole other post entirely…

I’m still yet to hear any response to any of my emails or this post from BC himself or one of his team, so I’m not sure if he feels the need to respond or not. One would think that if he does have any interest in the food blogging community he’d take the time to address these comments.

And thanks about the Wellington…it was a labour of love, and meat :)

]]> By: DrReb http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-772 DrReb Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:02:46 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-772 Well said Matt - and I don't think you're over reacting. I've left a comment for Ed as well, but what he and his 'team' are doing is considered unethical in professional and corporate communication. It's called 'astroturfing' - creating a fake grassroots campaign for profit or personal publicity. And his entry on Wikipedia is nothing short of viral marketing. Traditionally viral marketing always fails with an audience that has a high degree experitise and knowledge in a subject. This is why so many of us have spotted BC as a fake and reacted this way. When Helen and I were slagging off at him the other day I mentioned that I actually think some of his post comments are ... well let's just say 'self generated' so he appears to have a readership. If you look at the sentence construction they are quite similar with very little natural variation in the way they are written. More astroturfing? By the way that beef wellington looks yummy. Well said Matt – and I don’t think you’re over reacting. I’ve left a comment for Ed as well, but what he and his ‘team’ are doing is considered unethical in professional and corporate communication. It’s called ‘astroturfing’ – creating a fake grassroots campaign for profit or personal publicity. And his entry on Wikipedia is nothing short of viral marketing. Traditionally viral marketing always fails with an audience that has a high degree experitise and knowledge in a subject. This is why so many of us have spotted BC as a fake and reacted this way. When Helen and I were slagging off at him the other day I mentioned that I actually think some of his post comments are … well let’s just say ’self generated’ so he appears to have a readership. If you look at the sentence construction they are quite similar with very little natural variation in the way they are written. More astroturfing? By the way that beef wellington looks yummy.

]]> By: ed http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/comment-page-1/#comment-770 ed Fri, 15 Sep 2006 12:35:39 +0000 http://abstractgourmet.com/2006/09/celebrity-spam/#comment-770 John, why are you defending BC? Are you a food blogger? Do you get so little email that you welcome spam? Are you a mate of BC? You do seem to be in the minority. I know I welcome one less (spa) email each day. John, why are you defending BC? Are you a food blogger? Do you get so little email that you welcome spam? Are you a mate of BC? You do seem to be in the minority. I know I welcome one less (spa) email each day.

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