Letters to the Stupid: Anonymous

Oct 24, 03:19 AM - and

Dear Anonymous (who I don’t know, but already dislike),

I know you’re probably just starting out and that you probably don’t have that many visitors right now, but it’s not okay to add a link to my site and sit there and click a few times every day. Yes. I notice you, I’ve even clicked your link more than once, but I’ve never stayed for very long because your site looks like garbage (I’m sorry, but it had to be said). Please stop clicking on my site unless you’re going to visit.

Becky

It’s annoying to check your referrals and see a handful of clicks a day from the same IP from the same site. It’s kind of really pointless too because i) the site sucks and ii) the site sucks. I’m not going to run to all of my friends (e- or otherwise) and tell them about this super-fantastic site that has linked to me. I’m also not going to add a link to that site on my links page

At first I thought that it was several different people clicking on my link, but when I checked the time stamp I realised that each “hit” was happening within seconds of the other from the same IP. This isn’t just someone using his or her links as an online bookmarks, this is someone trolling for hits back.

I hope that the site owner sees this on one of his or her hit trolling sessions so that he or she will realise that they aren’t going to get anywhere like this. Interesting concept though.

Tags: stupidity

I always use my blogroll as my online bookmarks. ‘Tis so much easier. My firefox keeps deleting my bookmarks periodically and I can’t see how to stop it either, which is extremely frustrating.

I can’t really see the point of someone doing that though. Surely commenting, or befriending, is a better way of getting said person to comment on your blog? I’ve never really been one of those trying to get return comments. I just comment for my liking of commenting, not for returns and it puzzles me why someone would link your site and repeatedly click on the link. Surely just linking is enough?

#1 Amber Oct 24, 07:41 Permalink

I always click on the links on my site, visit the site I just clicked, and then close the window after 30 seconds.

Not for referrals – I just do it. It’s a random “I’m bored, let’s click links and view a whole bunch of sites for 30 seconds each and see if they’ve had any dramatic changes.’ (Not that I think about it that way, but that’s the general idea behind it, I guess.)

Then again, I know you’re not talking about me, because I don’t have you linked XD

#2 Rosemarie Oct 24, 08:28 Permalink

I’m too lazy to create an RSS feed for most of my sites, and my bookmarks are too many, so I use my blogroll to check sites out. I’ve got habits for doing what ‘rosemarie’ said as well. I generally click, see if there’s a new post, if not, it’s closed out.

Who knows, maybe this person has OCD and thinks you might update 30 seconds after the first time they clicked on your link :P But I’m really interested in knowing what site this is…. :P

#3 Jordan Oct 24, 12:08 Permalink

The only reason a friend could tell me about their “secret” website was when I was checking my referrals, as that was what they suggested me to do so and voila, a domain name – praising the friend. :P

I usually click my exit links when I’m bored or in need of a read – the people who I actually do visit frequently are listed under my RSS feeder.. in which I only really click out off to comment. :D Like I’m doing so, now.

#4 Jenny Oct 24, 12:30 Permalink

...I also have a weird habit of clicking the same link several times in a short period of time. OCD!

Just for the record and all :P

#5 Rosemarie Oct 24, 22:27 Permalink

And with that said, I demand that you share the link.

(Oh, and I AM one of those people that do visit a website several times in a day…who knows, they might have updated in the 37 minutes since I last visited!)

#6 Amanda Oct 25, 04:32 Permalink

I basically use my own site as a bookmarks page, but it’s pretty obvious that this person is clicking your link without the intention of actually reading it if they’re clicking a million times in five seconds. How annoying. But I’m kind of curious now… I need a good laugh.

#7 Laur Oct 25, 21:53 Permalink

I use my links page as online bookmarks too (it’s too hard to sync two computers together and keep on top of all RSS feeds without missing something or getting easily confused), but while I will click a link a few times a day, it’s rare that I’ll click (wait to load), click (wait to load), x5+

Apparently in one of her clicking frenzies she took the time to read this blog (or at least skim it) because my link has been removed and for the past few days the amount of clicks I’ve gotten from her have petered down to nothing. She still links Laur and Rosemarie though, don’t know if she’s doing it to them too.

I might as well, it’s toutlemonde.org, and trust me the slime green on purplish and pink was a lot worse than the current layout /wrinkles nose/

#8 Becky Oct 26, 17:41 Permalink

Dear Becky,
I was a bit puzzled when I realized that this blog is pertaining to me. I apologize if I caused you any inconvenience when you were looking at your statistics, but that is all I can apologize for. My intentions were never to get any sort of feedback from you, I just enjoy visiting your website, reading your blog, etc. and I still will despite this little rant against me. I am not sure how you came to the conclusion that I wanted hits back or for you to comment me, and that sort of system never crossed my mind. I enjoy reading your blogs and I don’t comment because I really don’t have anything to say. Surely, if I wanted your attention, I would comment your blogs insanely to either start drama (ie: ur so dumbz u stupid bitch) or dote upon you (ie: lyk omgaw ur sooo kewl comment me kthx). As to the whole “each ‘hit’ was happening within seconds of the other from the same IP” idea – I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I won’t doubt your statistics provider, so I’ll just say this: It was done without my realizing, and probably has something to do with the fact that I often fight with my friends over which blog we ought to read (I do like to use my page as an online bookmark). I don’t recall this happening on this specific website, but I do specifically remember it happening on a different blog. As to how my website sucks… well, I don’t know. I don’t really have a reason for that. I guess I actually am quite dumb.

#9 Melissa Oct 26, 20:05 Permalink

If you can provide proof that it was in fact not you clicking on my link multiple times (within seconds of each other) I will retract this blog and offer a formal apology. Until then I stand by what I said because you do look very suspicious.

#10 Becky Oct 28, 23:17 Permalink

You’re complaining because you’re getting hits…?

Stat scripts aren’t always accurate and you of all people should know that you can’t rely on IPs to be ‘honest’. Not only are IPs maniputable but a lot of ISPs direct all traffic through a proxy, potentially resulting in hundreds or thousands of people with the same IP — but you already know this .. so you’ve just needlessly attacked someone who is (was) providing you traffic. Way to go Becky!

#11 Jem Oct 30, 04:22 Permalink

Where did you get the impression that I’m complaining about getting hits? Three separate logs told me that someone with the same IP was clicking within a small time frame on a link leading from that website and spending little to no time here (and I’m 99% sure that it was the only IP so the issue of other traffic was non-existent). If it were spaced a little further apart I wouldn’t have gotten suspicious in the first place, however, since each “hit” happened within seconds of the other and there were several grouped together each day it raised my suspicions.

#12 Becky Oct 30, 04:27 Permalink

It’s all well and good saying “three separate logs” but if they pull the data from the same place they’re all going to be identical anyway. As there’s no JS in your source you’re not relying on an ‘external’ tracker such as extreme tracker, so that leaves your basic bog-standard free trackers. Awstats, webalizer, etc are notoriously innaccurate so it’s hardly “solid evidence”.

..and you’ve never heard of a web crawler/bot? Not all “clicks” are human. I occasionally run link checker/crawler scripts from my laptop. Not only would they show up as from my IP but would count as a referral either from my site or local server (depending on where I run the script from) and often do show up as multiple clicks — in fact, it is more likely (from what you’ve described: i.e. small time frame, same IP, etc) that it IS some sort of bot/crawler or link checker.

You know me: I’m all for gratuitous bitching… it does help if you know you’re right first though.

#13 Jem Oct 30, 07:38 Permalink

Okay I concede, you could be right, I still stand by what I said because I go by feeling (and my feeling is that something, or rather someone, is doing something here). It’s been going on for several months and my feeling is still the same (a piss poor excuse to be sure, but still I can’t ignore that niggling feeling that comes whenever I view it). If it is the case, as in I find out that I was wrong, I’ll post a blog apologizing and retract everything I said, if I’m wrong I’m not afraid to admit it :P

#14 Becky Oct 30, 10:15 Permalink

Something like that would make me think that I either had a troll, or someone was trying to steal something off of my site and kept trying to go back and get more? It’s happened.

Silly interwebs peoples, I tell ya.

#15 Mis Nov 1, 17:22 Permalink

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