New Flavour of Spam

Yeah, this is a bit of a weird one, but I’ve just started receiving Unsolicited Bulk E-mails asking me if I would be interested in buying, or sharing content from other sources.

I’ve had a few of these in the past, and the ones that I have reposted or reblogged have always had one thing in common, they discussed the content…

Not these varieties...

But these ones I’ve started getting are, at best, cagey about the actual content. There’s not a mention of it in the actual emails… Occasionally they will say things like “I have a great idea for content/an article that would fit great with your blog” (which might mean they have some insight into my writing, a love of real science and science-fiction, or they found a shiny meme I might like — I guess, based on my own back posts, anyway), but no mention of what that might be.

Of course, unspecified content, along with questions like ‘will you “host” it?’ (do the quotes there give anyone else the creeps?), and phrases like cheap/affordable articles, set my spidey-senses tingling.

So no, since you haven’t bothered to disclose anything about your ideas, or prices, or shown me what I will be “hosting” (presumable a bunch of link backs to content you want to score higher in Google) and you couldn’t be bothered finding any of my publically findable email addresses, but instead invented one to contact, and obviously haven’t got a clue what I blog about or what country I am in (because it isn’t obvious from my .com url), I will not be buying or “hosting” content from you.

Even if you aren’t actually a phishing scam or pageRank , and are a genuinely struggling writer looking for exposure and a paycheque, I do feel your pain, but still won’t buy. If you want your stuff out there do what I’ve done, make a blog (its not expensive) and post it. If you’re legitimate that will help. Contact me then and I’ll take a look.

Because I’m an Indie SF writer, I don’t have money to pay other writers to write things for me. Nor would I want a complete stranger to add to my voice.
I mean, I’ll reblog stuff here, but never without comment… Maybe some infographics, or memes, that stand alone (and a few eyecandies that are just labelled “Wow”), but if I was going to invite someone to post here, it would be someone I know… Not a stranger who doesn’t even care what my blog is about (okay, regulars may chuckle at the conceit that this blog has a purpose or focus of any sort and isn’t basically me stood in a corner of the interwebs pointing a stuff and laughing with the occasional comedic rant thrown in), who is just looking for a sale (I’ve already got one of them here trying to flog my stuff).

Basically there’s only room around this blog for one underpaid hack.

Anyone else seen these types of spam? Do all blogs get this kind of UBE? Anyone reading this that hasn’t at least tried spam/one of my books?

Posted from my Phone so…