It's a Cesspit!

As you can see, I have finally joined the world of the blogging, but let there be no mistake about it: I will not engage in the dirty tactics used by the big blogs.

Enough is enough! The blogosphere is a cesspit and it stinks to high heaven. The NYC Police Department smells of roses compared to what goes on here. This culture of corruption has gone on long enough. It is time to end the pervasive malfeasance you all have become accustomed to.

Why, some of you probably don't even know what I am talking about.

You know what they do. Them bloggers. They will go to high-profile blogs, any darn high-profile blog, and leave tame and vaguely encouraging comments, solely for the purposes of enhancing the visibility of their name, and of not-so-subtly enjoining reciprocity.

Says one blogger, who asked to remain anonymous: "I'll leave dozens of comments a day, without even reading the posts properly. It doesn't matter what the post is about, or if it's lame. You just skim through it and leave a comment about the first thing that comes to mind. It's like a word association game. The idea is to leave a relevant and non-negative link, as quickly as possible. "

We ask if that isn't tantamount to spam.

The blogger hesitates, and finally nods: "You could say that. But the idea is to leave something just relevant enough to prevent the blog owner from deleting it. It isn't machine-generated spam. But it sure ain't wagyu either."

What's more, the blog owners not only tolerate comments from these commentators with patently ulterior motives, but openly encourage them to comment. After all, the more comments you get, the better. Most bloggers declined to discuss the issue, but we managed to find one blogger who agreed to talk on the record, provided her identity remained a secret. She chewed her nails nervously throughout the interview, and kept glancing at her laptop.

Woussaa How many comments do you get?

Anonymous Blogger Between ten and thirty a post. I get a lot of comments.

Woussaa And how many of those comments are authentic?

AB Look, I know about [the comments situation]. It's really a kind of bribe from the commentator, given to the blogger who posted. The blogger who made the post gets more comments, which is good for her credibility. And the commentator gets a link back. I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine - that's the idea. Authenticity isn't the issue.

Woussaa Bribery is illegal in the off-line world. Doesn't that bother you?

AB Well, [the situation] is not ideal. But I need the comments to keep my rep up. I don't want to get 1 or 2 comments per post, or, God forbid, none! I've been at this since 2006. Do I want to look like a newbie?

Woussaa Do you yourself leave comments at others' blogs?

AB Come on, how else would I get traffic? But I actually read the posts, some of the time. Sometimes, if the post is really interesting, I will even read the other comments.

A recent BSU study revealed that 89% of the bloggers who left comments on blogs receiving more than 10 hits per day admitted to being motivated by "a desperate need for more traffic, any traffic at all."

We at Woussaa will have none of this. It is time for a change. Woussaa will be a new force for ethical practice and transparency in the blogosphere. This blog will stand up for what is right. We will take the high road, though a lonely journey it may be. Under no circumstances will we leave bland and brown-nosing comments on other people's blogs (unless of course their Alexa rank is higher than 10,000). And we will definitely not tolerate comments from slimey desperados eager to grease our palm with a sentence of bland flattery (unless of course their blog has a Technorati authority higher than 50). Please support Woussaa in our campaign, and leave your words of encouragement in the form below. Thank you.