Porn Dominates the Spam Battlefield 183
An anonymous reader writes "New York Times has published an article that explores the economics that control what type of spam shows up in your inbox. The study was done by CipherTrust and shows that porn spam is 280 times more effective than spam advertising pharmacy drugs. Paul Judge offered the following towards an explanation: 'If you look at some of the oldest and most successful forms of business on earth, they revolve around sex.'"
Combo Ads (Score:5, Funny)
I prefer the Combo ads, where it tries to sell you Viagra and shows you pictures of who you could use it on.
sort of depends (Score:2)
Re:Combo Ads (Score:2)
Some of us use email clients that don't display pictures you insensitive clod.
Re:Combo Ads (Score:2)
Well obviously, by it, I did not mean the Viagra!
Duh (Score:4, Funny)
porn spam (Score:2)
Seriously.. I've been getting more high risk stock SPAMs lately. Almost seems like a securities fraud case waiting to happen.
Re:porn spam (Score:4, Funny)
Re:porn spam (Score:4, Funny)
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
Ohhh... there's nothing hotter than chicks wearing leotards in a temple, talking about quantum physics algorithms, on holiday. Send me the URL! God bless the internet for unique fetish development!
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
Can't wait until the FTC gets involved. It probably won't take very long to figure out who's working in syndicate on this SPAM scheme. They're going to get hurt pretty hard. I mean.. after a while they will be able to figure out who is buying just before these SPAMs go out and start putting together the s
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
I'm skeptical, since real analysts publish shady findings in real publications and make illicit profits without getting busted. Much.
Re:porn spam (Score:2, Interesting)
Well, the NSA has their - emails, phone records, and bank records - it shouldn't take them too long.
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
My guess is there are some serious firewalls with the work NSA is doing to make sure the other agencies don't learn something they can't know legally. This is starting to edge into a somewhat political debate that I don't want to get into. Since it involves the Department of Homeland Security and the Patriot Act
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
I suspect that the spammers or their contacts buy stock just before sending out the spam, wait for the price to be artificially inflated by thousands of idiots who think they've accidentally received a valuable tip intended for someone else buying it all up, then sell shortly before the rise they promised happens (as this is when the fools realise that
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
What's so scary - this trick is as old as the stock market. Before email it was fax and phone tools - classic boiler room operations. All that has happened is email has become one more way to reach suckers; a very cheap way at that.
I suspect that the spammers or their contacts buy stock just before sending out the spam, wait for the price to be artific
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
Re:porn spam (Score:2)
The distribution of SPAM content is different across SPAMming methods.
Porn and viagra are transmitted are transmitted in 99.999% of the cases by zombie networks. Once you have rolled out greylisting and XBL they drop to nearly 0%.
Compared to that, Nigerian and Lottery fraud are transmitted via clients sitting behind legitimate relays or using "live" zombies which sit and type into webmail. You still get these even if y
Well no shit (Score:5, Insightful)
Sex sells. I love it when they do this on religion stations especially.
Re:Well no shit (Score:2, Insightful)
Actually... (Score:5, Insightful)
The closest competitor is pharmaceuticals (e.g., ads for Viagra/Cialis/Levitra).
So it's not just that sex sells at a rate 280 times higher than that of its closest competitor, it's that sex sells at a rate 280 times higher than that of its closest competitor, which is also sex.
all spam is sex (Score:2)
Pills? Get harder, hairier, whateverer in order to get sex.
Make Money Fast? Attract sex partners with all that dough.
Fake rolex? attract idiotic materialistic sex partners with that bogus bling.
Collidge Degree Quik? Attract the bookworm type with your misspelt diploma.
Seriously, can anyone think of spam that doesn't convert to sex?
Re:all spam is sex (Score:2)
Seriously, if you're a hetero man, can you think of anything you do that doesn't have "a slight probability of having sex" as a motive? The whole point of living is sex, no?
Re:all spam is sex (Score:2)
2. Eating cheetos.
3. Fixing my mom's computer.
Other than that, it's all about sex.
Re:all spam is sex (Score:2)
Re:all spam is sex (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:all spam is sex (Score:2)
Re:all spam is sex (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:all spam is sex (Score:2)
Re:all spam is sex (Score:2, Insightful)
First, if you're a woman you might have a different take on the sport thing. Secondly, cheerleaders aren't there to lead cheers. Third, a male sports commentator can look like a horses end, but a female sports reporter tends to be attractive. Fourth, those beer commercials that inundate your average sporting event sell sex by the boatload. Fifth, SI has a swimsuit issue, but I guess people read it for the articles. I could go on, but you get the idea.
War:
War is greed -- greed for power. Power is
beauty and sex (Score:2)
Sex sells. I love it when they do this on religion stations especially.
Does human beauty always allude to sex?
Beauty is a broad concept. And appeals to us in many different ways.
Here's something from Wikipedia on beauty [wikipedia.org] ( I really hate to throw obvious Wiki quotes around, but people sometimes don't do the basic background research themselves )...
An "object of beauty" may be anything that reveals or resona
Re:beauty and sex (Score:2)
Re:beauty and sex (Score:2)
Not for many, if the attractiveness of some of the women my housemate have woken up to are any bearing.
And what is not to love about the Hoffmeister?
Re:beauty and sex (Score:3, Interesting)
In general, yes because as a species we are wired to reproduce; beauty is one signal that the other person is healthy and will be able to produce healthy offspring. We seek signs that a prospective mate will help be able to reproduce and provide desirable traits in our children. Beauty is one part of that; and what is attractive in a male to a female is different than what a man finds attractive in a female; a good bit of that is driven by the economic factors in a re
Re:Well no shit (Score:2)
What do you mean *even*? You don't know any Catholics, do you?
yeah? (Score:2, Funny)
5.6% Click-Through Rate? (Score:3, Insightful)
Doomed (Score:3, Insightful)
(Looking is, for the most part, free, except that if you're clicking through porn spam you're probabl
Re:Doomed (Score:2)
-Rick
Re:5.6% Click-Through Rate? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:5.6% Click-Through Rate? (Score:2)
Re:5.6% Click-Through Rate? (Score:2)
I wouldn't be surprised, actually (Score:2)
A) spam promising to sell you something (viagra, shares, etc): if you don't intend to buy that, no point in clicking on the link at all.
B) spam promising free porn: well, it might actually have some free pics. You can always close the window later if they start asking for your credit card, email address, etc.
So basically I suspect there's a massive difference in what kind of users they get there. For
Backslash (Score:2)
Re:Backslash (Score:2)
My Backlash (Score:2)
Some were funny...
I prefer the Combo ads, where it tries to sell you Viagra and shows you pictures of who you could use it on. - neonprimetime
Snake oil
In a word... (Score:5, Funny)
What is going to grab anyone's attention more? "We ship quadraphexametaline to your door for a flat rate of $9.99 - click here to order" or "18 year old Mariana Gottemoff does immoral things with a bearclaw - click here to view"
Re:In a word... (Score:2)
Re:In a word... (Score:3, Funny)
Clearly, they're missing out on something here. They need shorter brand names to use instead of chemical names. Like "Roofies" or "Crystal Meth".
That would sell for sure.
Re:In a word... (Score:2)
Actually, it kind of depends on the bearclaw.
Animal or Pastry?
bearclaw? (Score:2)
how to stop 99.99% of spam in the r.o.t.w (Score:5, Interesting)
simply filter the $ symbol, i did this at home and spam disappeared overnight never to return and as my company has no dealings with anyone using that currency it didnt stop any legit mail from getting through
now if only Gmail would let me do the same we will be onto a winner
Foreign languages (Score:2)
However, these filters are really unfortunate for people who do work in things like the mortgage business... they have lots of problems with spam filters catching their email.
Couldn't RTFA (Score:5, Funny)
Its not just the spam, dial my sig...
I must be too old (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I must be too old (Score:2)
A good one I received today (Score:3, Funny)
From: "Lauren Tom"
Subject: New and hot ladybo y see all of them
Date: Wed, July 5, 2006 11:28 pm
Hot and new s h e m a l e Recently added p
o r n Modern girls like to grant their wish with enormous frankfurters they have
rush inside and enjoy http://www.asianlb.com/ [asianlb.com] This woman has very huge bolt in her
pants She has knob under her dress and knows how to use it correctly
These exceptional ladies will bring Inimitable amusement for all who visits them
Keen scenes of ladyboys who divert near you are the best to observe
Re:A good one I received today (Score:2)
Does your GF know about this?
Key line from TFA (Score:5, Insightful)
Very true, and this is why I've said for a long time that if we ever want to do anything about spam, there's a way to do it without infringing on anyone's freedom of speech: follow the money. You have the right to send any e-mail you want, including spam, and that's the way it should be. You do not have the right to commit other crimes -- e.g. fraud, practicing medicine without a license, etc. -- just because it's "DIFFERENT, this is on the INTERNET." Go after the people who are paying the bills, and most of the "spam kings" will find themselves out of business in short order.
Re:Key line from TFA (Score:3, Insightful)
No, you don't have that right, and you shouldn't. It's my mailbox, and you can't use it without my permission.
Go after the people who are paying the bills, and most of the "spam kings" will find themselves out of business in short order.
In your world, where everyone has a right to put something in my mailbox, you'll just start getting mainstream ads instead of scams. I don't want to live in that world.
Re:Key line from TFA (Score:4, Insightful)
If your MTA implements the SMTP protocol, then you've already given your permission. If you want it to be permissions-based, then don't support SMTP... use some other protocol which requires prior authentication. You're saying the equivalent of "they're my ears... you can't make any sounds towards me without my permission".
Re:Key line from TFA (Score:2, Insightful)
The problem isn't that this isn't legally enforcable-- it is-- but that the amount of time and effort required to gain a judgement against an individual spammer is generally prohibitive, so I've gotten a lot more mileage fr
Re:Key line from TFA (Score:2)
You'll notice I said sound, not noise. I should have been clearer, but I was referring to someone going up to you on the street and asking "Excuse me, do you have the tim
No just sex (Score:4, Insightful)
Basic Human Needs (Score:5, Interesting)
The article requires login by the way, and BugMeNot [bugmenot.com] comes to the rescue.
Re:Basic Human Needs (Score:2)
Of course, YMMV.
Re:Basic Human Needs (Score:2)
Re:Basic Human Needs (Score:2)
Re:Basic Human Needs (Score:2)
Duh! Which would you click?! (Score:2)
A man showing off his muscles with a shrunken dick in a 'ball-squizer' advertizing a big bottle with pills, or, spread leggs.
Hmmm, interesting idea... (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, duh . :)
Look at how we were put together. Whether you're a Christian - "Go forth and multiply" - or simply following simple biological design, we were born to breed, all life is.
Using porn - the modern, supposedly "illicit" form of personal pleasure that doesn't involve the use of exterior drugs (not produced by the body) - marketing appeals to our basest instincts. How could it go wrong?
Re:Hmmm, interesting idea... (Score:2)
Because the Magic Book says so.
Porn vs. Medicines (Score:2, Interesting)
Porn spam stories (Score:4, Funny)
A very simple reason (Score:3, Interesting)
It's different with pharmacies.
And, don't forget, there's always the hope that you might get free pr0n. Maybe just one or two pics, but hey! Free v14gr4, that's unheard of. Not even a pill.
Not that I'd need it, I just recently enhanced my malehood! I got a new sports car...
Re:A very simple reason (Score:2)
She'd better swallow if I'm going to enjoy it.
/couldn't resist
//there is no 'she' who will be doing any swallowing with me
///are you really that surprised?
No kidding about porn... (Score:4, Interesting)
2005:
Porn = 651
Legit = 1,017
Spam = 302
Phishing = 59
So for for 2006:
Porn = 1,587
Legit = 870
Spam = 1,713
Phishing = 74
Gasp! (Score:3, Funny)
Seriously, it's all people think about, though perhaps not actively. Sure we love technology, but even when I'm using Mac OS X every few seconds my brain strays to thoughts like "I wish I knew a beatiful woman who uses Mac OS X" or "wow, some naked female professional tennis players could really spruce up the next OS X commercial."
what if?? (Score:2, Insightful)
in any case this article is really missing the point - people just don't buy drugs over the internet - duh! drugs from an unknown source can be deadly, whereas porn is harmless and a relatively established internet business.
Of course it's 280 (Score:2)
Re:Of course it's 280 (Score:2)
Spam battlefield? (Score:2)
Porn a distant second in my inbox (Score:2)
I just want to know... (Score:2, Funny)
Online drugs = huge risk (Score:3, Insightful)
Disclosure: I am currently employed by a pharmaceutical company, but my low opinion of buying drugs through spam pre-dates my employment.
This spam is a modernist literature masterpiece. (Score:2, Funny)
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Volume (Score:2)
My hotmail account on which the spam filter used to work really nicely and send everything to junk, has recent
Strange balance (Score:4, Funny)
Begging the Obvious Question (Score:2)
But doesn't Viagra also revolve around sex?
The abstract and the actual article (Score:2)
But how does the
This is unclear to me.
Will I get more porn spam, because that spam is more successful? Or will I get more rolex advertisements, because that has a lower clickthrough ratio and thus needs more spam messages to arrive at the same shop turnover?
Ric? (Score:2, Funny)
It's simple... (Score:5, Funny)
0.0075% (Score:2)
Wow, so many naive users out there.
Re:Makes sense (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Curious (Score:2)
So, if somebody else is paying for the bandwidth, there is no such thing as a figure that constitutes "practically nobody" that is distinct from "exactly zero". For practical purposes, if you spend an hour on an add that a million people see and only a hundred respond to, you'v