As long as there has been an Internet, there’s been porn and spam. I’m not going into the sordid history of either, but if you’re not familiar with the latter, then get thyself o’er to Wikipedia and read up, then get come on back pronto. See, I’m writing today in defense of spam, specifically in the form of blog comments.
Wait, WTF? Did Greg actually say he’s defending spam? Yuppers. Read on, teeming dozens.
As annoying and frustrating as spam can be, there’s also an upshot. When coupled with a community like Windows Live, it provides a rather unconventional opportunity to do a little social network crawling. Here’s how:
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When you receive a spam comment on your blog, don’t just report and delete it. First, take the time to pay a visit the offender’s profile. Maybe even leave a little comment of your own on his wall. Really let him know that you care.
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Once there, be sure check out his What’s New feed. If the spammer is worth his snot, you’ll find interesting blog posts from around the globe.
Scores potential friends just waiting for you to reach out to them
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Click on a few to start reading and commenting. You might just a make a new friend or two in the process. Why, it’s almost like having “Spaces Central” again!
Using this tactic, I was able to find entertaining blog posts from people I’d never met, all thanks to some low-life spammer who probably lives in his mom’s basement and has nothing better to do than churn out link-laden garbage comments all day for 2¢ per click thru. I walked across his web o’ crap to find a varied and interesting assortment of articles on topics ranging from cooking to television, all written by hard-working Netizens like yourselves. And because we’d all been victimized by him, it was kind of therapeutic, like our own little support group. Talk about turning a negative into a positive.
Oh, and then I reported him to Microsoft. You can’t let that crap slide. 
- Greg
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