Uptick in SPAM here lately? Earrings, shoes, siding, etc...

[ScottyP]

Maybe it is just me, but it seems like the spammers are plaguing CR a little more lately than before. 

You notice them when they make the Homepage as a forum headline.  I guess that is because so many people are reporting the spam, that the spam post is, for a while, one of the most talked about posts on the site?

And what spammer in their right mind would think they can drum up business for their unrelated garbage on a photo site?  Especially when it just ticks everyone off?

[Mt Spokane Photography]

It comes and goes in cycles, and its usually removed in minutes.  What the spammers are doing is trying to get Google and other search engines to pick up on the link, and raise the ratings of the business they are promoting.  Google scans CR frequently, so its a choice target.
 
SEO spamming is a big issue, spammers sell a business on raising their Search Engine ratings, charge them a monthly fee, and then spread SEO spam.  Many businesses do not even realize that their good name is being tarnished, they see their search engine results rise, and then when Google imposes a ban on them or drops them 200 places, and they lose their money and reputation.
 
This even happens to big companies, JC Penney got caught a while back.  If its too good to be true ...

[Forceflow]

Yeah, I've been reporting a lot of SPAM posts lately. The 20 second time limit to report it makes it kinda hard Seems though lately it's one account creating a few different messages and then that's it.

[Sith Zombie]

Just out of interest, what if a genuine user had a photography business, Flicker page or some sort of online gallery they wanted to promote? Would it be cool to post a link or would it have to be in a relevant thread or something?