You know what I think is extremely tacky Xanga behavior? When people advertise their blogs on someone else’s comment section.
The really shameless losers will just leave a comment like, “visit my blog.” They aren’t even trying to hide the fact that their only purpose for visiting your Xanga is to gain readership.
The less shameless losers try to downplay their attempts at leeching off your Xanga by complimenting your site, e.g., “nice blog! Visit mine!” The compliment is usually very general because the commenter didn’t actually bother to look at your blog. He was only visiting in order to advertise his own.
I’ve received a handful of both types of advertisement comments–let’s call them Advertisement Comments–and have deleted all of them. And I will continue to do this until I die…and maybe even after that. It’s not because I don’t have anything better to do with my time (although that will be questionable once I am dead…unless you count rotting away as a productive activity), but I regularly devote a chunk of my schedule to cleaning comment-house for several reasons:
I. I Am Preserving Your Dignity
Someone has to do it, and since it’s not you it might as well be me. When you leave Advertisement Comments on someone else’s blog, you are giving everyone the impression that your site is a steaming pile of garbage that no one would visit on his or her own. Your comment also tells everyone that you are fully aware of your steaming-pile-of-garbageness, hence why you are desperately trying to lure visitors onto your site by promoting it on someone else’s blog.
This, of course, might not be an even remotely true assessment of you or your site. You could actually be incredibly engaging and a worthwhile read–but no one is really going to assume this of someone who has to troll the “Featured Weblogs” list for potential readers.
You are pretty much committing blog suicide if you leave Advertisement Comments, and most people will just relegate your site to their mental Doodoo Ditch and avoid it at all costs. So to prevent you from tainting anyone else’s impression of your site, I will voluntarily erase your comment before anyone else sees it. Yes, I will take it upon myself, out of the goodness of my heart, to save your Xanga soul by wiping your shameless self-promotion off my page. No, no, no need to thank me. I am just doing what all fake genuine guardian angels would do.
II. I Am Protecting Readers
On the other hand, assuming your site really is the steaming pile of garbage your Advertisement Comment makes me think it is, I don’t want any of my readers to click on your comment and end up being brutally assaulted by whatever crap is posted on your page. And it clearly must be stanky crap considering how low you are willing to go to get attention.
III. I Am Not Vincent Chase
I’m not Vincent Chase, and this isn’t an episode of “Entourage.” Therefore, even though I am fortunate enough to have subscribers, that does not mean you can hang around my comments section and try to soak up some residual exposure. You will just have to start from the beginning like every other Xangan: your friends are your only subscribers, and your Footprint counter never reaches above 100 per month.
I have been advised not to take this crap too seriously, and to instead view it as a positive sign that my blog has achieved a level of popularity. People tend to advertise their blogs on high-traffic Xangas because they believe more people will see their comments and then visit their sites. Thus, I should actually feel good whenever I receive a “visit my blog” comment because it means someone thinks my Xanga is one that has a healthy flow of Footprints.
Umm, no. I will never think of those comments as a good thing. And by “never” I mean there is a greater chance that I will fart Smurfs before I find an iota of positive value in the Advertisement Comment–and Smurfs don’t even exist.
absolutangel64 
you’re so funny! check out my site!JAYKAY. my site has no content anyway. haha
wait, you’re not vincent chase??
I hate when people don’t even read my blog and just comment so I can check their’s out. Then again, I have been known to throw out the cheap plug or two.
Excellent points, friend. You are as intelligent as you are pretty. peace outS.C.
Ugh, I hate it when all people do is advertise their site on my Xanga. They don’t even bother leaving a relevant-to-my-entry comment either!
….This isn’t Entourage? Well, that changes everything!
Nice blog, you should visit…. i’m kidding ( dont block me)
Nice blog. But mine is better. Visit mine!
I love your cartoons!
You farted smurfs and I find that amazing.I plugged my site because I had nothing else to do with my credits, and it was actually quite creepy to have all of these random peeps reading my blog. I will leave the ridiculous popularity and superior wit to you and your ridiculous Paint skillz.
You fart smurfs?! I shit skittles!! Bonding =)
Classy observation, as per usual. I feel like these tools should really spend the time they spend posting these comments creating ACTUAL content for their page. That’s not to say that I have loads of outright hilarious and entertaining prose, but shit, I’m not the one saying “Oh Emm Geee!! GO to my site u’ll heart it LOZL!” I’m kinda peevish about comments as it is. I don’t even really like seeing “Hey nice blog.” I’d rather have someone add to what I said or respond to it. For example, I write movie reviews (mostly posted on myspace these days) and as much as I like knowing that people are reading it, I have a footprint counter, so if you’re gonna leave me a comment, make it count. Nice blog. VISIT MINE!!!
visit my site! plx plx plx plx plxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxLol by the way… since when are smurf hats the shape of a penis?! What kind of penis’ are do you use….
Some call it self promotion…I call it desperate…
I, like many others, had the immediate urge to post some kind of ‘visit my blog’ comment in response to this… just because we’re all that clever. But I’ve refrained because I’d like to avoid the penis hats. Or something. Well said, and illustrated.
Visit my……OH DEAR GOD DON’T BLOCK ME!
is a part of xanga protocol to read other people’s comments? i always viewed it as kind of like a conversation between the commenter and the writer, no?
With the energy they use “advertising” their site, these people could be snazzing up their own so that maybe one day someone will actually care enough to read it. Silly Xangans these days…
You mean farting smurfs isn’t normal? .. Oh man……
I think Oxyclean can get it out.
I wanna be E or maybe turtle! why penis come out of your butt?
Ugh, I hate that too especially because I usually return comments. It also bugs me when people ask for recommends. Perhaps I’m spiteful but I almost never recommend a post that asks for a recommend unless I really, really, really like it and think it’s the best thing evar.
Haha, I agree… its slightly tacky but I’ve never had enough readers to experience that. 😀
What? Your shit isn’t blue?Um.. yeah mine isn’t either.I like this entry. YOU KEEPS IT REAL.
Good thing I never do that. You have a quirky (sp) sense of humor.
I totally agree! I have very few readers (mostly friends) so when I receive comments, I expect them to be words of wisdom from my loyal readers, not an advertisement to check out some POS page. It’s really annoying.
I love your posts. One reason a commentor might ask readers to visit their blog is if they have a response that goes beyond what belongs in the comments section. This points to something that is odd about Xanga. Draco20902 asked whether it “is a part of xanga protocol to read other people’s comments? i always viewed it as kind of like a conversation between the commenter and the writer, no?” Does anyone here think that Theologian’s Cafe reads the all the comments on his own posts? I think that he intends a conversation among the commenters, yet the comments section is so limiting, and it’s easy to get off topic (this is a case in point). What Xanga lacks is a means of facilitating real dialog, posts that are in response to other posts, and that one can find when reading those posts.
I love your blogs, you are snarky, quirky, and downright savage in your rants. I love it!I hate it when people advertise on my blog. I think, ‘come on get a life!’ Now go visit my blog. ;-D
Most of the time I don’t read all the comments left on popular bloggers’ site, so I probably have never noticed such people.
I was going to leave a “Come visit my blog!” message just to be snarky, but I spent the time updating my own blog’s theme. Change was four years overdue. Isn’t I special? PS: Loved the Smurfs.
how do you know smurfs don’t exist? they run away and hide in their mushroom houses when any danger appears and their village is magically hidden. have a smurfy day!
i didnt even know people actually do that to get noticed..hilarious stuff hahahaha
You’re such a good Samaritan.
Actually, I don’t want people visiting my site since it does not have much content and I update about as often as Richard Simmons wears clothes that normal people wear.
i was about to do the ‘ visit my site’ thing,but about 50 people beat me to it.I’ve been fortunate not to receive comments like those,but that may be due to the lack of subbers I have.Good post though. I love entourage!(:
Those advertisers should try understanding the saying “No pain, no gain”.
I don’t want anyone comin’ ’round my site, ya hear?! *hisses*
I get those too. Cannot stand them. I posted about death and someone comments: “Cute! Sub for sub?” WTF???I love this post and I’m a-reccin’ it…P.S. I LOVED the Smurfs thing. That was great!
LOL!
haha! the smurf farting is great.
Here on Samspeeps rec.Glad I did. I agree with you totally.Well said.
I had a guy doing that for while. I finally told him every time he links his site I am deleting the comment. Not so much because the link was annoying. No the links were the least of the many annoying things about him.
What if the reason they do that is because they apparently piggybacked off your blog idea?
Heck YESS!!I’m glad someone FINALLY said it!(today lol 😉 )But seriously, yeah, is it really going to cut into blog-self-whoring/promoting attempts to ACTUALLY READ the post you’re commenting on?It’s not that hard…and if you expect others to come by and peruse you, then you as a blogger of this worldwide blog…uhh…happy fun…uhh…CLUBHOUSE should do the same! BTW and my blog I give out free (used) Subway coupons!! Come HERE NOW!!LOL j/k! B)
Your eyes are stunning. Your post is not. Just kidding. I agree. Of course, we all can’t be featured so hey….I’m a little on both sides especially when someone says they wrote a post about a similiar topic that would arouse my interest.
here on sam’s rec too; excellent and totally true. Sadly, there are a lot of people who fail to observe even a modicum of good taste and/or etiquette, here or in 3d.
lolzzz. hitme back, please visit my site!!!! i used to have days when i wanted to increase my subscribers and thought about posting “nice blog. please visit my site!” i decided against it just because, as you suggested, it reeks of indignity and unless you end up xangalebrity-ish, it’s not worth it. i guess it’d be like asking a girl on a date and telling her that you never had a date before so she may go out with you out of sympathy. i wish i watched entourage so i could understand that last part.
There was actually a time when someone opened a site called Not a Spam site (or something to that effect) and left a spam comment on my blog. I had an inkling he/she/they visited the people who had commented on my post and sure enough, he/she/they did. I was not able to act as fast I could have (and deleted that comment) and so, I was not able to be a guardian angel. *Sigh* I grew up with The Smurfs except in Spanish they are called Los Pitufos. I just wanted to share that.
Whoa, I’m reading the second post of yours in a day, and I like both of them. Cool.I think I’d probably be like you and take the time to delete those comments when I get/see them. Luckily, I’m not popular enough for that (and hopefully never will be). I feel totally culturally deprived, though, because I have no idea who Vincent Chase is.Also, smurfs are awesome. xD
check out my bl-juuust kidding