Posted on
December 3, 2008 in
Just yesterday I wrote about DUI Hotline Network’s comment spam program, and the lawyers who are responsible for it.
Today I had three more spam comments either from sumit_2588@hotmail.com or from m.creativestrokes@yahoo.com with links to a “duihotline.com” website — in these instances, the website for New Jersey firm Levow and Associates:
Kevin
sumit_2588@hotmail.com | 59.178.51.167Those people who are are engaged in high profile cases are a shear waste for society but very important and useful for lawyers.
From Thus Spake Brian, 2008/12/03 at 6:29 AM
2008/12/03 Approve | Spam | Delete
Mike, Brain
https://www.. . . .com/ | m.creativestrokes@yahoo.com | 202.63.118.245Wow, dude. You just took a big leap up in my esteem of you. I read your blog just out of curiosity since I’m an ex-con. I take back all the things I said applied to ALL lawyers.
From Memo to Non-Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2008/12/03 at 4:56 AM
2008/12/03 Approve | Spam | Delete
Mike, Brain
https://www.. . . .com/ | m.creativestrokes@yahoo.com | 202.63.118.245Some of those marketers are undoubtedly familiar conversant with the ethical rules governing lawyers, and are looking out as much for their clients’ reputations as their clients would themselves.
From Internet Marketing for Lawyers: Here Be Dragons!, 2008/12/03 at 4:36 AM
The text from the second comment spam is from a non-spam comment on the same post; the text from the third is from the “Here Be Dragons” post itself (which, strangely enough, was a post critical of the DUI Hotline Network program.
I made the point yesterday that DUI Hotline Network isn’t selling itself as a comment spammer, but rather as a network of interlocking websites. It occurs to me that those who have paid DUI Hotline Network for this service probably have a deceptive trade practices claim against the company for their unhelpful — indeed, harmful — comment spamming.
I realize that I’m fighting a losing rearguard action here against comment spammers. With the proliferation of blatant marketing blawgs written by people who care more about their search engine ranking than about providing quality product (inescapably a metaphor for their law practices), there will be more and more blawgers who welcome any comment, even spam, to make their prose appear worthy of reading. The Vikrams of the world will, in the end, win.
But one of the lessons that every criminal-defense lawyer should learn is that often the losing battles are worth fighting.
[Edit: I talked with Bryce Ayres, boss of DUI Hotline Network. He denies that anyone is comment-spamming on behalf of his company, but leaves open the possibility that someone in India whom he hired to do legitimate SEO might be acting outside the scope of his employment. To me this illustrates further the danger of hired-gun marketing for lawyers: if Bryce — the SEO boss — can’t keep people he has paid from comment-spamming without his consent, how can Joe the Lawyer?]
I realize that I’m fighting a losing rearguard action here against comment spammers…
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a young blogger picking something up and throwing it into the water. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”
The youth replied, “Drowning comment spammers. The comment pages are wide open and the anti-spam software leaks. If I don’t destroy them, all the blogs will die.”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are millions and millions of blogs and thousands of comment spammers? You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the blogger bent down, picked up another comment spammer, ripped its head off, and threw the bleeding pieces into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference for that one.”
Hi Mark,
I agree with your blog entry…I just wanted to clarify something — duihotline .com is not affililated or associated with duihotlinenetwork .com or its “linked” websites in any way.
Thanks,
Amy
[Edited to remove links. Amy sent me a second comment just to make sure I got the links and to hype her company; I won’t be approving that one. Don’t these people read this blog?]
Windy,
Ha!
Amy,
I’m curious: are you stupid?
Mark and Windy,
I suggest both of you do your research. I am a defense attorney located in San Diego, CA and own [deleted] The network guys are in SLC, UT. My website is focused on providing information to clients and directing them to qualified defense attorneys. If you even went to my website you would immediately notice it is completely different from all of the network sites– I am also listed as the owner of the site–
So, before you accuse a company of bad practices, make sure you have the right company. So, to answer your question Mark, No, I am not stupid…
Amy L. Butters
Attorney
Amy,
I never said anything about your website; I didn’t even know it existed. There are too many . . . duihotline . com websites for me to keep track of.
I’m glad you’re not stupid. (Thanks for setting the record straight.) So what accounts for your attempts to post blatant marketing comments on my blog in the wake of posts like this?
If not stupidity, cupidity?
Mark.
Thanks Mark,
I didn’t intend to post marketing comments on your blog, I just wanted to make sure my site was differentiated from the network guys. I’m off to a meeting:) Have a good night,
Thanks,
Amy
About the Best Houston DUI Attorney, Mark Bennett. Both you in your blog and Gerry Spence in his blog describing “Washington DC as being like a whorehouse” and your blog describing an out of town DUI web site that “sucks” seem to use words that while they may or may not be accurate, could have perhaps used a better choice of words. One time someone pointed out to me that I was supposed to be a lawyer and trained in the choice and use of words and that I should be able to express myself with words that convey ideas appropriately, to which I promptly replied —- hmmm . . . uh, I guess you are right! From all accounts, you are one the most successful and Best Houston Criminal Defense Attorney and Houston DUI Attorney and member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and I know that you can win your cases with words that can express your client’s successful defense in any criminal case. Good Luck in Your Successful Defense of the Accused — Sincerely, Glen R. Graham, Attorney at Law, Tulsa, Oklahoma
You’re not questioning my ability to use the full panoply of the English language, a smattering of other languages, and a few apt coinages of my own; rather, you’re objecting to my use of the word “sucks”.
But oftimes the best words for the job are the Anglo-Saxon monosyllabics: brief, unambiguous, and vivid. I generally reserve such words for the most extreme circumstances — for example, I have only once used the word “shitty” in a jury argument other than as a direct quote (the jury, incidentally, then gave me what I was asking for) — but the possibility of giving offense will never stop me from using what I think is just the right word on my blog. So WADR, Glen, if such language offends you then maybe this isn’t the right blog for you.
I find the monosyllabic anglo-saxon words often carry the greatest emotion of the moment. Perhaps as lawyers, we can overlook a colleagues usage of said words in necessary arguments and remember to see the forest amongst the trees. Backhanded compliments are not compliments in my world.
Mark, the blog rocks. Thanks.
Don’t care if you so choose monsyllabic anglo-saxon words. I quite prefer them from time to time.
S