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File: ToLinkOrNotToLink ''' <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" ''' href="/rss.xml" title="RSS Feed"> ********> width="25%" |>> ''' <a title="Subscribe to my feed" ''' rel="alternate" ''' href="https://www.solipsys.co.uk/rss.xml"> ''' <img style="border-width: 0px;" ''' src="https://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon32x32.png" ''' align="middle" ''' alt="" />Subscribe!</a> _ ''' <a href="https://twitter.com/ColinTheMathmo"> ''' <img src="https://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/images/TwitterButton.png" ''' title="By: TwitterButtons.net" ''' width="212" height="69" ''' alt="@ColinTheMathmo" ''' /></a> <<| ---- My latest posts can be found here: * ColinsBlog ---- Previous blog posts: * GenericAdviceForWritingAThesis * JustTeachMyChildTheMaths * NotASpectatorSport * LeftTruncatablePrime * TheDoctorAndTheLawyer * FourPointsTwoDistancesProof * MeetingRonGraham * NapkinRingVersusSphericalCap * TheFourPointsPuzzle * RadiusOfTheEarthPartTwo * GrepTimingAnomaly * TheRadiusOfTheEarth * ThisWorksToCureMyHiccoughs * PerhapsWeSavedOne * ThinkingAboutMastodon * DisappearingTrainsOnVirgin * TheIndependenceGame * OneOfMyFavouritePuzzles * ThinkingAboutRecursion * MemorisingTheTube * SpikeySpheres * SurprisinglyQuick * AnUnexpectedFraction * YouHaveToAdmireTheirOptimism * RepresentativesMatter * PythagorasByIncircle * APuzzleAboutPuzzles * HowNotToDoTwitter * Calculating52FactorialByHand * SmallThingsMightNotBeSoSmall * NotIfYouHurry * FactoringViaGraphThreeColouring * AnotherProofOfTheDoodleTheorem * WhenObviousIsNotObvious * GraphThreeColouring * TheDoodleTheorem * BeCarefulWhatYouSay * TheMutilatedChessboardRevisited * AMirrorCopied * TheOtherOtherRopeAroundTheEarth * PhotocopyAMirror * ThePointOfTheBanachTarskiTheorem * SieveOfEratosthenesInPython * FastPerrinTest * RussianPeasantMultiplication * FindingPerrinPseudoPrimes_Part2 * FindingPerrinPseudoPrimes_Part1 * TheUnwiseUpdate * MilesPerGallon * TrackingAnItemOnHackerNews * HackerNewsUserAges * PokingTheDustyCorners * ThereIsNoTimeForThis * PublicallySharingLinks * LearningTimesTables * GracefulDegradation * DiagrammingMathsTopics * OnTheRack * SquareRootByLongDivision * BeyondTheBoundary * FillInTheGaps * SoftwareChecklist * NASASpaceCrews * TheBirthdayParadox * TheTrapeziumConundrum * RevisitingTheAnt * TheAntAndTheRubberBand * IrrationalsExist * MultipleChoiceProbabilityPuzzle * RandomEratosthenes * WrappingUpSquareDissection * DissectingASquarePart2 * DissectingACircle * DissectingASquare * AnOddityInTennis * DecisionTreeForTennis * DecisionTreesInGames * AMatterOfConvention * DoYouNourishOrTarnish * BinarySearchReconsidered * TwoEqualsFour * TheLostPropertyOffice * TheForgivingUserInterface * SettingUpRSS * WithdrawingFromHackerNews ---- Additionally, some earlier writings: * RandomWritings. * ColinsBlog2010 * ColinsBlog2009 * ColinsBlog2008 * ColinsBlog2007 * ColinsBlogBefore2007 ******** !! ... that is the question ... Over the past few years I've noticed a rise in a particular type of spam that I'm receiving. It takes the form of an email like this: ********> width="10%" ******** width="78%" Dear Editor/Webmaster/Person, My name is XXXX and I'm the Editor at YYYY. I was doing research on /*subject*/ and just finished reading your wonderful blog post: * <Solipsys link> In that article, I noticed that you cited a solid post that I've read in the past: * <link on site ZZZZ> I just finished writing a guide/article/post/thingy that is even more detailed, updated and comprehensive - packed with practical tips and advice (including videos), and completely free. You can find it here: * <link on site YYYY> If you like it we'd be humbled if you cited us in your article. Of course, we will also share your article with our 50k newsletter subscribers and followers across our social platforms. Either way, keep up the great work! Warmly, XXXX ******** width="10%" ********< Almost invariably the Solipsys page they link to is not actually a blog post or article, but is a simply collection of links to things I might want to look up later. Occasionally it's a link to a generic description of something I've referenced to provide a starting point in case someone is interested in following up something. I'm being deliberately vague here, as I don't want to get bogged down in details. The thing is, every now and again, once in a while, I go and look at the link I've been sent as a suggested alternative and I think: |>> Actually, that's quite good. <<| So what to do? Should I say yes, but only if they pay me? After all, it's clearly of value to them and not to me. Should I simply adopt this newly suggested link? To do so might be to encourage this sort of spam. Is that actually a bad thing? As always, XKCD has something to say about that: * Constructive : https://xkcd.com/810/ * /(sorry/about/the/language)/ Should I reply? Should I ignore it? Should I write stupid, ranty blogposts that accomplish nothing but make me feel better about it? Answers on a postcard ... (only kidding - use the comment box below. Unless you really want to send me a postcard). ---- |>> | |>> <<<< Prev <<<< ---- GenericAdviceForWritingAThesis <<| | : | |>> >>>> Next >>>> ---- ConsideringASphere ... <<| | ---- ********> ''' <a href="https://mathstodon.xyz/@ColinTheMathmo"> ''' <img src="https://www.solipsys.co.uk/images/Mastodon_Mascot.png" ''' width="256" height="280" ''' alt="https://mathstodon.xyz/@ColinTheMathmo" ''' /></a> ******** ''' <a href="https://mathstodon.xyz/@ColinTheMathmo/">You can follow me on Mathstodon.</a> _ _ _ _ [[[> ''' <a href="https://twitter.com/ColinTheMathmo">Of course, you can also<br>follow me on twitter:</a> ''' <a href="https://twitter.com/ColinTheMathmo"> ''' <img src="https://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/images/TwitterButton.png" ''' title="By: TwitterButtons.net" ''' width="212" height="69" ''' alt="@ColinTheMathmo" ''' /></a> ''' <img src="/cgi-bin/CountHits.py?ToLinkOrNotToLink" alt="" /> ]]] ********< ---- !! Send us a comment ... ''' <form action="https://www.solipsys.co.uk/cgi-bin/FormMail.pl" method=post> ''' <input type=hidden name="recipient" value="colinsblogcomment@solipsys.co.uk" > ''' <input type=hidden name="subject" value="Blog comment : ToLinkOrNotToLink" > ''' <input type=hidden name="redirect" value="https://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/ThankYouForYourComment.html" > ''' <input type=hidden name="missing_fields_redirect" value="https://www.solipsys.co.uk/RequestError.html"> ''' <input type=hidden name="env_report" value="REMOTE_HOST, REMOTE_ADDR, HTTP_USER_AGENT" > ''' <input type=hidden name="print_blank_fields" value="1" > ********> width="47%" You can send us a message here. It doesn't get published, it just sends us an email, and is an easy way to ask any questions, or make any comments, without having to send a separate email. So just fill in the boxes and then ''' <font size="+4"><INPUT TYPE="submit" VALUE="CLICK HERE TO SEND"></font> ******** width="53%" ********< ''' <table cellpadding="5"> ''' <tr> ''' <td valign="top">Your name </td> <td valign="top">:</td> ''' <td> <input type=text name="realname" size="48"> </td> ''' <tr> ''' <td valign="top">Email </td> <td valign="top">:</td> ''' <td> <input type=text name="email" size="48"> </td> ''' </tr> ''' <tr> ''' <td valign="top">Message </td> <td valign="top">:</td> ''' <td> <TEXTAREA NAME="Message" ROWS=10 COLS=64></TEXTAREA> </td> ''' </tr> ''' </table> ''' <center> ''' <font size="+4"> ''' <INPUT TYPE="submit" VALUE="CLICK HERE TO SEND"> ''' </font> ''' </center> ''' </form> ********<