tentang A Day After Shoutbox Removal

how does shoutboxes work?
1 - a blogger puts the shoutbox widget on their blog. the widget contains a link to the actual shoutbox's url
2 - visitors to the blog can view the shoutbox and post their shoutouts
3 - visitors who know the url to the shoutbox's actual page can also view the shoutbox and post a shoutout (without visiting the blog anymore)

i have suspected people doing that before. then all this kecoh about the fraud-blogwalk thing started to happen. after contemplating about it a bit i decided to remove my shoutbox. the shoutbox after all have been more like a free text ad space for most. and the ads are now written in good taste. pfft

but days after removing the shoutbox, new shouts are still coming in. (i removed the shoutbox on the 23rd btw)

screenshot from my shoutmix user account page. i may have removed the shoutbox but the account is still active.

the kawalebut link is a frequent. uses different names including 'ana raffali' or something like that. the 2nd link, internationalmesothelioma.com, goes to a site about a form of cancer. there's info there. not crap or anything. but i dont understand why using this dumb method to spread such information? maybe the webmaster is only after money from ads and have no interest at all in health. and that gives me reason to doubt the site's informations.

now my still active shoutbox has become some sort of trap to those fakers. lol.

tentang Anti Cheaters

this issue has been kinda big a deal lately in the malaysian bloggers circle. a lot of titles or names or titles coined by the many bloggers. if it was up to me i'd name it the

ANTI FRAUDULENT BLOGWALKERS

but it's not up to me so everyone may call whatever thay wanna call it :P


what is it? some bloggers have not been sincere or honest about their blogwalking activities. blogwalking or blog-hopping is when a person hops from one blog to the other and just saying a simple 'hello' in a blog's shoutbox and not trying to sound like and ass.

but as time passes, more people joined in the world of blogging and, hoping to direct traffic to their own blog, the blogwalking (or hopping.. whichever method of travel you prefer) culture have been manipulated and tarnished by people driven by their desire for 'quick cash'. they did not really visit your blog but only uses the shoutbox as their own advertising space.

some call them fraudsters, some call them cheaters. bottom line, they are assholes. or a n00b. their choice.

hence, starting today, i have removed the shoutbox in this blog. if anyone wants to say hello they'll have to do an off-topic comment in my entries. and being off-topic, it has a high possibility to be deleted by the owner of this blog (that would be me).

and finally, i would like to stress here that the shoutbox is not at fault. it is made a tool by assholes to send dishonest 'friendly' shououts. dont blame the shoutbox. it has served me well


read 'Kempen Atasi Blogwalking Tipu' at 100penulis.com

read 'Badge ANTI FRAUD BLOGWALKING for Free' at wansteddy tales

(tq Wansteddy for the banner)

happy blogging ^^

tentang Zbrush Exercise Update January 23

another 2 + hours doing the birdman tutorial. having fun!!!

i think i did not get some of the skin to look good. especially the chest. pfft. but well im not gonna try to fix it anymore.. but i'll make it right in my next sculpt. but it does look ok overall i think.

maybe not so bad for a first sculpt