Every once in a while, I need to visit the comments section of this blog and clear it out. It seems I need to do it more often. I expect the proliferation of spam to the blog...that's easy to spot. Lots of companies selling mobile phones, SIM cards and accessories will spam. When those are deleted, these spammers get a tad smarter. They post something that tries to look like a real comment..."That's a great idea!" and then plaster their URLs all over the posting.

Don't get me wrong...I get a lot of great feedback to the blog. I've got a lot of postings from veterans sharing information about identity theft, a venting forum for bad Walmart customer service, a debate regarding whether China or India is the next best thing for outsourcing, a few Comcast customers who share my pain, a couple of disgruntled former call center workers expressing distaste for their previous employers, and regular commentary from someone named Sven Jørgensenjensen, which is the alter-ego of a slightly warped friend of mine.

But then there's the weird ones.

I recenty had someone confessing to a regular Walmart shoplifting habit. I've had posters asking for money. Many posters seem to believe I have the ability to give them a job. (I don't, but I leave their requests up there, in case HR personnel from BPO companies are looking to hire.) I've received some odd personal comments from strangers. I once received a marriage proposal.

I'm starting to know how priests in a confessional feel. Nineteen normal penitents or chatters, followed by one who hovers slightly outside the ionosphere. It's the nature of blogs.

TES