Sunday, October 14, 2007

That next-blog button

I really enjoy checking out new blogs. Yesterday was a lazy, rainy day, and I spent most of my time at the computer. I decided to use that next-blog button at the top, on the left, and see if I could meet some interesting bloggers.

I hadn't done this in awhile, but I knew I'd get a lot of foreign-language blogs. I decided that even if I couldn't read the language, I'd leave a comment, if there was a picture that I could relate to. For instance, if there was a baby picture, I'd say, "You have a beautiful baby there." I figured if they couldn't read English, that would throw them for a loop.

When I started out on my blog-jog, I would occasionally get a porn site, and often there was no "next blog" button showing. So I'd hit my back arrow to the last place I'd been, click on "next blog", and get directed to a different site.

After about an hour of this, I realized the porn blogs were coming up on at least half my clicks! Spyware, no doubt. I have a free program downloaded from the Internet called Spybot Search and Destroy (which I highly recommend), and I decided to run that and see who was leaving unwanted cookies on my computer.

Sure enough, when it was finished, among the things it caught were a couple of bits of spyware called "sex-tracker".

As much as I like to find new blogs, I guess I'll stay out of the Blogger "next-blog" option. Wouldn't you think they'd do something about this situation?

From now on, I'll find my new blogs by checking out the ones listed and recommended by other people on their sites. That way they're pre-approved.

And by the way, I'm running my free AVG anti-virus as I type, just in case I picked up a Trojan when I was lured into those unsavory areas of the Internet.

6 comments:

  1. It is too bad that the Next Blog thing isn't a little safer. I for one appreciated the 'Nice baby' comment! Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. Funny you should say this because that's exactly what happened to me last night. It's awful that blogger can't keep them out somehow (seeing that we can flag "offensive" blogs).
    Blessings,
    ~Toni~

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  3. ya that happened to me too! i wish there were better regulations for internet porn. it's way too easy to access when you're not even trying. not cool.

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  4. Anonymous2:00 AM

    Hi. You're registered at fuelmyblog, and I just thought I'd jump in here and say that I've had really good luck checking out the other blogs listed there. You won't run into a bunch of porn blogs listed. Kevin and Sylvie are really good with keeping the site a place people don't have to worry about that kind of thing.

    So check out some of the other blogs there instead of using that blogger 'next blog" thing. I bet you won't be sorry.

    -Fracas ;-)

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  5. Oh, thanks for this post. I'm going to get that Spybot thing right now!

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  6. That is the reason I quit doing it.

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