All these web referrals from Russian sites?

[Frank Petronio]

Last year it was Chinese sites copying my content and linking back. Now when I look at my stats, it's a lot of funky Russian sites, that look like portals to nothing in particular or gambling, linking and sending people to my site.

For what purpose? Why?

Just curious, I suppose it doesn't matter to me but I'd love to have stats that showed all good links from conscious viewers.

[JBelthoff]

Frank,

What stats are you looking at?

[Frank Petronio]

Recent Referrers from Google Analytics. I get stuff like http://crazy-animetv.ucoz.ru/ and http://eminem50cent.ru/. I don't think these do anything against me, more just curious as to what they gain by linking to some obscure site like my own? What is the business plan here?

[JBelthoff]

Do you advertise? Google Adwords? etc...?

[Frank Petronio]

Nope, I did years ago but not since.

[JBelthoff]

Well, I just checked the backlinks to your site and don't see the kind of stuff you are describing. However if people are sharing your photos this could cause stuff like that.

I am assuming you are looking at referrers?

[JBelthoff]

OK, I just did a view source on http://frankpetronio.com and if someone is using your images from this directory href="http://frankpetronio.com//gallery/ when that page loads on the other site it will record as a hit to your site, sometime it will be recorded as the other site being a referer to yours.

There are many interpretations for stats.

[JBelthoff]

Also, I checked both of your sites listed and did not see the Google Analytics code anywhere.... Are you doing something fancy?

[Frank Petronio]

It's through A Photo Folio ~

[Mike Anderson]

Someone could have put a link to your site in the comments of those blogs. Who knows why. Maybe some Russian fans are just trying to help you out.

[JBelthoff]

Sorry to dominate this thread but I have been doing computer programming for the web for the last 10 years so it's what I do.

SEO and website design....

If it was me, I would not worry about it if it is only a few random referrers. However it could be indicative that someone is using your images and bandwidth and if it grows bigger you may want to move some of your images and other resources on the domain around.

Other than that, I don't think it's a problem...

[Frank Petronio]

Yeah I am just curious, I find it slightly annoying but probably harmless.

[RichardSperry]

Image hotlinks back to your images, probably.

Russian hot chicks dot ru stuff.

[Michael_4514]

Here's the answer:

http://www.plrinternetmarketing.com/blogging/dealing-with-referrer-spam/

[Photomax]

What happened to Frank?

[Kimberly Anderson]

I get them too. I am disabling anonymous commenting and enabling word verification. Kind of getting tired of it. Almost ready to abandon all web content at all. I've pulled down everything except for one blog and one password protected web site. Sigh.

[Sal Santamaura]

What happened to Frank?Searching works well:


http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?103002-What-happened-to-Eddie-Gunks-and-Frank-Petronio&highlight=frank+petronio

[Jim collum]

understand how you feel. I fight an almost daily battle with turning off web presence. I think the most it will do is make me feel good. I suspect that within a generation, the concepts of intellectual property and personal privacy will be ideas of the past... with no reason to protect images (or personal information) on the web. I've been deeply involved with computers since 1977, and the web since it's inception (the good old DARPA days, and modem based BBS's). It's always been a love-hate relationship.


I get them too. I am disabling anonymous commenting and enabling word verification. Kind of getting tired of it. Almost ready to abandon all web content at all. I've pulled down everything except for one blog and one password protected web site. Sigh.

[Photomax]

Hhhmmm, wow Frank!

I don't want to open old wounds but he is a colorful guy who makes forums fun.

I had a message exchange with Frank several years ago. I lived in Rochester when I was a RIT student. I reached out to Frank to see if we could meet next time I was in town (I live in Seattle) and he had choice words about being an RIT student! This is his actual response to me reaching to him:

Oh of course, it is great fun to meet real people from the Internet.

I'm 47 and don't get out much...

Frank

Which I thought was hysterical...

Cheers to all!