Checking my email last night, I found that someone had commented on post # 357 and it did not have a SPAM flag on it!  I love comments by readers and so hurriedly opened it.  Here is what I found:

Quinn B******** <mailto:metal_monstrosity@*******.com> <http://www.*********.com>, wrote the following on [24 Feb 2008, 16:59 GMT-7]: Brand new Bikram Yoga Studio opening in K******** – W******* directed by David T******!

Opening date: ***** 1st 2008!

Check us out!

www.*********.com
www.bikram******.com
IP ADDRESS: 9*.2**.2**.1**

I have purposely blocked out the identifying details.

I was puzzled at first.  Why would any Yoga instructor that knows anything about Yoga resort to SPAM as an advertising means?  Rather than react to the comment SPAM immediately, I breathed, I closed the email and went to bed.  This morning I reviewed the comment SPAM again and did some research into what I found.  It would appear that David T. has contracted with Quinn B. to do some marketing about the opening of David T.’s new Bikram Yoga Studio.  I say appear as I have no concrete proof of that.  Perhaps Quinn B. attempted to place that advertisement in the comments out of some good will toward the soon to open Yoga Studio?

Quinn B. uses what he terms strategic intrusion.  To quote Quinn B.:

An act or instance of intruding – intrusion is not a new way of looking at advertising, it essentially is a key fundamental of advertising. Realistically if we examine objectives of an advertising campaign they have the goal of building awareness, targeting a new market or introducing a new product or product line. These goals are accomplished through a variety of methods although there is one underlying concept that is always followed and that is, getting the target market’s attention. Now intrusion may be conceived as unwanted or offensive but really it is a method utilized to get into the target’s head, and have your product, service, or business really stick.

I personally look at every piece of work I do this way; immediately I think what really is going to get their attention, how can I intrude and disrupt the market? Business today is a vast industry that is flooded with advertisements and unless you are going to fight to have your message heard you have no chance.

Mr. Quinn B., intruding where one is unwanted or unwelcome is also commonly called trespass.  While you may claim that such intrusion is not unwanted or offensive but is actually just a method . . . to get into the target’s head, you have made a rather large miscalculation.  Attempting to advertise using my bandwidth and server space without my permission—remember that intrusion is Entrance by force or without permission or welcome—constitutes theft of those same resources.  Mr. Quinn B., if you wish to pay for such advertising rights, fine—note the obvious and intentional lack of advertising on my site—but do not attempt to steal my bandwidth or you will find an entry here publicizing the attempted theft using your own words.

Using just the information gained from this entry, it is quite easy to identify Mr. Quinn B.’s web site.  It is not, however, possible to identify the Yoga studio at this point, that may change in the future as Google and other search engines pickup the studio’s web site.  This is intentional.  My intent is to do as little harm with this post as possible.  My hope is that Mr. Quinn B. learns to be a bit more judicious in how he intrudes into people’s lives in the future.  That is the reason that his IP address has not been denied access to the site despite the SPAM.  I’ve not identified the studio in question as it is entirely possible that David T. has no idea that this was done.  However, if he reads the email I sent him, he will be fully aware of it.

What are your thoughts on the subject?  Click the comments link below and let me know!

Namasté