Here’s What I Want

I want:

  • a spam filter that will pre-screen all the annoying a#k!*U&@*^@*~@#)*s who are filling up my CheapEats databases with restaurant recommendations for places named “Free Ring Tones”, “Viagra” and “kdfjkdjfkdeoerpdl”
  • a query to help me clean up the 3,000+ restaurant recommendations that are probably all spam, but might actually be real just badly spelled like “michovols”, “amadeuos”, “beckta” and “willlys”.  What’s spam? What’s real?
  • a way to demonstrate to young, smart and industrious but green marketers from overseas that spam is not a viable marketing technique for … even if you call it “mailings”.
  • Oh – and a crap-load of new … valid ones.  I’m tired of getting all excited when I see “387 new comments” only to find out 384 are spam, 2 are empty and 1 is someone saying how awful their experience at xxx was. Sigh…

Someone, please, tell me about good, happy making, restaurant experience.  Someone? Anyone? Please? 

It doesn’t even have to be cheap… just don’t tell me you ordered spam.

Alexa Clark

Alexa is a digital marketer and author with over 20 years in digital & interactive communications in the food and tech industries. Alexa's CheapEats Restaurant Guides, for both Toronto & Ottawa, were Canadian best sellers. She is a recognized authority on social media and has been named one of Canada's 20 Leading Women in Social Media.

6 thoughts on “Here’s What I Want

  • July 18, 2007 at 2:09 am
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    All I know is that Beckta is real, but is not cheap. Supposed to be one of the very best restaurant wine collections in Ottawa, and regularly gets stellar reviews.
    http://www.beckta.com/
    Beyond that, I’m having enough trouble with $&#*@)s sending out their email crap with forged headers citing my domain. (Bounces come to me.) Grrrr. Sorry I can’t help more.

    Reply
  • July 19, 2007 at 7:34 am
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    Dad and I had a lovely meal sitting in the window at Green Mango (cafeteria) on Yonge last night. I had the glass noodles and steamed rice with ginger chicken mixed with Basil chicken. He had pad thai noodles with steamed rice and peanut chicken mixed with ginger chicken. It was chickeny good.
    We chatted about how expensive his 16 year old car is becoming (that he rarely uses) and watched people go by. At one point, a group of teens mistook me for someone and started to point and yell at me. Then they realized they were wrong and slinked off like embarrassed do.
    It’s moments of good food and good company that make life. Not clearing out spam.

    Reply
  • July 19, 2007 at 7:51 am
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    Thanks Deadrobot!
    re: Captcha – I haven’t found one I can install w/ a not-email form. I’ll check out the link you sent and see if I can find one there.

    Reply
  • July 19, 2007 at 11:39 am
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    Actually the Re-Captcha (also from that link) would be good. It will stop the ‘bots from spamming your database (90% of the time). Plus you’re helping digitize books for the Internet Archive.

    Reply
  • July 19, 2007 at 12:38 pm
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    Right on! I’ll check see if I can get it up and running now.
    (though, as a publisher I’m not sure about this “digitizing books” thing)

    Reply

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