There are a couple abusers of this space that come to mind. I am also annoyed and perturbed by their posts, but shaming them publically or attempting to engage them in conversation in the comments doesn't seem have any effect.

Some posters are merely people throwing up ads for their goods or services, or some type of 'pimp my blog' drivel content. Maybe I am just 'grumpy' too, but I would like to see the place cleared of them. What do the admins think of them and their 'content'?

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Well, I guess this mean I am also 'grumpy'.

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Grumpymint

http://imgur.com/gallery/yidgc1H

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I don't see it as grumpy at all; it's a good question that I have had as all.

It is annoying to me but I learn who they at and I then refuse to click on any of their stuff. I look at it as: they are free to post, I'm free to ignore. I try to take a libertarian approach to it all, ignoring what I don't like rather than pushing to have it removed.

BUT... I do get annoyed with audaciousness, U.K. Geeenhouses, the results of seemingly every MLSoccer game, the occasional fitness blogger Barbie, though I haven't seen most of them recently. If there was a way to troll the spammers, I would be all I favor of that. Quality trolling can be an art when directed at spammers.

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This is a great thread, and one we've struggled with ever since we hit some mainstream press in 2012. As the site grows, so will the attempts to game our system here. (This is true for nearly every open system under the sun.)

We kind of deal with it like this: if the person is new, we (usually) give them a mulligan and remove the tack. If they repeatedly post crap, then we remove it all. (Honestly, the biggest line of defense from spammers comes even before they sign up, as Brian diligently goes through every email address that has registered before sending the invite.)

Even if our good buddy Brett at Art of Manliness came here and posted every one of his articles, we'd probably do the same thing, even though his articles are spectacular. Why? Because Brett would never do that. And that's kind of the point.

We (Brian and I) feel that if someone is adding to the community with thoughtful comments/discussions, as well as mixing in tacks from other sources along with their own website, than there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Many thanks for those of you who flag spammy tacks, as well as those who are protective of this community. Really, the best way to handle it is that way, because it alerts us immediately to the offending user and tack. Otherwise some things slip through the cracks.

We have some ideas for a better, more automated approach for the future, but for right now we try to just take care of it manually.

You're all aces in my book. Come to Lawrence and I'll buy you a beer (or 3).

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It annoys me as well, but only those that do it constantly. There are some that post infrequently but it is content I still enjoy even though it is a link to their blog, website, etc. A good example is @05tacoma who provides great knife and flashlight reviews. He only posts every couple of weeks or even once a month but the reviews are very informative and in-depth. I have used that information to make purchasing decisions and have always been very satisfied with the products I received.

I also agree that it is more acceptable as long as they include content from sites that they are not affiliated with. Nobody can keep up with all of the interwebs so having Gentlemint as the go-to place to get good info is refreshing. The more diverse, the better. And a special tip o' the hat to the humor that comes across. i have spit out water at my desk on more occasions than I care to mention.

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I'm glad this came up. I own and operate manlyclub.com and I have been a member here on Gentlemint since 2012. I post both ways as evenly as possible and have a "Follow Me On Gentlemint" badge/link on every post page of my site. It's located in the right sidebar above my Instagram feed and even above my ads. I try to bend over backward to return the link love. I mention this for two reasons....one, I want everyone to know that I respect Gentlemint and would never abuse the kindness of it's founders or members. Second, if supporting, complimenting, and likeminded sites post links to their content but take the initiative to return the favor it could help grow the Gentlemint brand and community. I think each case should be looked at individually but there is a lot to be said for the philosophy of....."a rising tide lifts all boats".

I hope my contributions and links are being viewed as I intend them to be.....balanced and fair. If not I would love to have a chance to make it right.

Steve Miller - The Manly Club steve.manlyclub@gmail.com

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