For What It's Worth

Spamming is a thoroughly charmless activity. At best, it's a particularly boorish form of salesmanship; at worst, it is the internet equivalent of shouting rubbish in someone's ear while they are trying to have a conversation. An epidemic of the latter form has recently afflicted several people, including Fat Sparrow and Old Knudsen. Fortunately, thanks to the wonders of comment moderation, they seem to be over the worst; unfortunately, Old Knudsen has come to entirely the wrong conclusion about who is responsible for the idiocy.

For the record, then, I do not spam people. I do not spam people for the very simple reason that, like most whose mental age has reached double figures, I can think of more interesting things to do with my time. I do not run multiple weblogs, and I do not have extra personae or "attack hags". I maintain exactly one weblog, this one, under exactly one name, my own. I have never contacted Old Knudsen about "a writing gig that was just a set up", and I am not a regular or frequent visitor to his weblog.

I have emailed Knudsen to this effect and he was courteous enough to reply, but it's clear that he doesn't believe a word of it. He says in his post that "it's a he said/she said thing", but he also seems to think he has evidence which puts the matter beyond doubt. Well, I'm sorry he's been pestered, and I'm sorry he holds me responsible; but he's wrong.