In response to Steve's recent post on why concrete is not like oatmeal, we received the following comment:

One of the most important aspects of proper concrete placement is the timely use of curing products and procedures. Effective curing is absolutely essential for surface durability

The comment was submitted by "Jared", and there was a link in the phrase "concrete placement" to a seemingly random page on a North Carolina-based contractor's site.

I have a pretty generous internal SPAM filter; I like comments on our blog, so I let a lot of obvious advertisements disguised as comments get through. This one didn't make the cut, and even if it had it would not have done the contractor any good. Here's why:

The commenter was not properly named. Who is "Jared"? Is he a reliable source of concrete information? If he'd included full name, professional designations, and an email address, he would set himself up as an "expert" on the topic. As is, nothing.
Likewise, there was no mention of the company. Blatant comment advertising is not inherently evil (depending on the venue), but omitting the brand name eliminates any effectiveness it might have had.
There was NO connection between the post and the article it linked to, other than the word "concrete". For that matter, the comment didn't even address the post. This shoots your SEO attempts in the foot by associating your website with the wrong type of material. It also tells me this "Jared" person did not read the post.
I have no idea what the landing page it sent me to was supposed to achieve. It was a poorly designed long block of text about contractor safety. Waste of a click-through. Use designated landing pages, customized to each online campaign.
The comment itself does not make an effective argument. And definitely fails to make a new one. Tell me something innovative or persuasive; that might get me to click.

Someone paid a digital marketer to write and distribute this comment. Someone wasted their money.