Treasure Seeking Blog Spammer from Florida

Our correspondent,
medallion man and
metal detectorist bore
Ronald Pagel

Ronald Pagel from Crawfordville, south of Tallahassee FL, ertstwhile wreck diver, treasure seeker, "indian mound" digger, has been working hard spamming my blog over the past few days. I find this sort of behaviour by free-riders like this intensely irritating; instead of writing their own stuff, they want to exploit the work of others to serve their own aims. Mr Pagel has left quite a few annoying self-advertising "comments" on several posts here, hoping to get some free advertisement. I use the term "comment" loosely, this guy can't even be bothered to attempt a pseudo-comment like the other spanbot-bums, he has so far satisfied himself most of the time by copying and pasting bits of my own text before adding something about looking at his business website. So we will, as he sells metal detectors, but let's see what he sent for posting here first.

So, for example, there is "a new comment" on my post: "Focus on UK Metal Detecting: UK retailers Cash in ..." he writes:

"[...] Go to my website for the best metal Detectors and success stories. Authorized and Certified Minelab metal Detector dealer"

Well, it WOULD be Minelab wouldn't it?

"[...] For the best metal detectors supplies and prospecting supplies go to my website " 

He sells donkeys?

- on my post "Focus on UK Metal Detecting: History Hunter gets W..." he writes:

"To read more about metal detectors and to see more Minelab Metal Detectords and success stories go to [...]" 

No thanks Ronny, you can't even spell it rite. So these "success stories", are they something a preservationist reading my blog is going to want to see? Will they see them in the same light as you? Why not spam a fly-tipper's blog, a whale-hunter's blog, an ivory dealer's blog, a furrier's blog? What made you choose mine? Because you saw the word "metal detector" and your eyes lit up?

on my post "Focus on UK Metal Detecting: Talking Your Way onto...":

"For more success stories and the best metal detectors got to my website"

 Got to my website?  "No kid left behind" eh? and the ones that are get involved with metal detectors?

- on my post "US Federation of Metal Detector and Archaeologic...":

"Go to my website for the best metal detectors. Minelab Metal Detectors". 

Yeah, right. We'll get there.

 on my post "Focus on UK metal detecting: One Day's Detecting i...":  

"Go to my website [...] for great information on metal detecting and success stories and metal detecting".

Ronald Pagel has left a new comment on your post "Focus on UK Metal Detecting: What's Behind This?":

It rather looks like the author is trying to make the point that although "every year, a growing number of attacks are inflicted on archaeological digs", the blame cannot be laid on metal detectors. 

I published that one as - though wide of the mark IMO - it was an attempt (I think) at an actual comment and not an advert for a misspelt webpage selling metal detectors and supplies.

He left a new comment on my post "Focus on UK Metal Detecting: Talking Your Way onto...":

This is a very cool story, especially since I am an avid treasure hunter myself and love metal detecting. You can find stuff out there you just need to keep at it. This story just gos to show how true that is. You can also learn how to do a littl

I published that one too as it illustrates how short an attention span some people with metal detectors have. It breaks off mid-word as he fell asleep or got interested in something else... I am not so sure what the connection between what I wrote and a "cool story" about keep on trying to find "stuff". This is I think a good cameo illustration of the artefact hunting mindset.

Then he left a new comment on my post "Focus on UK Metal Detecting: UK retailers Cash in ...":

The man is scanning the edge of the water with his metal detector and looking for some valuable treasure hidden beneath the pungent mud. The feel of this shot reflects ... 12 thoughts on ?Treasure hunter?. lena de almeida on .. . For more success stories got to my web site [...]"

What did you say it was called? Whoa... what on earth are you on about man?  Whatever you are on, its curdling your mind. It could be the electromagnetism from the coils of those machines or maybe those harmful nanovibrations. Or both. Have you got dermatitis breaking out on your hands so that it becomes painful to type full sentences? A lot of metal detectorists seem to have dermatitis, do you sell hand cream? 

This website he's advertising is something out of the internet's Bronze Age, sky-blue and crimson. He sells: "Gold Metal Detectors" (they are not really made of gold I suspect), "Treasure Metal Detectors", "Underwater Metal Detectors", "Adventure Metal Detectors" (some machines fall into several categories...), as well as "Prospecting Equipment" (no handcream visible, headphones, pinpointers, shovels and ML accessories galore).

He also has a section offering "Metal Detecting Tips". This is a laugh if you were expecting some of the "unwritten rules" type stuff (like keep off shipwrecks and Native American burial sites). It consists solely of two paragraphs on "Choosing Metal Detectors for Kids". The main purpose of this is to affirm that metal detector users have short attention spans, so they need a machine that gives results (Minelab do not produce a kiddie-detector) like the Minelab X-Terra 305, 505 or 705:

the few dollars extra you spend will give your young person a more sensitive detector with deeper depth, better discrimination and more useable features. He or she will find more coins, rings, jewelry, etc while discriminating or identifying junk and trash.

"Ron is committed to supporting the right to prospect for precious metals on public lands", it says. Then we have the promised Success Stories : Civil War site ('pounded'), Coins and Relics, Under Water Finds, Beach Finds, Gold Finds. Remember: "You can find stuff out there you just need to keep at it".

[...] The soil was quite loose and when we turned the vessel upside down a small group of coins and a ring brooch came out [...] No park is hunted out until it's "Minelabed Out"!   [...]  Thought I would share a few pictures of our first Roman silver hoard   [....] I have been finding things in locations I have pounded for 2 years now [...] BAM!! I saw gold at the bottom

Bam. Mr Pagel, seek, sought, sought. As in "seek and ye shall find".