Also, it’s kinda pitiful that nobody thought to register whatisprop8.com using an address in California, to at least put a fig leaf on it being a wholly LDS-financed operation. A WHOIS search shows it registered to an address in Orem with an 801 phone number. That kind of laziness shows serious contempt for the process.

Thanks for dropping by my place. I’ve replied over there, so what follows may not be new …

What I’m calling ‘spam’ are the numerous comments and blogs made by Mormons that suggest no effort on the part of the authors beyond simply copying-and-pasting church-provided material.

If you feel evidence is lacking, I’d point you to the hundreds of Mormon blogs that list six dire consequences if Prop 8 is defeated. Not five, not seven, never more, never less, but always the same six.

Or, I could point you to the slew of comments made by Mormons online since the October 8th satellite transmission from LDS HQ that parrot the terminology and arguments made by the Mormon leadership during that broadcast.

I mention whatisprop8.com because whenever I see a blog or comment that includes a link or reference to that site, it’s a dead giveaway that the author is Mormon. As online campaign strategies go, telling your members to always include a reference to the same Mormon-authored website is kinda boneheaded. It reinforces the perception among non-Mormon readers that the Mormon church has basically taken over the Prop 8 campaign. Of course, you have, in fact, taken over the Prop 8 campaign, but I just don’t understand why you’d adopt a tactic that makes your dominance of the campaign even more obvious.

(My comment here is lifted verbatim from the comment I left on your blog, FYI). Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog. I would like to respond to your “mormon spammers” remark. I’m not so certain you can logically equate individuals leaving original comments on websites, forums, or blogs, to actual spamming. Spamming is a complicated, and I’m certain, illegal process requiring software, bots, or special scripts, with many negative ramifications for the Internet in general.

If whatisprop8.com wishes to inform people who are supportive of prop 8 on how to get out their message to other blogs and blog users, to, essentially, engage in the conversation that is going on in all this social media space, then that’s perfectly acceptable social behavior.

Nevertheless, thank you for your comment. I am intelligent enough to grasp that your ‘spamming’ metaphor comes from a place of resentment towards the LDS Church’s and individual Latter-day Saints’ desire to promote prop 8. But, it’s just not spamming. Plain and simple. For your metaphor to even work, you’d have to assume that any Mormon who reads whatisprop8 is going to automagically turnaround and start blasting comments all over the web. That’s just not true. You and I both know people do whatever the heck they wish.

Anyway, thanks again. I’d love to hear back from you.

Anytime you see http://www.whatisprop8.com, you know it’s coming from a member of the LDS church.

Head over and check out “How to Blog About Prop 8″ at http://www.whatisprop8.com/how-to-blog-about-prop-8.html …

It’s basically a primer for Mormons on how to become Latter Day Spammers.

A quick check of the comments sections under the news articles that turn up from a search for Prop 8 terms reveals numerous drive-by comments with convoluted “Yes on 8 = tolerance” arguments and always accompanied by a link to http://www.whatisprop8.com …

This approach reminds me of some of the stuff I saw getting tried during the Romney campaign. In the current campaign, I don’t think such tactics are well-suited for the target voters the Yes on 8 campaign needs if they’re going to actually win this thing. Californians who’d be persuaded by such obvious tactics are more than likely either not going to vote or are already planning to vote Yes.