I would view tweets as they came in and started to question what I was reading. At first it was tweets like:

Through a single ITC adjuvant, I can strengthen cellular resistance and induce an immediate immune system response!

and

Despite these small obstacles, I am considering Intragen test 40-CFR-05 a partial success.

But soon thereafter, it turned into:

I must destroy all of my work – the risk is too great. I know he will want to test it on humans.

and

I cannot allow them to have this technology. It is far to dangerous in the wrong hands. I created this to heal, not to destroy.

Bells started going off and I was starting to think that I’d been duped. Then last night a tweet with just a TinyURL was posted by IngenBio and I knew for a fact that no. 1, I’d been a sucker and no. 2, I’d enjoyed every bit of it. Here’s the MP3 that was linked to in the tweet.

[display_podcast]

Very cool, but way over the top. I started an investigation of what IngenBio was all about and didn’t have to search long before I found a post at Wikibruce and my search for the truth behind IngenBio came to an end. It turns out it’s a viral marketing campaign for a new graphic novel called Infex that’s making a debut at Comic Con. Check out the Wikibruce link for video and links to other media.

So with the information I have now, I think that I prefer this new reality of a marketing campaign for a graphic novel over a rogue biologist creating killer compounds in some lab. Oh, and the network security is so lax that a researcher is using Twitter to spill the beans on that research. Why did I ever think that was was even remotely real? What a rube!

Also, what a great use of social media to get your project noticed. Kudos.

Hey there!

This is Shannon from Big Machine Media, a publicity and marketing company that represents music and celebrity clients. I am currently doing a research project and would like to get more information about your blog. Please let me know what types of music and other media you are interested in writing about, what you enjoy listening to and any other pertinent information you would like to share.

We also may have music, press kits and other information you may be interested in. If you would like us to send you these items, please respond with your preferred snail-mailing address and e-mail address, contact phone number, and if you prefer a specific music format (i.e. mp3, etc.) please specify that as well. If you have any questions about us and our clients, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Here is our website for more information: www.bigmachinemedia.com

We hope to hear from you soon!

Best,
Shannon
Big Machine Media

It’s obvious looks like spam. I was going to delete the e-mail, but I noticed that there were something like 10 e-mails in the “conversation” on Gmail. Shannon made the age old mistake of CC-ing everyone she was sending the e-mail to instead of BCC-ing them. Holy shit, you would have thought she killed a fucking puppy. It’s inevitable that whoever was on the CC list, “replys to all” thereby making the whole damn thing worse.

Now instead of 1 e-mail spam, I’ve got guys like Chris Penn and a host of others posting e-mails like the following:

Might I suggest that when you send out spam, you BCC your mailing
list, rather than send a large message to 340 recipients, most of whom
probably didn’t want their email addresses published in so public a
forum?

Oh, and please remove me from Big Machine Media’s mailing list. I can
guarantee that your artists and musicians will NOT be played on my
show now.

Thanks.

Christopher S. Penn
Producer, the Financial Aid Podcast
Daily free financial aid internet radio, no iPod required

http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com

FinancialAidPodcast [at] gmail [dot] com
AIM: FinAidPodcast
Show hotline: (206) 350-1208

Then there’s those great reply to alls that tell everyone else to stop replying to all. That makes sense.

Companies send out e-mails, sometimes they’re unsolicited, sometimes they aren’t. Sending out an e-mail like Big Machine Media did was definitely amateur. I definitely won’t be contacting them. But, replying to all is some real amateur bullshit that I don’t expect from guys like Chris Penn. Maybe you think you’re making a point, but in the end all you’re doing is filling up my inbox with more crap that I have to delete.

And…isn’t that what spam is?