Ok, Screw Journalism/PR/Any Sort Of Legitimate Work. We’re Becoming Spammers.

Some spammers are making up to $4000 a day through affiliate sales of fake Viagra, fake Rolexes, and fake anti-virus software, according to a report by security researchers at Canada’s SophosLabs.

It’s fascinating stuff, but in summary, the spammers aren’t the actual vendors of these products anymore—which we didn’t know—instead, they’re earning commissions by directing buyers to distributors’ sites.

Not that we’re suggesting any discouraged media people start pushing penis pills, but being a spammer these days seems to require the same skillset as a good journalist…a way with words (to fool spam filters) and a bit of tech-savvy.

Good lord, if anyone actually tries this we’ll cry.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting this Thursday, February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Michael Brito (Edelman Digital), and Tim Devane (bitly). Register now.