Over the past week or two I’ve noticed a new form of what I would deem Twitter SPAM. I’m not talking about all the crappy auto-responder messages or the direct tweets that try to get you to visit a link. This new form of spam on Twitter is more devious.

Examples:

As you can see from the examples above, the posters are sending out Re-Tweets, but in their messages, they are linking back to their websites in the very beginning of EVERY message. As you can see from the image below, these guys have made a habit out of it.

I’m starting to think that there is some social media “guru” teaching this twitter spam technique to people in real estate, because I’m not really seeing it in any other niche that I’m a part of. Anyone know who is putting this out there?

Why is This Spam?

I’d call this practice spam because it is an underhanded method of shoving your links into the face of anyone that you are communicating with. People can very easily go to your profile and see your link – you don’t need to post it in every one of your tweets that involve other people.

When your friends/followers visit your at (@) messages, these guys now have visibility.

You’re not going to build real relationships by annoying people; social media is about forging bonds. I see no reason to stay connected with someone that does this to those people who are interested in what I’ve got going on.

The Dilemma

Would you rather have some spammy person retweeting your articles, or simply block those people altogether?

I think this will pose a dilemma for many people.

These people are helping to market you, but they are doing so in a spammy way, right? They are potentially putting your link in front of thousands of their followers; is it a good idea to let them continue?

What would you do?

FYI – Clearly, anyone who knows me, realizes that I am no longer following these people; I also blocked them for good measure. I don’t care if I get an extra click here or there because of their re-tweets. The principle of how they are doing it just pisses me off!

Tags: Online Communities, Real estate, Social Media, spam, Twitter

By now, you need to live in North Korea to not have heard of Twitter. I’ll admit, at first I didn’t really get it, but after a while, I’ve managed to figure out how to use the site to engage others and make new connections. (The Wall Street Journal actually had an article about the high rate of Twitter Quitters yesterday). After a while playing around, I’ve seen how proper use of the site can result in a steady flow of new traffic to my website(s). I’ve also seen a few thing that people do regularly that really turn me off. I’m sure that I’m not alone in these points, and thought it worth a quick discussion.

Want to Lose Twitter Followers? Here’s How:

1. When someone new follows you, make sure you send an auto-DM to them that points them to some affiliate program you’re a part of
2. Publically send your followers advertisements, affiliate links, or other SPAMMY garbage
3. Use your Twitter account to post the same advertisement over and over again in every post you make
4. Get into flame wars with others as often as possible
5. Constantly yell at everyone by POSTING IN ALL CAPS
6. Thank every user that follows you. There is no need to do it. STOP!
7. Only posting tweets when you’ve got a new blog post. If you’ve got nothing to say, why bother with an account? Just give people your feed reader. The only reason people will follow you is because you follow them back . . . which brings me to
8. Follow 2,000 people after opening your account. We haven’t figured that tactic out yet (eyes rolling)

Got more of your own? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Don’t forget to jump on Twitter and follow me at http://www.twitter.com/jrdorkin.

Tags: Social Networking, spam, Twitter

I was just going through one of my forums and noticed something I hadn’t seen in a few years. A 3 year old forum post was brought back from the dead by a brand-new member of the site, whose comment had NOTHING to do with the discussion at hand. While his post was not any form of SPAM, it was what I’d call a junk post . . . just some garbage posted for what you’d think was no reason. While I normally would move or delete such a post, I was curious if there would be some kind of follow up, so I decided to let it go for a bit.

Fast forward two hours
Another post showed up on the same thread, this time by another new member. This post, answered the non sequitur of the first new poster, but in doing so, pointed him to this awesome website that demonstrated what he was talking about.

Spammers will Never Learn!
Promoting yourself through forums is a great way to get traffic to your website, but pulling this crap isn’t the way to go. Its just amateur hour! Of course, upon doing a quick IP lookup, Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber had the same one . . . SHOCKER! The posts were removed, along with my two new friends (who, I’m assuming you now understand was the same idiot person).

How to Use Forums to Market Your Website

Forum marketing is one of the most simple, effective and FREE ways to market, period. Here’s how you do it:

1. Join a forum that is related to the niche of your website, and after doing so, be sure to read their site rules. Every site has a different set of rules or guidelines to work within . . . break the rules like the idiot I mentioned before and you’ll likely be booted. That said, 75% of the forums out there (I pulled that number out of a hat, but from what I can tell, it works!) don’t do any kind of moderating, so the entire thing is going to be a haven for spammers – posting here is a waste of your time . . . move on!
2. Create a forum signature. Again, be sure your signature complies with the rules of that forum. Make sure to include your website in your signature. I’d also recommend using your real name. People are more likely to have some kind of interest in you and your links if you’re willing to put yourself on the line by telling people who you are.
3. Get active by posting RELEVANT content on the forum and by participating in different conversations. Don’t just post a bunch of fluff. Engage in conversation and get involved. As you spend time on the forum, people will get to know you (make sure you’ve got a personal avatar uploaded), and eventually, they’ll likely want to visit the link in your signature.
4. It is that simple! You don’t need to post nonsense posts that link back to your site or manipulate the forums by posting a one-two combination like the aforementioned bozo. Just get involved and you’ll soon see actual gains in traffic from your engagement.

Good luck!

Tags: forum, forum marketing, Forums, spam, web marketing