Spam is a word that gets thrown around a lot. It used to be pretty easy to determine what constituted spam. If it’s an email you didn’t want trying to sell you something, then it’s email spam. With social media spam has taken a new identity, but what is it?
The thing with social media is that you typically have control over what gets sent to you. Traditionally spam was the use of channels you didn’t have to open up to someone before they could use them. When you get email from a company trying to sell male enhancement pills, it’s spam. But with social media you have a large amount of control over what goes through your streams.
I’ve heard people referred to as spammers in social media when they send out an endless stream of status updates on autopilot. Spam is defined by Dictionary.com as “a disruptive message, usually commercial, sent across networks or email.” What exactly is disruptive? If you have friend or followed someone then you open your network to them. Is a message from them then “disruptive?”
Empire Avenue is an online social media game/analysis tool. Recently one of the highest ranking players was expelled for being a “spammer.” He was sending out 1,000 updates a day on different networks. Obviously no one can send out that many updates of value. But he wasn’t trying to sell anything with his thousands of updates. He was trying to increase his dividends so people would buy him in Empire Avenue. If someone sends out thousands of worthless updates is it spam? And why are you following them if so?
When I think of spam I think about mass auto email systems, auto DM systems, and pretty much something with the word automatic in it. Does it have to be automatic? Is it possible to use automation without being spam?
Spam used to be very objective but has become very subjective. No one used to argue when you used the word spam because whatever you were referring to was by literal definition spam. Now people will argue or raise questions if I refer to something as spam. They either found value in it or thought it was easily avoidable and therefore my fault. So my question: what determines if something is social media spam, or just annoying social media?
Spam is a bit overrated in my book, no matter what one’s definition. Where do we get Spam? For the most part we see it on our personal e-mail address. My gmail gets it daily, but my business e-mail rarely is hit. I expect it on my gmail, it doesn’t bother me one bit. If I get an occasional “spam” on the business address I simply delete it and move along. Some go “nuts” over Spam. Seriously, get over it. There are larger things to worry about. If there isn’t, consider yourself very fortunate.
My definition of spam has changed over the years. Now it’s pretty much just email lists I didn’t opt-in to, scams, and well, that’s about it. I use opt-out and unfollow if I don’t like what’s passing through my field of vision, much like changing the channel on the television. I got stuck in Twitter jail last night because I clicked too many times while making lists. I wasn’t spamming my feed, or even posting at all. Seemed overdramatic. As for EA, that was definitely overkill. Producing a lot of content doesn’t automatically qualify it as spam. As you said, it may not be top-notch, but whatever.
Social Media spam in my opinion –>
1 – Are you simply broadcasting or are you communicating? Do you INTERACT?
2 – Are you cross-posting everything onto 40 million social networks? If you are monitoring every post no matter where you posting it and active on that social network – okay fine. Cross post. If you are only active on Twitter/Facebook but you are broadcasting everywhere – you are spamming the other social networks.
3 – How often am I hearing from you? Do I need to hear from you 200 times a day? How about 1000? How many of those 1000 tweets or status updates were automated? If all 1000 were – do you think you might be spamming?
The “you” here is completely a generic you – not YOU, PenguinSpark
You are not a spammer!! 
I knew what you meant
Spam. Sigh.
I still think however that spam is anything you didn’t sign up to get. SO, if you keep getting things from someone and you unsubscribe from their emails or un-friend them and you still it get it THEN it is spam.
BUT. If someone’s sending out 1000 messages a day and you’re still their friend then even though they’re being kinda “spammy”, it isn’t officially spam.
The bigger question is this… Why do people continue to follow “spammy” people?
great question
With social media you have the option to follow/friend and if you don’t like the content of their feed you then have the option to disconnect from that person. News feeds are tweeted by many twitter accounts and are within the twitter guidelines. There are imposed limits to tweeting – number/hour, number/day. Some people chit-chat all day posting nothing but personal gossip amongst a group of friends, which has little value, is that also considered spam? Spamming on twitter is when people send unwanted DM’s or tweet links as @mentions to people who are not connected to them.
As for Empire Avenue, you have remember that twitter and facebook existed long before EA, and EA chose to create their game around those two sites and a few other social media sites. EA desired to attract members from those sites that had thousands of followers. EA knew, or should have known, that people with those kinds of followings tend to stream a lot of content, it is part of how they attracted and then maintained those large numbers of followers. But EA chose those sites and should have made that decision with full knowledge of how those sites and their membership operate. EA also created their game such a format that it focused on nothing but raw quantity. The “new” EA is still focused on raw quantity! This time with a nod towards interaction, but still just raw numbers. The wagons are circled and the herds of sheep are already clicking away to try and game the game in another fashion. Shall we call that click-spamming???
I don’t have a problem with “over-posting” or “click-spamming”. If you post content you like you’ll attract the appropriate audience for you and repel the inappropriate. As far as clicking goes, it’s a nice gesture to help somebody out with some Like Love, and it helps grease the wheels for a connection can evolve. I don’t think it’s gaming the system, although the groups that all do 25 each day for everyone in the group or whatever are probably to busy clicking to have friendships! But, I don’t have a problem with it.
I agree. If you have a group of people like bombing each others posts, aren’t they engaging with each other by coordinating things?
I know that the person who inspired this question what is spam…
Here are a few stats to consider:
According to Twitter Counter:
CommercialScott – has an average of 42 or so tweets per day
C.V.Show – has an average of 394 or so tweets per day
The person who was eliminated for being a spammer – has an average of 969 tweets per day
My youngest daughter calls stuff she signs up for as spam. She wouldn’t check her email for weeks because it was filled with facebook “spam”.
That is still the issue. Valuable content is subjective. and yes we can each give each other a set number of likes, mentions comments, retweets, etc to game the system.
EA has been a good reminder to me to consistently have a presence on various networks, but I refuse to generate content simply to get a higher score, still sharing the type of things I’d share anyway.
Why doesn’t your daughter turn off email notifications? I think adding people to groups unsolicited is one of the biggest Facebook spam tactics.
If you opt into any social feed that is sending out a large volume of updates I can’t see how it could be spam because you can simply opt out of receiving any more. Email/Blog comment spam is different, these forms of media can be sent out even without a method of opting out.
I think spam is very subjective, I still think of spam as unsolicited email. If I opt-in I can opt-out if it isn’t for me or if it’s too much, or if it isn’t to my liking.
I agree with Susanna @ Inspired Beach Weddings. I unfollowed someone yesterday because I didn’t want to see 500 automated tweets from the same person every day. I wouldn’t call it “spam” though because I was following that person. Would it be a spam if that person sent me a DM trying to sell me a product? No because following someone gives them the permission to send DMs as well. When that happens, I unfollow – very easy to stop it
I am with Steve Hughes. I have a spam filter set and it captures a great deal of the unsolicited e-mail that is headed my way… that which it doesn’t catch I simply delete and move on. Great read, Scott, thank you,
Kind regards,
Darren Sproat
Spam is considered garbage. However, one person’s garbage is often someone else’s treasure. In Social Media environments, you can stop the information easily. Most people have little ability keeping junk out of their email inbox however.
Systems work the way they do by design. If you don’t like all the advertisements coming to your postal address you can ask them to keep it. The postal service loves their ‘spam’ because it helps pay their bills. UCE is legal providing a number of items are present while non-profits and political systems have unlimited leeway to annoy without consequence. ISP’s hate spam because it generates complaints and upsets employees. Imagine what would happen if the suddenly stopped providing service to people who complain too much. A dream of mine actually and too much is once from some people.
It appears to come down to perception. It’s not easy and when you add in trying to please everyone it is near impossible. I generally ban, block and rid myself of anyone upset about ‘spam.’ When it rains and you don’t have an umbrella enjoy the shower! If someone sends information that doesn’t meet my standards I unfollow, block, add to the black list, etc. It is more difficult to unsubscribe most of the time. People who are unpleasant, unhappy and generally judgmental about how the world should treat them please hang out somewhere else. Those days when my attitude meter is in the negative just about everything occurs as worthless spam. Days when all is well some remarkable stuff appears!
Hi, Robert
Good and thoughtful post.
Someone else may already have said this, but it occurs to me that one person’s spam is another person’s answer to a problem.
After all, the only reason to do something like spam is because it works every once in a while. I look at some of the stuff that comes through my channels and think “What junk”, but if I were in the market for what they have to sell, I might have a different response.
Annoying posts that are not directed to getting me to do anything, but are filling some nefarious purpose for the sender are what I consider spam.
I guess even the Nigerian prince stranded in an airport who just won the Phillipino lottery and just needs your help to deal with it all … gets someone to respond every now and then:)
There’s spam and then there’s using a system to its very limits. So, in reality there are a few issues here.
Some people are annoyed by the number of tweets I send others appreciate those tweets (and for the record – less than 20 broadcast tweets unless live tweeting a conference).
But, like other commentators – I chose what I post carefully and have never used RSS feeds to fill my timelines.
But, I do use automation (scheduling) and some people consider that spam.
To play the game in question, I was originally active on networks that I don’t normally use but can’t maintain that level of activity.
If it’s a natural level of activity – maybe that’s not spam.
If it’s activity generated for the express purpose of developing a following or winning a game – hmmm – is that spam?
As many have stated – if the activity floods my timelines – I block, unfollow, unsubscribe, etc.
The pourpose of social media is connecting, communicating (and communication is not a one-way process), and every contact point should tell an emotional story and give value to me.
The only reason I followed people cross-posting more than 900 posts concerning articles of the major online newspapers and blogs I could easily access by myself, was these people had value for EAv (not necessarily for me), thus paying good dividends, because of a flaw in the application. To be honest, I think this was the nr, 1 driver for the majority of EAv players. Should EAv have kicked them out? I think they souldn’t: they could have more easily better their algorithm in order for retweets, comments, likes, reshares, etc. to count more than overall quantity of posts. Therefore, recent changes in their algorithm would have penalized these cute cross-posters anyway, why bother kicking them out? It was not necessary and, moreover, it generated some bad feelings among players and lastly, this kind of cross-posters were the cutest strategists in game play, those who could better highlight weaknesses in their application and drive improvements… so why lose them if they are your best non-paid collaborators?
Just be careful about what you do
Interesting discussion here. I hate the auto tweets and status that a lot of people send out. Guy Kawasaki started all this and even though some of it may be interesting a lot of it gets lost in the clutter.
Very few people are THAT interesting and quotes / mashable links dont cut it.
What is social media spam are the DMs with virus links or the unsolicited @ replies when you’re not following them. Everyone else you can unfollow!
When I’ve blocked someone because I’m tired of their self promotional messages and yet I continue to see them posting their self promotional messages in other people’s shareholder mails, it’s spam.
I think that spam is exactly what you say it is in the article. It’s anything unwanted. If you have a friend that is spamming, you can just as easily block/hide their post from your stream and still remain friends. At least on Facebook you can. If you are friends with someone, obviously you want to see what they have to say or share. If not, hide their post or block them, or unfriend them. Simple as that.
I use some automation for a few different social media profiles, and do not see any indications that my friends and followers think I am spamming them. In fact, I get many mentions and messages to some of the most automated accounts. Yes I do take time to reply to some “in person”, but for the most part, automation is very effective if properly implemented. If you want to see some tips about how to not get labeled as a spammer on Twitter, I found a nice article here > http://expertscolumn.com/content/how-not-be-twitter-pest
Spam is using Social Media Updates just to push your Klout, EAv & Co., not to share something with your friends and followers. Look at some EAv players and you know what i mean…