It’s Not Spam, It’s Marketing On Twitter
There’s been a recent spike in the number of spam on Twitter. However, let me explain that spam on Twitter might not be what you think it is. Spam on Twitter consists of the most random…things…following you on Twitter. They may not necessarily be people and all they do is promote their site. It’s quite annoying really.
One of the key features to identifying who might be spam is to take a look at their followers. If only a handful are following back, then it’s most likely spam (though it could be a newb). However, don’t go clicking the [X] button just yet.
I’m noticing that quite a few new web services and web apps are using the same tactic to promote their product! In fact, this is how I found out about memetracking web service Techsted!
Let me elaborate: If someone decides to follow me on Twitter, I check to see if they’ve provided a website and I check out their website before making a decision on whether or not to add them. This led me to Techsted’s blog, which led me to the actual product. It wasn’t the first time it’s happened. It’s also how I found out about Kyolo, a web service that allows you to create speech bubbles on photos. It’s comical tagline is speech bubble for dummies.
While Kyolo didn’t quite make it on SheGeeks, Techsted did and even a cranky old fart is keeping an eye on it! I also discovered WPZoom, a WordPress theme showcase with a side of tips and hacks, through this same tactic! I now subscribe to WPZoom.
So, instead of blocking or ignoring these people, you might want to take a closer look to see just why they might be following you. Who knows, it could be your next blog post.
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April 12, 2008 at 12:33 pm
[...] It’s Not Spam, It’s Marketing On Twitter | SheGeeks How to tell whether that person who just started following ...
April 14, 2008 at 8:43 pm
[...] some accounts you’d consider spam on Twitter could simply marketing, Adam Ostrow of Mashable has been experiencing a different ...