How Do You Know When You’re Spamming?

If you’re in business for yourself on the internet and want to promote your web site, there are right and wrong ways of doing it. The wrong way is spamming.

Spam is defined as anything on the internet that’s unsolicited. The word unsolicited literally means “unasked” or “not asked for”. This means unsolicited chat messages in IRC, email text, instant messenger text, blog comments, etc.

Examples of wrong-way style of promotion:

• You enter a chat room and say, “Go to my web site, www.[yourwebsite].com!”, and did so without contributing to the conversation whatsoever other than your link. That’s absolute spamming. The admin of the room didn’t ask you for it (nor did anybody else), therefore you spammed. Expect to be banned from a chat room when you do this. (Side note: I always find it comical when someone comes to the PCMech LIVE chat, drops a link, I kick them, they come back and ask “What did I do wrong?” You spammed, you idiot. Nobody asked you for your stupid link.)
• You participate in a forum and say the same thing.
• You email all your friends independently with a product you’re trying to sell. It does not matter that they’re your friends, you’re spamming because they didn’t ask for it. If they’re on your subscribed email list, that’s different because in that situation they are asking. But if sending independently, that’s spam – and illegal.

Never assume entitlements; there are none

For some strange idiotic reason, there are some who sincerely believe if you link to a web site, they must link back to you.

Wrong.

And if you sign up for their email newsletter, they must subscribe to yours.

Wrong.

And if you promote someone else’s web site, it is totally OK for you to post messages and like the like spamming your web site on theirs, because after all, you linked first, so the other guy/girl “owes” you, right?

Absolutely. F*cking. Wrong.

You are entitled to nothing. Instead you are instantly pegged as a attention-whoring spammer.

The people you’re attempting to whore attention from will never tell you this. Instead they’ll just never link to you, never sign up for your newsletter and unofficially blacklist you.

Begging is spamming

If there’s one thing that really rubs me the wrong way, it’s when people literally beg me to link/subscribe/whatever to them – especially when there’s absolutely no positive return in it for me.

If you start off a conversation with someone you don’t know on the internet with, “Hi, could you link to me?”, that’s exactly the same as a bum asking for spare change; there is no difference. You’ve established no relationship and the message you’re sending is, “Hi! You have traffic. I want some. Link me.”

My answer: No. Bug off.

The right way to promote without spamming

There are several ways you can promote your site and/or whatever it is you’re selling without looking like an attention whore.

Blog comments using your REAL NAME with filled-in URL field

The comment system on most blogs is this:

1. Name
2. Email address
3. Optional web site URL
4. Comment text field

Use your real name. Do not put your business name. This will instantly peg you as a spammer. To make it more personal, use your first name only.

Use your true email address and not some throw-away. If you comment with askjhda@gmail.com, of course the comment will not get approved. And yes, it’s just as bad if you use name-of-site@your-domain.site.

I moderate the vast bulk of the comments on PCMech, and if you commented on PCMech with pcmech@your-domain.site, I know you’re spamming. You made up that email address to appear real but in reality it forwards to nowhere, therefore your IP address and that email address will be flagged as spam.

If you’re the type who still has a stick up your butt and positively refuses to use your email address on a blog (why I don’t know..), use a Hotmail or Gmail account and have it forward to your true email address. Have the address reflect your true name such as john.smith@hotmail.com or john.smith@gmail.com.

In the URL field, enter your web site address. DO NOT post a spammy tracking link like http://www.example.com/track.php?id=4 or some b.s. like that. That’s spam and is probably your lame attempt at dropping an affiliate link. Don’t do that. Just use the “straight” domain link.

In the comment area, write something that is about the article. Make it worth reading. If you write something like “Good article” and nothing else, that’s spam. Dave and I see this every single day on PCMech.

Forum signature

Let me make this very clear: If someone ASKS for your web site address in a forum, then you give it. If they DO NOT, you don’t post it, period. No ifs, ands or buts. Don’t do it. You do, you’re spamming, and there is never an exception to the rule.

The proper way to drop your web site link without spamming is to play it in your forum signature. After that, contribute to the conversation. And yes, it’s that simple.

Always remember: Were you asked?

As someone trying to sell something and/or get better web site traffic, you want to drop your link everywhere. But every time you think about doing it, ask yourself, “Was I asked to post my link?” If the answer is no, don’t do it. If the answer is yes, then it’s OK.