What's your idea of spammy?

[Beverly]

For me, a forum post is spammy if the person keeps dropping their link as the only possible solution for whatever is being talked about. Usually, the same member drops links all over a forum or blog and recommends no other products. That comes across as spammy marketing and makes me think of the person as being disreputable. Another way of being spammy is by contributing the least necessary in a forum post or on a blog comment and still leaving a backlink. If you're on a site, at least give quality content so you are helping others out. What's your idea of spammy marketing? And, how does it make you feel when you see someone being spammy on a forum or blog?

 

[Miss K.]

For a forum, I think it's spammy if you're clearly only there to promote your product/site and have no interest in actually being a part of the site you've joined.

Most of the time, I think it's obvious when someone is posting a link because it's relevant and helpful, or when they're doing it because they just want to shoehorn the link in anywhere possible.

 

[Beverly]

For a forum, I think it's spammy if you're clearly only there to promote your product/site and have no interest in actually being a part of the site you've joined.

Most of the time, I think it's obvious when someone is posting a link because it's relevant and helpful, or when they're doing it because they just want to shoehorn the link in anywhere possible.

Actually, the discussion was inspired by a real happening. And, I'm sure it's happened to other forums too. On one of the sites where I'm a forum moderator, a very long time forum member started link dropping. He had been such a good member too for so long, always contributing the best posts and helpful tutorials and advice. And, then one day, he started a blog and every time someone asked a question on forum, he would insert his link as the 'advice' (keyword anchor text too). After seeing the link five times, I started stripping out the actual link and leaving up his post. He got the idea. I just don't think it's very fair when one person on a forum thinks rules against spam don't' apply to them because of some special status. Forum members see when you allow rule breaking and they role model it too or want to know why you're playing favorites.

 

[angie828]

If you are just answering yes or no or thanks for a post so you can get a signature link or so you can promote your site, I would see this as spamming a site.

 

[PandahFish]

My idea of spam is users leaving dots on the topics, or a lot of smile faces or just 2-3 words :| . That is so annoying and a pain deleting the spam.

 

[lludawg]

When people do not have an avatar and post short one or two word answers with a bunch of links in their signature. That is the classic spammer.

 

[PandahFish]

When people do not have an avatar and post short one or two word answers with a bunch of links in their signature. That is the classic spammer.

Ah yes, huge signatures are annoying. Also when they advertise on their signature and profile when in the rules it states not to.

 

[Shortie]

My idea of spamming is members who come onto a forum to just promote their product or website and do not really have any interest in the forum itself but see it as free advertisement. Some of those will also participate in the forum to get their links seen better however the ones I class as being spammy are ones who post irrelevant answers to topics or just reply with a short 1 - 3 word sentence. It can be very annoying!