Quit Your Crying About Twitter Spam

by Scott Bishop on October 15, 2009

I’m sorry, but I think the new anti-spam feature on Twitter is uber lame.  I also cannot for the life of me understand why people…and lots of them…actively complain about all of the spam throughout the day.

A few days ago I noticed that Twitter recently stepped up efforts to control spammers by inserting a “Report (insert twitter name) for spam” option.

Twitspam

I’ve written a little about this in my previous post, Most Twitter Statistics Are Worthless .  My guess for the new feature is that Twitter is trying to get a hold on spam before their new “Lists” feature goes live.  There are possibilities that these new lists could be flooded with unwanted tweets and profiles.

But I still can’t understand what all the crying is about.

Do any of my Twitter followers send spam tweets, of course.  Do I pay attention to them, no.  The high majority of tweets are completely ignored by me.  I have a select number of groups on Tweetdeck to filter noise, and almost everything else passes by on my “All Friends” column .

Twitter is not like an email inbox where anyone with your address can fill it with junk.  You cannot get a Direct Message, or DM, without first choosing to follow that person.  If someone is getting extra spammy, you can simply unfollow that individual.  Problem solved.

The only time where you’ll get multiple DM’s at once is if you choose to mass follow lots of new folks…but remember…YOU chose to follow them.

Yes, I have been getting more @ replies from people I don’t know including my name with a link.  Is it annoying…sure.  But Twitter is an open and free platform so how much can I really complain for a few inconveniences.

Comparable Alternatives  to Complaining About Twitter Spam:

  • Calling the cable company because a channel isn’t airing shows you find worthwhile (Don’t watch that channel)
  • Upset that a store at the mall sells products you don’t find worthwhile (Don’t shop at that store)
  • Complaining a friend on Facebook floods your NewsFeed with crap (Defriend or hide the updates)

When did we all become such whiners?

Where am I missing this?  I want to hear from you on your opinions and where you disagree…comment below.

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Scott S. Bishop is editor for Real Time Marketer and a social media and marketing strategist.  He also blogs about social media communities at AxeroPulse.com. He is @thescottbishop on Twitter

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Article by Scott Bishop

Scott Bishop is editor for Real Time Marketer and is the Director of Social for an integrated marketing firm. He is an avid blogger and active across the net. He is @thescottbishop on Twitter

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  • http://restlesslikeme.com Norcross

    I think it's a legitimate concern and complaint, if for no other reason that there is no filtering method. My email has a spam filter. My phone has the do-not-call list. And your other examples are things I can get away from. I certainly don't go to Wal-Mart and expect anything other than cheap Chinese plastic crap. But twitter is an individual location that has something nothing else does.

  • http://twitter.com/thescottbishop Scott Bishop

    Thanks for the comment Andrew. Was curious to hear other people's opinions of spam on Twitter. I consider my Tweetdeck columns enough of a filter for me…but that's a personal opinion. There is a block switch you can use if folks are persistently spamming you. I just think that because its your choice to follow people, we get what we literally ask for. But I love the opinion, thank for stopping by and leaving a comment.

  • http://restlesslikeme.com Norcross

    I agree that tweetdeck does a lot of that, but more often than not I am on my work computer (no 3rd party apps) or my phone (non iPhone), so that functionality is lost to me. Also, I get at least 3-4 bots a day either respond or retweet something of mine. These aren't people I'm following by any means.

  • http://twitter.com/peckenpaugh Scott Peckenpaugh

    i've had the same thoughts and completely agree with you. the fact that i must actively choose to follow someone to see their tweets (or receive a DM from them) IS my filter. the @ replies are a different matter, but i think i've only gotten 4 or 5 spam @ replies in the time i've been on twitter, so they're not a big deal. i use Seesmic instead of TweetDeck, but i use my groups exactly the way you describe. if someone gets spammy, i can simply unfollow them. i think i've done that only once, just yesterday actually. i don't even much care if a spammer is following me since i won't see anything from them unless i follow them back. i do tend to block the obvious spammers, especially the porn (we all know the “Br1.t.ney”s…), but that's primarily because i know that potential followers may look at my list of followers and (unjustly) use that in their decision to follow me or not. complaining about the tweets of someone you've chosen to follow reminds me of the old joke where the guy tells the doctor “It hurts when i do this.” and the doctor replies, “Then don't do that.”

  • anitasantiago

    I agree with you Scott. There are some tweeps that may have gotten into a 'new business venture' after I started following them. Like you said, if they are super spammy, then I just unfollow. Using groups and lists within Twitter applications (Tweetdeck, Seesmic, Hootsuite, and others) is the best way to manage connections. I find many people use Twitter, but have not learned how to manage connections. Once you are following 1000+ people, you have to filter information so that its relevant to you. On the other hand, I have started receiving spam as @replies. That's really annoying because those are unsolicited and you can't simply delete them like a DM. Knowing that, I just skip right over them. I received about 15 @reply spam messages on Wednesday.

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  • http://twitter.com/thescottbishop Scott Bishop

    Yes, if you're not using a third party app I can certainly see how that can get annoying. You def will need to convince your work to let you download software.

  • http://tdhurst.com tdhurst

    Whining about email spam is just as bad. JUST CLICK DELETE! Christ. Ignore it. Delete it. It takes a few seconds.

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  • tamcdonald

    I'm sorry, I don't know what spam is. (LOL) Actually, I know it very well, but like you said, I tune it out. The only kind that gets under my skin is ones I don't follow that use my name in an endorsing type of tweet. UGHHH…don't get me started on that topic. As for the rest, very well put.
    Over the last year and a half I've been on Twitter, I've seen many changes. While I love the open platform, I think I loved it more in the earlier stages. Too many people are figuring how to abuse it, and that just doesn't set well with me. When the abusers outnumber (or outsmart) the users, they begin to set the image of how Twitter is viewed. Your suggestion of ignoring them is valid for those of us that understand, but I fear new users will not see past the spam, and that is a shame.
    It's becoming apparent that if Twitter is going to continue it's growth, it will have to balance the open platform with some form of control. Let's just hope they don't go as far as Apple and AT&T!

  • http://www.timjahn.com/blog Tim Jahn

    What about Twitter users that spam you by @ replying you directly? How do you avoid that? Yes, you can block/report them each and every time, but that's annoying.

    I don't think Twitter users should have to just “deal” with that and not cry about it, do you?

  • http://www.BeyondThePedway.com Tim Jahn

    What about Twitter users that spam you by @ replying you directly? How do you avoid that? Yes, you can block/report them each and every time, but that's annoying.

    I don't think Twitter users should have to just “deal” with that and not cry about it. There has to be a more efficient way of dealing with unsolicited spam.

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