Twitter Or Spitter?

I’ve been saying for several years, since the first time I took to using Twitter, that the social media site is the most unique and versatile tool in the social media world. And I’ve also been saying that people who use Twitter have the right to use it any way they wish. There is no right or wrong way to use Twitter.

It was and is an important discussion because for a long time there were “social media experts” who would go berzerk if anyone used Twitter in a way which they did not approve. One example was when Guy Kawasaki revealed that he used ghost-Twitterers, a practice that I think is much more widespread than the apparatchiks would like to believe. The social media gurus went to squawking and calling Mr. Kawasaki all kinds of nasty names. I defended him.

Why Ghost-Twittering Is A Legitimate And Ethical Practice

There’s a reason I think ghost-Twittering is fine, and there’s more to it than the fact that I provide it as a service.

The underlying reason I believe ghost-Twittering is OK is because it’s your business. Would you accept it as gospel if someone told you that you can’t run billboard ads or radio sponsorships? Then don’t accept it as gospel that you can’t let someone else write your tweets for you. You let them write your brochures and blogs, so why not your tweets?

Of course, there may be certain topics and tweets that you want to do on your own, and that’s fine. It’s your business.

How Twitter Is A Haven For Spam

I don’t think I’m unique in my philosophy regarding Twitter. A lot of people feel the same way. In fact, lately I’ve been reading a few blogs that are saying the same thing that I’ve been saying for years. But where there is openness there is also abuse.

One of the most abusive tendencies I find on Twitter is the abuse of the DM feature. This is Twitter’s direct message feature, a way for Twitterers to send private messages to each other. I don’t even use it because my DM box is full of spam. If you try to DM me on Twitter you won’t get a response. That will likely be my loss, but I’ve learned that if I start reading my DMs, I’ll spend more time reading unwanted commercial messages than anything else.

So what nature does Twitter spam take? First, there are the folks who wait until you mention one of the keywords that they are monitoring, then they send you a link with a call to action hoping you’ll click the link and buy something from them. I report them and block them and move on.

A second kind of spam on Twitter is when someone targets you with an @mention and a link. It seems to come out of the blue. This is a tactic that porn peddlers like to use and I report and block them just like I do the first kind of spammer.

All of this spam makes me think that Twitter should change its name to Spitter. I say kill the spam.

But there is another type of spam that is more prevalent than the first two combined and its practiced by the majority of Twitter users. It’s so commonplace that most people don’t even think of it as spam, but I do. I don’t like it, and it’s the reason I don’t read my DMs.

The practice is the auto-DM. In the early days of Twitter, there was a robust debate over this practice. Most professional social media marketers I knew were against it. But there were a few vocal and savvy marketers who were not only for it, but they promoted it. They encouraged it. They told people to do it in their $19.95 e-books on how to use Twitter. I quit following some of these so-called gurus.

It seems like 2 out of 3 people I follow on Twitter will send me an auto-DM that says something like “Thanks for following me, let’s hook up on Facebook,” then they’ll share the link to their Facebook profile. Or they’ll say, “Check out my free e-book at …” and share a link. Or, “Subscribe to my newsletter,” again, with a link. I didn’t, and still don’t, report these Twitterers, nor do I block them. I just ignore them.

Why am I so light on these Twitterers when I so detest this auto-DM practice? Truthfully, it’s a practical matter.

Don’t Blame The Student, Blame The Teacher

Most of these people are just doing what they were taught to do. They’re not aware that there’s a large cross-section of Twitter users who don’t like the practice. Others have thought it through and reasoned that it’s their one chance to make a real connection with a new follower and establish a relationship early. I respect their position, but I don’t agree with it.

When you opt in to my Twitter stream, that’s my permission to communicate with you through my Twitter stream. If a person adds 50-100 new Twitterers to their follow list each day and all of them respond with an auto-DM, that’s a lot of fluff floating around (and I don’t call it fluff lightly). The noise is incredible.

I said earlier that you have a right to run your Twitter stream as you see fit, and I believe that. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it when you auto-DM me. I’d be much more interested in your free e-book, your newsletter subscription, or anything else you have to peddle after I’ve read a few of your tweets and interacted with you for a time. Build that relationship first, then you are more likely to get me where you want me. Otherwise, all you’ve done is annoy me right out of the starting gate.

Run your Twitter stream as you wish. It’s your business. But if you’re a spitter, don’t expect me to rush out and buy your line. I don’t think I’m really all that unique in this regard.