General Discussions

**goheadtry** · 09-03-2007, 11:27 PM

This is not spam
Hi webmaster-talk.com users It's me Goheadtry A.K.A John I just wanted to say I have found a great way to get traffic to my site that works so I thought I would share it I found this site called stubleupon it is cool I had my moderators vote for the pages and add descriptions and good titles to this site then I found out So many people where coming at once this site is great for getting lots of traffic I just thought I would share this is my results and the days is not over yet so these stats are not final but look at it any way and I hope it helps others make their site have more traffic.

Hope that helps someone and talkupation would be greatly appreciated .

**goheadtry** · 09-04-2007, 12:40 AM

I know huh

**ForrestCroce** · 09-04-2007, 12:56 AM

This is the definition of spam, if you're using your forum moderators as proxies to vote for your site. They built their system to introduce people to sites in their field of interest that are genuinely popular, not rigged ones. Although, apparently, they have paid advertising for exactly what you want.

Sorry if that sounds harsh. But you'd probably react similarly if someone spammed your forums looking for traffic or links...?

Notice how you have almost 6x the number of visitors, but only a little more than 2x the bandwidth? Use Google Analytics to look deeper into the quality of the traffic, but that tends to be the "problem" with Stumblers ... easy come, easy go.

**contact247** · 09-04-2007, 02:21 AM

im already using it thanks.

**Learning Newbie** · 09-04-2007, 12:37 PM

This is the exact reason I'm not using Spamble Upon anymore.

**ADAM Web Design** · 09-04-2007, 02:33 PM

What Forrest and John said.

StumbleUpon can drive a lot of traffic to a site if used correctly, but there are two major flaws that I've seen with it:

1) The traffic is fickle.
2) If you're running Adsense, the users tend not to click on the ads.
3) If you run a blog, the users don't appear to participate much (although they may or may not read the feeds...I don't check that myself.)

So why go after traffic from those sites that isn't going to ultimately do what you want it to do?

**dansgalaxy** · 09-04-2007, 06:34 PM

it makes him feel good?

hehe

**romes** · 09-04-2007, 06:40 PM

well, google adsense also gives you some rev on unique visits per month, so i guess it would help, but not too much.

**freki** · 09-04-2007, 07:25 PM

Using stumble is like using any other social utility...you have to have something unique or worth staying for in order for it to work. If you have something that makes someone go "cool!", then stumbleupon might work for you...if you're just another run-of-the mill blog you're wasting everyone's time.

**vangogh** · 08:53 PM

I agree with Cody that the best way to get social media to work is to actually have some good content. I disagree with everyone. though that submitting your own content automatically means your spamming. it depends on the community of the social media site and your participation in that community and what you're actually submitting.

Some sites encourage you to submit your own content others frown upon it. In either case the community will decide if the content is worthwhile. If stumblers don't like John's content they'll thumb it down and after a couple of days it will stop showing up. If they like it they'll thumb it up more and it'll continue to get traffic from StumbleUpon.

Either way John submitting the content or someone else submitting the content won't have mattered that much.

It is ok to let other people know you have content. I'm not saying you should submit every page of your content to social media sites, but there's nothing wrong with occasionally submitting content that the community has indicated they like.

People on Digg seem to like content that is pro Apple. If you wrote a good article about the benefits of owning a Mac then it's something diggers would probably want to see and know about. Submitting your article in that case contributes something to Digg.

If all you ever submit is your own content then sure the community will see you as someone who's only interested in self promotion, but submitting your own content doesn't automatically define you as a spammer.

**goheadtry** · 09-04-2007, 09:39 PM

I didn't submit it my moderators did and I asked them to give true response.

**ADAM Web Design** · 09-05-2007, 12:52 AM

It doesn't matter whether you did or your moderators did or your friends did or your fat cousin Bernie with the six fingers on his left hand did. The fact is that someone submitted it with your prompting. You told them to submit it and they did.

Social bookmarking was never intended to be a submission service. If you look at the sites that do the best with social bookmarking, they're submitted organically by people who actually like the sites. That's what you missed completely.

**vangogh** · 09-05-2007, 01:34 AM

Adam I think it's ok to submit your own content within reason. I don't know if that is or isn't what John did, but I think the idea that you can never submit something of your own is as far off on the other side as submitting all of your content is spam.

I see social media sites as just another community each with their own set of written and unwritten rules. On this forum we allow sig links. On other forums they don't. On some social media sites it's acceptable to submit your own content on others it might be highly frowned upon.

I don't think it's automatically spam though, to submit it yourself or even to have a friend submit it.

The sites themselves have a certain amount of built in spam blocking. If you submit garbage your content gets buried pretty fast. If it's good it rises to the top.

Like I mentioned in my post above I wouldn't submit everything I have to a social media site and I wouldn't only submit my own content, but if I'm actively participating in the community and I create something I think the community will honestly like I see no reason why I shouldn't submit that or ask someone I know to submit it.

**Learning Newbie** · 09-05-2007, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADAM Web Design

It doesn't matter whether you did or your moderators did or your friends did or your fat cousin Bernie with the six fingers on his left hand did. The fact is that someone submitted it with your prompting. You told them to submit it and they did.

How did you know about Bernie? **** reporters!

**Learning Newbie** · 09-05-2007, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vangogh

Like I mentioned in my post above I wouldn't submit everything I have to a social media site and I wouldn't only submit my own content, but if I'm actively participating in the community and I create something I think the community will honestly like I see no reason why I shouldn't submit that or ask someone I know to submit it.

You know, this is a good point. If you're a contributing member of the community and "submit" other people's content far more than your own, and yours is good, then its probably not spam.

**vangogh** · 03:45 PM

John I think it's like most things in that there are good and bad ways to do something. Anything you do to market yourself can be seen in a sense as spam. In fact I think in many people's minds the definition of spam is become synonymous with marketing.

As an example take our forum sigs. There is no reason to have them there except to market ourselves. Yes we can all pretend that we list the links because we know how wonderful and valuable the content is, but the truth is those links are there solely for marketing purposes. So are they spam?

I don't think they are by default.

Now we've all seen people here who are clearly posting only to increase post counts and get more sig links out there. Usually it's the mistaken belief that the links will provide huge seo benefits. That I would consider spam.

But when I see you or Adam or Forrest or any of the other members here who contribute something to the forum then to me the sig links are a benefit since your posts make me want to know more about you.

There are social media sites that encourage you to submit your own content. Sphinn, which is a social media site geared for seo content is one. The community can still spot spam and bury that content.

Yes all social media sites are open for people taking advantage of holes in their algorithms, the same way all search engines are open to it, and the same way all people are open to being manipulated.

Another point is all of the mods here will let long time contributing members get away with things we wouldn't let a new member get away with.

I think it's all in the respect you show for the site and the community.

So was what John (goheadtry) did spam? I don't know, because I don't know the content he submitted. It doesn't sound like he had been a contributer to StumbleUpon previously, but if the community liked what was submitted then I'd say it contributed something to the site. I do know John from this forum and I think he's an honest person. I think he had his content submitted with good intentions and posted here with a desire to help the rest of us. That to me says John isn't a spammer. At worst he might have done something many consider questionable, but who here has never done something other people thought questionable. And just because you or I think something is questionable does that mean it is?

**Learning Newbie** · 09-05-2007, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vangogh

In fact I think in many people's minds the definition of spam is become synonymous with marketing.

Bada bing! You've just given all of us a great question that can make for blog food. What exactly does spam mean?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vangogh

So was what John (goheadtry) did spam? I don't know, because I don't know the content he submitted. It doesn't sound like he had been a contributer to StumbleUpon previously, but if the community liked what was submitted then I'd say it contributed something to the site. I do know John from this forum and I think he's an honest person. I think he had his content submitted with good intentions and posted here with a desire to help the rest of us. That to me says John isn't a spammer. At worst he might have done something many consider questionable, but who here has never done something other people thought questionable. And just because you or I think something is questionable does that mean it is?

I still think it was spam (against StumbleUpon, not here). I also think he intended to be helpful, at least to this community. That's why people here are giving him a gentle warning. He seems like a nice guy, and seems unaware that this could provoke a backlash.

**vangogh** · 09-05-2007, 04:22 PM

We probably need to start a new thread for the what is spam discussion, but I do think intentions go into it. That's why I won't characterize John (goheadtry) as a spammer. I don't think he had bad intentions.

I do understand why people would call it spam, though. But maybe it is time for a discussion about what is or isn't spam.

**dansgalaxy** · 09-05-2007, 05:17 PM

while he aint spamming intentionally still hes spamming.

i dont think i ever seen "i have found a TOPIC secret" which wasnt like spam.

**vangogh** · 09-06-2007, 08:52 PM

I decided to carry the conversation over to my blog. If anyone is interested I'm asking at what does point social media marketing become spam