Well most of you know me and that I am a traffic exchange owner but also a mega surfer and I can only go for so long on things that I see is wrong and have to bring attention to what I see happening and thus this post Spamming for Referrals.
Is this post going to be well liked – probably not – as this is going to really piss some people off. The first situation that I want to bring out in the open is what I see happening in public CHAT Rooms. Because I surf so much, I lurk in alot of rooms and it’s amazing how much wheeling and dealing I see going on. EVERY DAY I watch people swapping links in the chat rooms and it’s I will join any site you want if you join my site so that they can get a referral.
Now I understand that getting referrals are important and pressure is put on lot of people trying to win a referral contest BUT just my opinion this is spamming. You are adding a link to your profile page and swapping with someone else for their link. I maybe old school but I feel that the people that are doing this is devaluing the traffic exchange industry.
The idea behind traffic exchanges is that you add your site, surf and view others site in exchange for them viewing yours. When you are swapping links in public chat rooms you are not setting a good example at all – you are only teaching others to spam. My personal opinion is that you are putting the message out that traffic exchanges don’t work and you have to resort to this method of getting referrals. If I am thinking this all wrong, please someone tell me your logic.
One more thing to say on this one is let me ask you a question – if you are getting referrals by spamming in chat rooms – what type of referral are they – to me they are just a number and I don’t know about you but I want more than just a number – I want someone that will be ACTIVE and not just a number. I want someone that wants to learn, wants to be an active surfer and get results, wants to give the traffic exchange an chance to prove that they work.
Ok while I’m on a roll here – let me touch on SKYPE and I know that I am going to step on lot of toes here but I have bitten my tongue long enough and just need to get this out. When you add someone to your Skype it should be so that you can get to know the people and build relationships – I’m not saying that once in awhile you can share links BUT how about a Good Morning – how you doing? I see that you love cats by your site – let me share a cat story with you, check out my profile find out what I like.
When you send me this solo ad, that should be put in a mailer or text ad site, to me that is spamming for referrals. When you send me a link of a new program that just launched this is spamming for referrals. I will tolerate that for a few times BUT if that is all that you keep doing you are coming off my contact list. Either you want to know who I am and work with me OR you just want me on your list just to spam me for referrals.
So, I just want all of you to know and putting it out here for everyone to see – I will not swap links with you in chat, I will not sign up if you send me a link in Skype. If you want me to join your program or site then add it to Zaney Clicks. I join new sites all the time BUT I join them from members that are getting referrals the way traffic exchanges are meant to work – adding their site, adding credits and letting me view them inside the traffic exchange..
It’s just that simple everyone – and unless you are willing to do it this way – then don’t you spread rumors that traffic exchanges don’t work because I know they do. Thanks for listening and will love to hear your opinion now that you have listened to mine.
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes the Truth Hurts but every bit of what you say is true. I ONLY give out links when I have been specifically asked for one or if its someone I know well and know they will be interested in the program (usually this is a mutual friends new launch)
I am just as sick as everyone else with those that just spam me some program outa no where. Especially when they Do Know me and Know I dont work with certain individuals and then Spam me a link for their programs.
Even WORSE! Are those that NEVER talk to me and then BAM send me one of those messages that as you say “should be put in a mailer or text ad site”.
My attitude is either promote using Advertising Site or Build your OWN list and promote to them.
BUT Please DONT Promote to me in Skype. It IS Spamming and a sure fire way to loose me as a contact on Skype.
You Go Nancy! and if ya stepped on a few Toes well dammit STOMP on them cause they Deserve it and They KNOW it!
Bravo!
Yes I agree when you have gotten to know the person you will know then if it’s ok to share a link with them but if you have not taken that time – then you are spamming them. Thanks Kaye – knew you would enjoy this post.
Very well said, Nancy.
I have held off purchasing the chat mod for both of my sites for just that reason.
You rarely find me speaking in chat for that same reason also.
You Go Girl!
Oh I love chat when it’s used for what it is suppose to be used for and can be great place to connect with others and build those relationships but right now they just seem like a swap meet
Unfortunately people are being taught that this is ok. Even tho I don’t totally agree with it, some teach that socializing in chat rooms is another way to get referrals. I have seen it and heard it, so we can’t totally blame the members. Skype on the other hand is a tool to communicate, it’s not for spamming unless you are asked for a link or at least ask them before offering one.
well that is why I brought this up as there is a difference in socializing and just down right spamming and people need to learn and be taught the difference. Hopefully from this post and comments some will learn.
Socializing and Spamming in chat are two different things. At our site, Social Kraze, Kaye and I teach the members to build relationships in chat and skype rooms. We even go so far as to say, DON’T spam people in these rooms, it is all about building relationships.
When you get to know individuals, then you can links through email or skype. I will say, that by putting my websites into my profile on chat, I have had people signup from there. However, it was not because I asked them to signup in chat.
Good topic!
Thanks Linda and more and more people should teach other this – we all have been around long enough and know better – the newbies don’t – where are they going to learn – they are going to learn by you setting the example
People randomly posting links is always going to be a problem. People bargain swapping links is always going to be a problem. People skype spamming is always going to be a problem. Isn’t that DELETE button great. I use it a lot.
Yea and that is a shame Cathy – as there is nothing like slamming the door in someone’s face when they hit that delete – most don’t realize that when people delete you they probably blocked you too. That is a shame as you could have learned some good things from that person and now you have closed your door.
This is why it’s good to have at least a two strike rule. You warn them in strike 1 that I and most others aren’t going to like you randomly spamming them, explain this is for building relationships and not for spamming your programs. Then if that doesn’t work, then you kick them. 🙂
I don’t and have not ever needed to spam in a chat room, or in skype. Why? 1. I hate spam and I know no one else, not even people who spam themselves like to be spammed. 2. Simply talking about what I’m promoting, albeit an affiliate program before I became an owner or my site, gets people aware of the site a lot better than you throwing in a link and saying, here, join it!
Yea I agree – I do try and give a person a fair shake and let them know that I don’t like it before I just boot them
I don’t randomly delete contacts. I’m pretty picky about who a make personal connections with in the first place. If someone never engages me but continually sends me links, then yes, I do delete them. It is unrealistic to think we can mesh with everyone online.
This is so true but so many people do try to be friends with everyone.
I am smiling right now for two reasons
I love to agree with a lot of that you wrote but I’m also going to play devil’s advocate here.
With traffic exchanges gearing more and more to the social networking side of the business. Trading links is going to happen. Most of us at some point has sent someone a link when asked for it.
The point to traffic exchange marketing is to get people in the door. And while the “how its done” has changed. Not completely but it has changed over the last 2 to 3 years. I love when someone joins from a traffic exchange Im a huge fan cause that to me is what they are here for.
But I can see that some people don’t get the difference between working with a friend and shortcutting the traffic exchanges results and just spamming.
Which side am I on the one that works and still helps the traffic exchange.
but I hate skype spam I block more people weekly for that than anything else. 🙂
Well like I said in another comment – there is a difference in trading links with someone you know or if they ask for it but if you don’t know them and are just going to be another number on their list what good are they to you. Do you really want a referral like that – one that will surf the required amount so that person get an active referral but then they never come back to the site – is that really an active referral – I feel then they are just a number
It’s a shame you can’t have a Rules link for people to read when they join a Skype Room, I agree when people join a room and leave a link, that’s wrong.
But talking shop, and sharing links and talking about the good and bad points of a exchange, is part of the learning curve? is it not? It nice to hear a honest point of view, and I do agree with in the main.
Well I know most Skype rooms do create guidelines and that is a great point to bring up – anyone new to Skype should type in the group room they are in /get guidelines and then they should pop up for you – if they do not then I usually contact the Skype room owners and suggest that set up some guidelines so that we all know what is allowed and what is not.
Talking shop is different and can be done easily by just mentioning the site that you are getting good results in but only if asked – I still personally don’t think that links should be put in rooms – if a person is interest they take it to your private chat – but just my opinion
From a surfer who also loves to chat in the chats, some days in the chat make my head spin there is so much “wheeling and dealing”! Chatting with some long time surfers/friends and wham here come the “swappers”. Some people don’t prefer to use Skype or any messaging service to chat so TE chats are a convenient way to say hi, how ya doin or help someone with something, but sometimes it’s downright impossible to chat around the ones who only talk to say “I have a link for that”. If asked, I will give someone a link but most times, since I took the time and money and made my own site for people to look at while surfing, I will tell them it can be found on such and such a page on BreezShopz and if they see it around to check for anything they may want to join. It’s not going to stop but maybe some will read this and sit back and think to put a bigger effort into surfing and promoting instead of wheeling and dealing…. who knows? JMO! 🙂
Thanks Breezey and I can understand that if a person ask – and that is why the private chats are put into the scripts and that I can understand but I agree there are days that it is like a swap meet in there and a person can even get a word to even say Hi. I hope that people will come across this post and hopefully will be shared enough that people will learn. Thanks for your comments from a surfers point of view -always appreciated – I wish more would learn to speak up.
Hello Nancy,
Telling it like it is, great! It’s one of the reasons I love you so much! 🙂
Don’t get any ideas, this is not a marriage proposal lol
Kidding aside, I do just like you on Skype, when someone posts a link of any kind in a private chat, knowing the last time the person chatted with me ( if at all ) is at least 6 months ago, I remove the connection.
I have done it on APSense more and more lately, since some people don’t listen when I tell them “Please no unsolicited links or advertising, thanks”
I don’t chat much in TEs, When I go there, it’s to surf. Maybe I’m missing some opportunities to build relationships. What I don’t understand is why some TE owners allow spamming in their chat rooms. It’s beyond me. They’re afraid to lose traffic?
Philippe
Ahhhhhhh you are a sweetie as always and I agree with other sites also – any of the social sites in fact.
Well some of the chats in TE’s are shared by many sites and no one owner has control of what goes on in the chat. Example the chat mod in the LFMTE scripts are shared by many, many sites and the staff are the ones that monitor them – so all you can do is report people and wait for them to get to all the reports.
I think it’s tacky they do this in chats, the hey look at my profile kinda stuff.
They just Zaney I reckon lol
the exchanges where it’s happening, I haven’t seen owners doing anything about it, so that teaches them it must be okay.
Surfers are grown, if it bothers them, nothing is stopping them from standing up and sharing their opinion on this kind of behavior.
Members can Police themselves, and sometimes we just gotta step back and let them handle some of these issues amungst their peers. I know when someone posts a link in a chat, Surfers usually jump all over them before the owners even has a clue it happened. “NO LINKS in Chat” seen it tons of times lol.
Speedy’s chat got broke in a script update, and I’m not sure I’ll even add it back.
it’s been ruffly 5 months, yet Jolynn is only member whos even asked about. lol
Skype spam is a pain, But REMOVE from contacts is sooo much Fun to click.
me need ref
http://zaneyclicks.com/index.php?rid=58183
you join, yes pleez me make many moneys
Well there are some days that you can’t even say hi because the wheeling and dealing is going on so much and the chat is just moving too fast. ROFL – yea gets Zaney
Well these people are very careful about not adding them to the chat – they are go look at my profile and I will join any site you want me to if you will be a referral for me at the site on my profile – so “technically” they are not dropping a link in the chat but in my opinion it’s the same thing
SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM, SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM… Thank you Monty Python but, I wish it were another word. I’m tired of it.
The swapping is exactly what old school marketers complained about when this Social thing started and chats started popping up all over the TEs. The chatters would see a page, and instead of signing up from it, would ask their chat partner if they had a link! That to me is the ultimate in spamming! And completely against the see-mine-see-yours principle of TEs.
So what can we call it now??? hmmm, how about ‘jacking? (Short for hijacking – gotta keep the syllables down so it rolls off the tongue.) As in hijacking my/our time and efforts.
Please!? If you’ve ever listened to the SPAM song from Monty Python (which is where the online term came from), then you would be tired of it too! 🙂
But unfortunately, most likely, the people who need to hear about this aren’t watching your blog, Nancy. 🙁
~Brian R. and I’m into S&M (Sales and Marketing) and walks on the beach 😀
Rofl Brian S&M and I’ll bet you want world peace too right?
Oh enjoyed the comment and you are so right – it happens and has been happening and will continue happening. But just think the advertising that “Spam” gets out of this word lolololol AND I learned something new – didn’t know that is where the word come from.
well hopefully this blog will get shared enough that the right people will see it – I know I’m going to share it on my profile and get as many to read it as I can lol
S& M huh – love that
Great Post Nancy and thank you for voicing your comments. It has come to the point that I do not like to go to the public chatroom with all the wheeling and dealing. The chat rooms have really changed, before it was a nice place to talk with your friends and meeting new people. When I see a lot of links on my skype I am starting to block those people.
Its time to get back to the real Social Media Marketing, and become real professionals.
Lady V
Thanks Lady V and I totally agree and hope that this post gets shared all over – because most actually don’t think what they are doing is spamming but that is my opinion. But from the comments others see it that way also – am going to try and get this on my chat profile and get as many people to see it as we can.
Bravo Nancy!
I agree completely, and what’s sad is that people are being taught that the link swapping in chats is how you’re supposed to use traffic exchanges.
Sorry but that’s not being “social” at all…it’s robbing the advertisers that have paid with either their money or their time to have their sites seen in TEs.
I would love to see the chats being used to encourage people to join from the sites that are in rotation….now that would be a powerful way to use chats, and teach them the correct way to use TEs.
Also agree about the skype spam. I see people that won’t waste any time dropping their links in a skype room but have nothing else to say any other time.
So true and some people are just chasing the referrals for all the wrong reasons and hopefully will learn to build relationships, teach their referrals the right way to recruit and both start earning what they should be earning.
Thanks for the comment.
Well said Ma’am Nancy.
Skype is only for socializing.
I know its not allowed to share links there, but well sometimes there are really
“stubborn people”.
Thanks Ellen and you are right – some people just have to learn the hard way sometimes – thanks for the comment
Another TE (FTT) has closed the chat … It is a pity! Probably the same reason. It is unfortunate that due to spammers are good people suffer!
Oh that is a shame Elina and I agree it only takes a few to ruin what is a nice thing for others.
totally agree. One reason I have held off getting chat on my te too. I like the chat when people are discussing real things or if they have a quick question- often from a te newbie that is trying to navigate around and sometimes people in the chat are able to solve their problems quickly. Also good to just read to see what people like/don’t like but sometimes people just spam or even worse abuse others. Which I know we have the report link but sometimes I want to zap them out of chat right then if they are being mean to others.
Oh I hear you and it actually would be nice to have more moderators in there sometimes but I do enjoy the chat – even lurking I learn alot of things to try, things about others that I didn’t know and it’s kinda nice
I’m just a surfer I like to surf don’t like to chat. Not because of the swapping,
just I’m not one to chat at all. So A big Thumbs up to you for bringing this
up if some one request alink from me I give it to them , but that’s is all.
Thanks Barb
Thanks Barbara and yes there are some that are like that – I know when I finally do get a chance to get Facebook – I leave the chat off otherwise I would get nothing done
WTG Nancy !
Thanks for all Your knowledge, wisdom and sharing your trusted opinions. I too am unsure when it comes to Chat boxes on my sites.
Perfect You Guys are on Top of it . . .wonderfully comforting and rich with reassurance, that whatever necessary changes can be implement in areas of Chatboxes and Spam.
Only question comes to mind now, after reading Your valuable Post, is Whats Next ? I would never find it surprising to see a Net Etiquette ebook or otherwise from You Guys. LOL Thanks for All You All Do, ! The Industry is very much indeed Complimented by You Guys Presence, and Thanks on Behalf of All of Us.
Thanks and it has been interesting with all the comments and love seeing all the opinions and yea what is next there will always be something – never ending lolololol but I sure love what I’m doing
Joining someone’s business or TE if they join yours is not spamming, it’s just stupid.
But I get those ads too all the time. I espeically love the pre-launches. The “this is going to be huge!” And a couple of weeks later when I ask them how it’s going, a) it has never launched b) they got “ripped off” c) they joined another business that’s even better. LOL
I agree swapping links is not making a good referral for either of the people and I hope many, many people understand this