When you are a twitter spammer and break TOS, then become a bully
Perception is everything
If it looks like a duck
and walks like a duck
it is most likely a duck
I was fooled
I was deceived
Today I was bamboozled
Being a generous giver online and in the twitter world, I am often asked to help promote people’s charity, their passion, their business…
Today, I was taken. Now maybe they do not realize that they are breaking Twitter’s TOS (terms of service). I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.
YET, what does it say about them when they do not take the time to follow the social media guidelines.
Now , one question I have is, how is this stance not meant to deceive?
Have you ever seen something suspicious and then took time to investigate only to uncover HIGHLY suspicious behavior? What I found were multiple accounts that were “family” and all the tweets were of one campaign-and the main behavior was RT each other with no other conversation. (OF course now it will be interesting since they got called out on that publicly, if they change their behavior)
This was a great screen shot showing their heinous behavior-once we get clearance form attorney we will see if we will post them again. Funny though how every other blogger in the Blog-universe has created screen shots of brands misbehavior and they have not been threatened with a defamation lawsuit. Me thinks they must. protest too much
LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Under duress of threats -was a screen shot of behavior
It started as a simple conversation
How is this not seen as a lack of integrity?
Oh, heck how is this not CHEATING?
What am I talking about?
Yesterday I was asked to go vote for a company that told me they were in a competition with other emerging businesses via Virgin United which has a program to End Business as Usual with a program called “Business as a Force For Good.”
I am curious how Virgin United feels about contestants
breaking Twitter’s TOS?
Here is what transpired:
THIS was the twitter conversation screenshot they had with me and how I pointed out several times their request was confusing and unclear. Dang when will I learn to not be so “Giving.”
LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Under duress of threats-was a screen shot of behavior
Then our dialogue started by me asking lots of questions around why he asked me to go to this site. I did not see anything asking in the video for me to vote. Being helpful I tweeted back and forth offering my advice that many clients pay me for, consulting on how to put together effective, engaging and results oriented social communication campaigns that follow the rules.
Another screen shot
Another screen shot
Another screen shot
Another screen shot
Then thinking they were legitimate I extended by social currency and gave them an introduction to ———-(left blank intentionally), a friend, colleague, and guest on Breakthrough Business Strategies radio.
Then today I saw this behavior that raised HUGE red flags for me.
Why would someone RT every tweet
I made to this person?
Look very closely at their account, the numbers and the tweets,
it reeks of a spam account
You know the accounts, the ones that have 7 maybe 100 followers and their tweets all say the same thing.
LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Under duress of threats-screen shot removed
Here is what I discovered when I investigated further…
LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY under duress of threats-screenshot removed
Continuous RT’s of same campaign. It gets better…
LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Under duress of threats-screen shot removed
Are you starting to see what I was seeing?
Here is Twitter’s stance on serial accounts- using multiple accounts to RT your message, etc…
Now when someone creates accounts to RT a campaign over and over here are the rules they are breaking:
- You cannot use serial accounts and have them to RT your message to gain you support that is falsified.
- That is not creating social currency that is counterfeit currency.
- It damages your reputation even if you had good intentions.
- It looks suspicious and it is well WRONG.
When a twitter account is suspicious you see a lack of bio information and anything pointing it back to a REAL person.
For example:
LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Under duress of threats-screen shot removed
- Who is this?
- What is their real name?
- Does it have a real website attached?
LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY Under duress of threats-screen shot removed
That is what I found when I clicked on their link in their profile
Are you seeing a pattern?
- Do not fall into thinking no one will notice
- Do not think you can cheat the system
- Do not think it does not matter and the ends justifies the means
Someone like me who cares will find out and then “out you.”
- Is this how you want to be known in the social communication world?
- Someone who games the system?
- What have you seen like this before?
- How did it land with you?
- Does it make you want to be a part of their deception?
Why Damage your hard earned reputation with such shenanigans
When you think you won through complaining, you really lost by showing everyone you still do not honor the social behaviors in Twitter.
Hire Someone With Integrity
Michele Price is a high energy, straight talking speaker, radio host and media/publicity/marketing strategist for small business/authors/speakers. As the voice of Women in Business and Breakthrough Business Strategies radio, Michele created a communication hub for businesses globally. She is the founder of #Speakchat a social media chat for the speaker/author community. Hire Michele to speak to your organization on where and why online communications drives your business recognition, as well as sales in your business today.
Photo attribution
https://support.twitter.com/articles/76915-automation-rules-and-best-practices
http://www.flickr.com/photos/schoey/131014908/sizes/m/in/photostream/
