Recently I got a notice that someone of whom I’d never heard was following me on Twitter. Now, this isn’t all that unusual – it happens to me at least once or twice a day. But when I checked this person’s profile, it said they were following 32,244 people!
Yes, I’d run into a new breed of spammer – pushing a new breed of Twitter spam.
You see, this type of Twitter spam – this Twitter spammer – doesn’t actually care if you ever follow them – and they certainly aren’t actually reading the 32,244 people they are ‘following’.
Here’s how it works: you get the notice from Twitter that TwitterSpamMan is following you. Now, naturally, you are curious who it is, and so you go to their Twitter profile and, you naturally click the link they provide in their profile to tell you all about themselves.
Under normal circumstances, this would lead to their legitimate business or personal website but (and you see where this is going, don’t you?), the link in TwitterSpamMan’s profile just happens to lead to a site which is nothing but a webpage full of ads – won’t you click on one while you’re here and help line TwitterSpamMan’s pockets? (Not!)
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In this particular jerk spammer’s case (aren’t you glad that I’m holding back and not telling you how I really feel?), there was absolutely nothing on his website site other than ads – unless you count the “buy this domain!” link!
Twitter, of course, has no mechanism for reporting such a miscreant because, technically, they aren’t doing anything wrong.
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Maybe there should be a ‘report spammers’ box on Twitter, as there is on most other web 2.0 applications.
Spammers always find a way through though. It’s like the real world where the criminals are usually far more intelligent than the politicians or police, and are always one step ahead in every area.
I think we just have to be vigilant in our own behaviour and know that ‘it’ comes with the territory.
It’s like being famous, and then complaining that the press are photographing you.
Just a thought,
Pete