How to Avoid Being Called A Spammer On A Social Network

How to present your business...

That sounds silly doesn't it? Why would I have to learn how to present my business opportunity to others? I just sign up and start posting right?

It would seem on the surface to be that easy, but I see a lot of people have a real hard time...

Over time social networks create a very tight community. Everyone learns the rules and looks out for each other...

That's the first thing... Read the rules. Different social networks approach how you display links differently or even what you can talk about...

The other thing is don't come in gang busters!! Don't try to prove yourself and get to excited about showing everyone your knowledge etc....

Get to know the community first. Hang out for a while. Introduce yourself politely... Usually there is a separate area set aside for intros... And then start browsing.

Get to know the other members... Remember a lot of these people have known each other for a while. They may even be doing business behind the scenes...

Once you have a feel for it, start helping out.

Helping out... If you have any knowledge to contribute, provide it... Help people with things you know about.

Learn... Read... Learn... Read some more... Ask questions...

Then let it rip if you want to.

The bottom line is very few people can go crazy right off the bat... There is an exception here or there, but usually the community wants to see you contribute for a while before you get bold. They need to get to know you.

Definitely don't provide a sales pitch in your first posts... You will getting flaming posts and anger the community. Everyone will see it as spam.

It's just like building any relationship. Take it easy at first until you get to know each other.

Social networks are powerful things. Don't abuse that power. And don't ruin your reputation...

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Permalink Reply by Dave Wellman on September 24, 2008 at 4:30pm: Great ideas! Nobody likes to feel like they are being stalked!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matt LaClear on September 24, 2008 at 5:18pm: I want to give a might big thanks to Brandon for featuring this post. It's the first I realized he had. I'm just glad you guys and gals are finding it helpful. I just wish some of you would start heeding the advice given in it though!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matt LaClear on September 25, 2008 at 2:49am: I think that's more of a problem with the ning delivery system. It doesn't let you differentiate between people who have and who have not already received a message or invitation from you.

What is going on is that someone sends out an invitation to their existing friends database and later they pick up several new friends and decide they too should be invited. But everyone on the database gets hit again with the same invitation.

Multiply that by 50 such people and you have what you have.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sharon on September 25, 2008 at 1:04am: Thanks Matt, great advice!

Sharon; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Candice on September 25, 2008 at 7:23am: Matt, you always have such great advice. I have been dismayed by the amount of flagrant marketing of services I have gotten. Instead of being a great place for "real" networking, I have been inundated with a barrage of people who want to sell me their services. I find when I have email from Sta.rtup.biz, I have begun to automatically delete it. Yikes!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matt LaClear on September 25, 2008 at 9:26am: Well I certainly don't recommend you delete all the emails you get from SB without first viewing them. A lot of resources are shared on those emails and it would be a waste to miss them. So learn to filter them quickly with your eyes and delete what doesn't seem to be a resource to you.

But there are a lot of people who do not yet know how to network properly and its my mission to get them to learn it via posts like this one.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by IndigoBlue on September 25, 2008 at 3:07pm: I'm also in the same boat and tend to delete most of the messages, but I do read and filter them. Thank you again Matt for the great advise! ~Kathleen; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Allen Edge on September 25, 2008 at 11:55am: Super, excellent. Thanks. The Social Network scene and even the internet itself is still a mystery to so many people, myself included. Aside from your message, I have never seen any "how to" section on the many sites that I'm apart of. I just kind of felt my way around. This is so cool.

Allen; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Paulette Roca on September 26, 2008 at 7:59am: Wow

This is great information Matt.

I think that I am going to change my profile. Your right, I should have expressed myself in another manner. But yes I am sincere, I am going to make it. You will see. (smile)

Paulette; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lori Arriaga on September 26, 2008 at 10:46am: Thanks Matt for sharing and helping others like me learn the ropes of social networking. I find myself avoid it often because it seems there really is a lot of spam or just comments that really aren't beneficial.

Thanks,
Lori; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matt LaClear on September 26, 2008 at 8:35pm: Hi Laura...I do not have you blocked at all. Not sure why you would think that. But you have two options in front of you. First you can change your privacy settings so that you have to approve the comments people leave on your page before they can be seen by others. The other option is to block someone from being able to leave messages on your page.

Hope that helps you!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by diana cirigliano on September 27, 2008 at 8:59am: Hi everyone,
I am new to the whole internet social networking. Like I have told people already I actually have tried for years to keep my children from putting up their information for the whole world to see, and now I am doing it. So I have a question. I believe I have been polite and not pushy when I write to people and I try to give a little information when people ask, but my question is... When people come onto your page and immediately post banners and such on your page is that what you are talking about. I am new to this but I really don't like it. I like different little pics and videos but I hate the ad banners. Can I get rid of them off of my page? Is this what you guys are talking about? I don't even mind if someone puts their web address up, but a full ad?; ▶ Reply to This