Thread: What is your definition of "spam" versus marketing?

Hear Hear!

I get the feeling, although I am not absolutely certain as I am not a member of many forums, that we are a bit spoilt on SRP with regards regulation and the amount of leeway we are given by the mods and admins. with certain things.

Of course, we are a great group of people as well, so probably the mods and admins are also a bit spoilt at SRP too

Anyway, there's not a lot more I can add to what people have already said about spam versus marketing. And I guess in the end it is up to the mods to interpret specific instances against site regulations and act as they deem appropriate - that's why they are mods. Power and responsibility, both delicately balanced in a ying-yang type nexus, and tempered by their inherent humanity. Both fatally flawed while simultaneously sublimely perfect - a tenuous coexistence that can only be shouldered by the exceptional few!

James.

I have moved this thread to the Conversation as it has taken on a Conversation type feel and has very little actually to do with our policy. Hopefully this way we can get some more insight from folks!


-Rob

Originally Posted by Jimbo

admins are also a bit spoilt at SRP too

hmmm, do I spot a rotten apple among the oranges....

Originally Posted by Jimbo

can only be shouldered by the exceptional few!

ah, preemptive kiss... works for me, I like well placed kisses

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Power and responsibility, both delicately balanced in a ying-yang type nexus, and tempered by their inherent humanity. Both fatally flawed while simultaneously sublimely perfect - a tenuous coexistence that can only be shouldered by the exceptional few!

James.

I could not describe the mods better. We are sort of like superheros really when you get to the nitty gritty.
hows the soapking and badgerman sound for superhero names?

If it's against the rules, it's against the rules. I'll bet they took it as spam because of the way your website is built. It's extremely spammish and is a mirror image of thousands of certified spam websites. I trust that yours is not, but from a webdesign point of view, that's what it appears to be. This isn't an attack on you or your product, so please don't take it as such. I've studied the psychology of webdesign, so that's where this comes from.

As for spam v marketing, it's highly dependent on the location. Generally though, it needs to be targeted, relevant, and bona fide (in good faith). If it doesn't meet all three, I call spam.

Originally Posted by Doc

hows the soapking and bagerman sound for superhero names?

bagerman? Maybe you meant for the "r" to be an "l".....bagelman. There. I fixed it. You can thank me using the provided button.






[/humoroussarcasm]

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Anyway, there's not a lot more I can add to what people have already said about spam versus marketing. And I guess in the end it is up to the mods to interpret specific instances against site regulations and act as they deem appropriate - that's why they are mods. Power and responsibility, both delicately balanced in a ying-yang type nexus, and tempered by their inherent humanity. Both fatally flawed while simultaneously sublimely perfect - a tenuous coexistence that can only be shouldered by the exceptional few!

James.

got a little something brown on your nose there, buddy.

Originally Posted by jockeys

got a little something brown on your nose there, buddy.

I did not say in what way they were exceptional, just that they were.

James.

Thank y'all for the insight.
I was afraid of that...despite a legal definition, most people are calling any form of marketing they don't like "spam." It would appear we need yet a third word for unwanted marketing ("junk" is already taken by Chinese ships, and "trash" had it's own meaning...hmmm...)

Originally Posted by Ben325e

If you were warned and persisted with the offense resulting in a ban, then there ya go.

I agree, any board owner has the right to make his/her own rules. After all, they're hosting the site and doing the upkeep! (I own a few myself.)

However, my response to the warnings were to:

1. Immediately comply
2. Purchase a paid membership in the highest category so I could "legally" post my url in my sig line (I ponied up $50 which has not yet been returned after banning me 3-4 days AFTER I paid them!)
3. Politely inquire why.

Yet I was still tossed on my ear. And rather rudely.
*shrug*. Knifemakers, go figure.


Quick Orange said:

If it's against the rules, it's against the rules. I'll bet they took it as spam because of the way your website is built. It's extremely spammish and is a mirror image of thousands of certified spam websites. I trust that yours is not, but from a webdesign point of view, that's what it appears to be. This isn't an attack on you or your product, so please don't take it as such. I've studied the psychology of webdesign, so that's where this comes from.

As for spam v marketing, it's highly dependent on the location. Generally though, it needs to be targeted, relevant, and bona fide (in good faith). If it doesn't meet all three, I call spam.

Tam say:
Yes, again, no argument about rules.

OK, I had this discussion last week with another web guy. You're calling my website spamminsh and saying you have studied the psychology of website design.

All well and good. But did you know that good, honest sales letters came first...and then the spammers copied them? So what you're calling "extremely spammish" is actually a profit-producing website with a sales letter that is (and these are my mentor's words, not mine) that is great. And we know it's great because it is passing the reality test of CONVERTING (i.e., making sales.)

I run into this with analytical personalities (like my husband, God love him) all the time. They tell me how many degrees they have, what they've studied. And I say, "That's great. So how many deals have you done?"

And they go, "Deals?"

"Yes, deal. Since you've studied internet marketing, you must have applied that to the real world and be selling a lot of whatever, right?"

So here's my question for you, Orange--how are your products doing?

Mine are selling well. So come to think of it, I don't really care what people call my site, as long as it's profitable and legal!

Mine are going decent. Like I said, it's not an attack on you or your site. My point was that it is not a stretch to see why anyone would call it spam, which seemed to be the intent of this thread. Obviously spam works, otherwise it would go away. To that end, I'm not sure then why you would (or should) care about spam/marketing terminology. If it brings you income, to be frank, why care? The money is just as green and spends the same either way, spam or not.