Stop Twitter Spam

Colin Carmichael makes the case that you should turn off the New Follower notification and - voila! - no Twitter Spam. He also makes the case that following someone on Twitter is no different than subscribing to someone’s RSS feed. I understand his position but I think we’re going to need to agree to disagree on this one.

I’ve gotten in the habit of challenging claims of Twitter spam, and response is becoming consistent. It begins with claims that the ‘notification email’ about a Twitter follow makes it TwitterSpam. When I counter with the fact that you can disable the notification email, there are usually claims of ‘illegitimate’ Twitterbots following thousands of people but not offering any value beyond pushing brands. The claim is usually stated as if a bot following you brings with it some obligation to follow back.
- Colin Carmichael: Twitter Spam Doesn’t Exist (04/15/08)

For an opposing view, take a look at SocializedPR’s response to Colin’s claim that Twitter has no spam.

Upon receiving a new follower, the majority of Twitter users validate that follower by checking their profile. Colin says there is “no reason beyond ego or sheer curiosity to check out folks who follow you.” Nonsense. Twitter is many things, among them a social network. Every social network has a procedure and etiquette for adding connections. Of course I am going to see if a new follower is someone I should follow back. I’m there to have conversations. That implies two-way communications.

We all make decisions on Twitter regarding who we follow back. Many people who follow us are friends, colleagues, business partners, people in an allied field. When I am followed by someone, I check out who they are before deciding whether to follow back, and that’s when I find that @toshibaflat (no longer active, but I was followed by this user) is advertising for a flat screen. I have now received an overt, unwanted marketing message.
- SocializedPR: @twitterspam (04/15/08)