EntreCard Spam
Yes, Entrecard is a neat traffic/networking system. You drop your card on people, and most will drop back providing you’re safe-for-work. So why is it some people feel the need to go out of their way and message you about their contest, when their card already states that they have a contest going on? Oh, and they will message linked accounts too.
I got this ‘charming’ little message today:
Hi,
I’ve launched a contest which can be seen here: (URL removed)
This is a monthly contest. Every last day of each month, until the end of 2008, I’m going to send FREE 1500 EntreCard credits to lucky contest winner of each month.
Best regards, (Name & URL removed)
PS. Don’t forget to drop your card!
Perhaps you’ll disagree with me, and you’re welcome to, but I think this is spam. It’s a cheap contest desperately trying to inflate comments and subscriber counts. The smarmy ‘don’t forget to drop your card’ also rubbed me the wrong way, because this little joker hadn’t even dropped a card himself.
I replied thusly;
Mate, a few points.
1. You don’t need a link to your post AND your blog. What’cha think the card is for?
2. It’s spam. I have unlinked blogs here and you’ve sent the same message to two of them, last month.
3. You didn’t even drop on me, but you’re basically asking me to go write a post about your contest. You’re fishing for entrants.
4. You sound Patronising.
Best Regards, The Bushie
P.S. Don’t forget to drop your card.
I think what I have done is fair (including reporting him for spamming) because he ticked me off the first time, and this is the third. We shall see what happens.
Disagree with me? You’re allowed to. But I’d prefer knowing that I’m not the only person out there that gets bugged by this behaviour.
Hi, I am the author of that message. My blog is:
(first URL removed, your website is listed next to your name.) - NO NEED to remove the URL in your post because I think that this message is not spam and I done everything right.
My view.
I am the active dropper at EC community and I drop every day over 270 EC cards. I add every EC blogs that I send promotion messages of my contest to my drop list. Entrecard restrict droping more of 300 card daily, so I make a list and I drop by list every EC carder which receive promo message.
My idea:
I made a little promo of my contest and I choose some entercarders random (base on their banner look and category).
Sorry if you think about as a spam message. I will not remove your blog of my EC drop list, but I will not include your blog in my message list.
Best regards,
Ukion from (second URL removed)
PS. Nice blog you have here, i will visit it regularly.
Comment by ukion — June 10, 2008 @ 10:26 am
Your URL is listed THREE TIMES, once at your website and twice in your comment. Don’t you think that’s some blatant self promotion? I have edited out two of your URLs because filling comments with them IS spam, that’s how askimet picks them up.
And as for being added to a drop list, why aren’t the other blogs of mine you advertised on getting regular drops from you? Or even one when you spammed the first time? Being on a probably-imaginary dropping list doesn’t mean you can justify spam.
Comment by Bushie — June 10, 2008 @ 10:35 am
Sorry that you think that way.
It is not self promotion. i just need to public myself because I don’t think that I do anything wrong(as spam) as you write in your post. Its your admin right to publish or not publish my comment. I hope that some of your readers will support my opinion. (if you decide to publish their comments anyway)
I wish you the best,
Ukion
PS. About dropping your sites: I drop EC by my scheduler- daily. I will drop your blogs then it came in MY daily drop plan, so be patience.
Comment by ukion — June 10, 2008 @ 11:07 am
Hmmm. I got the same spam, too. I let my spam filter chew it up and I ignored it. In my world, spam is anything I get that I didn’t request that’s trying to sell something or promote something. I’m sure not all the people I have flagged as spammers consider themselves spammers… but it’s my world and I get to make the rules.
Oh, and I always edit out URLs in comments. Again, my blog… my rules.
Comment by Kelly — June 11, 2008 @ 9:45 am
I like how Ukion says what he’s doing isn’t self promotion, but rather he needs to public (publicize?) his himself. How is that any different?
Most blogs that have Entrecard on them run weekly or even monthly contests, yet I haven’t seen any spam in my inbox from them. Promote on your site, advertise in your drop card, and yadda yadda yadda, it’ll bring in readers who want to win!
As for URLs in people’s comments, I don’t understand why. Sometimes I’ll throw mine in if it’s a blogger.com blog and they only allow registered user posting, because lets face it, we all want people to come at least check out our blog if they like what we said. if we get another reader out of the deal, then it was worth it. But in the case of wordpress blogs, I don’t have to be registered and I get my Website link in there anyways.
Anyways, I think your response was completely justified and I hope this sort of thing doesn’t start happening to me!
Comment by Jesse — June 12, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
In an earlier life, I actually bothered to read and reply to those emails. But then I got so many requests … and like Kelly said, “it’s my world and I get to make the rules.” hahahah
Comment by Little Entrepreneur — June 12, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
Glad you reported the blighter. Yes, he’s spamming you — not only through EntreCar’ds internal PM system (which if he would read the TOS, by sending you that message, he’ll get banned).
BTW, the CORRECT way to get sponsors for your contests is to post in the PROMOTIONS section of the Forums.
Between the spammers and the slugs who put my card on their quick click web pages, there are just too many who are taking advantage of my good nature.
Keep on reporting them.
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Comment by Margaret — June 13, 2008 @ 9:09 am