Avoid Looking Like a “Squidoo Spammer” on Social Networking Sites

A few days ago I posted a tip on my SquidTop blog about the importance of protecting your online reputation. I wanted to touch on that again and go into a little more depth here.

Getting traffic and creating backlinks to lenses is a big priority for many lensmasters. So, we’re always on the lookout for ways to promote our lenses. That’s probably why most of us start joining social networks like Twitter, or social bookmarking sites such as Digg and Stumbleupon. These are potential sources of traffic and backlinks.

The problem is that it’s all too easy to look like a spammer and get yourself booted, or at least chewed out by other people who use these sites. If you join a social network and mostly post a bunch of links to your own lenses, blogs, and web sites, you’re not going to be very popular. Most communities will see that and think, “Spam!”

In some cases, they’ll see enough of this to start associating Squidoo and similar sites with spam. They might even go on a witch hunt and single out every single person who dares to post a Squidoo URL, something that happened at Wis.dm not too long ago. So not only are a few people condemned for their actions, it ends up affecting every other lensmaster who might have had an interest in joining that community.

Part of the problem is that many people simply don’t understand the nuances and rules of etiquette for social networking sites. It’s important to realize that just about every community has its own rules, some of which aren’t always spelled out but are intuitively understood by its members.

Here are some basic tips to help you avoid trouble when you join social networking sites:

• Read the rules. It’s a good idea to find out what is and isn’t allowed. Once you know the official rules, you’re not likely to break one by accident. You can also find out if posting Squidoo URLs is allowed. (Some sites have banned them.)
• Observe the community. Before you dive straight in, try to get a feel for how people interact with each other. What’s the overall tone of the place? It’s especially good if you can find examples of behavior that the members condemn. Established members will sometimes jump all over somebody who breaks the rules, resulting in heated discussions. (Extra tip: If the atmosphere is really negative and nasty, you might want to reconsider joining!)
• Become part of the community. Don’t start off by promoting your own stuff. Instead, post links of general interest and join a few discussions. Just take it slow and ease your way in. Once you become an accepted and contributing member of the community, people won’t likely object if you post an occasional link to one of your Squidoo lenses, especially if it answers a question or adds to a discussion.

There some social sites where self-promotion is generally accepted and encouraged. However, they tend to be the exception, and even they have certain ground rules you need to know. By learning the rules and getting to know the community, you should be able to avoid a lot of problems.

Tags: digg, social networking sites, spam, stumbleupon, twitter, wis.dm