Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Jamie — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:27:57 -0000

Here's a new one launched last week http://www.tweetadder.com

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Roanne — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:57:34 -0000

I actually had like extra 5-6 followers in a matter of minutes--all having TOTALLY THE SAME 1st update.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Fred — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:46:53 -0000

Don't people have anything better to do with their lives than live in these
Twitter/Facebook sites and exchange banal trivialities with each other?

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

H.K. — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:22:35 -0000

You know you have made it when there are people selling anti spam software just for your community. It's awful on twitter because spamming abuses the core motive of twitter itself. I've found a lot of good anti-spam information on this digital security site FYI.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Mihai Secasiu — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:43:08 -0000

You're right, it's not like typical spam but it's still spam.
If it creates 50 accounts / day and all of them follow me I get 50 email messages and I click through 50 useless profiles.
How is that not spam? why do we not like spam?
Because it's unsolicited distraction. And that's exactly what tweet tornado does.
Almost half of the "followers" I get are from such accounts or fake accounts that already got suspended.

You could just as well say that spam email is not spam unless I click the links and go buy something but that's not the case.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Tweet Tornado — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:31:10 -0000

TweetTornado only adds followers, People have to click on the page and choose to follow someone so there is no spam involved, only optin marketing. The only people who receive anything are the people who follow and give permission. Everyone needs to realize this is not like a typical spam tool. This is permission based optin marketing! And if twitter would quit shutting the accounts down for no good reason then the software wouldn't have to create unlimited accounts anymore. I don't see how this software is bad for twitter, anyone can do the same thing without software the difference is this software saves you alot of time following people.

So to all you people who think I am wrong, ask yourself this question...

If a person must willingly choose to follow me and it is also their choice to click on my link to see whatever I am offering to "help" them, Then how could this be considered spam?

P.S. thanks to the blog owner for advertising my service, I'm getting lots of new customers now.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Helen — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:51:14 -0000

http://twitter.com/suspended came across this after reading your post this morning...it looks like one way twitter is fighting back. i know i've noticed a large increase in "make money fast" followers.

thanks for sharing the info - i think if the twitter community pushes back, we can keep unwated spammers out both with twitter features and from individual members not tolerating it

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Mihai Secasiu — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:51:14 -0000

@mel no it's not like that, just a few days ago I received a message from a guy working with Adobe Air on Linux ( @smmehadi ) , he tried to help with an Air issue but I did not follow him and he didn't follow me but I was able to read his replies and he was able to see my replies.

I also reply all the time to people I follow but they don't follow me back and can see my message and even reply to it.

The only reason you're still not getting spam like this is because twitter is still very very very small compared to email.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Mihai Secasiu — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 06:40:30 -0000

How is twitter opt in ?
Can't they just send you @replies to you without even following you ?

Yes they can. True they have the api limit but even so once they reach the limit they can just jump to the next user/ip.

I think spam @ twitter is still in it's beginning. Expect more once more people get in and see some of the big spamers use their bot nets for twitter instead of email.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

xen — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:59:23 -0000

@Nicole: In the end Twitter is a social networking site. That you have 5 accounts is your choice.

The main reason, as I see it, Twitter is a place to have fun and make friends. If people use it as a business thing, it is yet another fun service that is being polluted by people who want to make money on everything and take the fun out of everything.

And why do you need to outsource on Twitter? Seriously, are you for real?

I find it sad that you support a tool like this. I'm extremely annoyed by all the spam on Twitter at the moment. I know users who go from public to private to avoid spam.

They have a API. If you can't be bothered using it, don't complain. ;-)

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Andy — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:52:00 -0000

I saw these guys last week. I'm not worried about it as twitter should be tackling this fairly quickly. This just confirms twitter is now in fact main-steam.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Don Draper — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:27:28 -0000

Has anyone actually read the Twitter TOS?

There's nothing in the TOS that disallows using scripts, third party tools, multiple accounts, or any of the uses of this software. The most the TOS says is "You must not create or submit unwanted email to any Twitter members ("Spam").", which would be a neat trick since you don't get access to other twitter user's email. Perhaps Twitter would have a better chance at fighting spam if they'd define what is and isn't allowed. Frankly, they've been banning accounts that have done nothing wrong according to their TOS.

In the long run, the marketplace of Twitter will do the best job of fighting spam. Just don't follow the spammers and don't click their links.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Joe — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:25:58 -0000

I love how it says ZDNet discovered this software. I saw this at least a week or more ago. Same old people taking credit for all the news on the web.

I think a lot of us "small people" would be very impressed if you guys gave us a plug now and then. If you only listen to the "a-listers" of the web you're gonna stagnate just like the old media dinosaurs.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Will — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:14:12 -0000

The same story we've seen countless times with other social sites. But Twitter has no revenue, so they really need to watch themselves. Spam can make or break sites before they have a chance to "enter the mainstream."

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Guest — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:32:10 -0000

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Guest — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:51:36 -0000

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Diana — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:49:17 -0000

point taken!

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Jason Moffatt — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:37:22 -0000

I'm not sure how much good it does to even publish this story to be honest. Just giving these guys more attention is probably having them jump with joy.

And let's face it, tons of spamming marketers read the stuff here, and they are probably off buying the crap right now because of this and other stories condemning the software.

Agreed, the software is another pollutant.

Telling people about it probably ain't the wisest move if you ask me.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Diana — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:30:09 -0000

well spam is counterproductive! what is spam, unwanted advertsing. i get it on my comments to be approved page all the time. 90% of it is pointless, build relationships in business first. As for the software granted I have not looked at it, but in this day and age we rely a lot on the recommendations of those people who use the technology the most and make it a point to look into it.

Now what do most people call spam and is the software able to be uzed in more productive ways, more than likely.
it is important to dialogue about these issues to come to a balanced view.

However, i am glad that people look out for the less savvy users! With increased popularity of programs like twitter the likelihood of exploitation is much higher.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Guest — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:24:46 -0000

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Karl Long — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:16:31 -0000

Until Twitter get's a business model they are going to be plagued by spam and the reason is spammers have a business model. The problem of course is this is not a technology problem it is a people problem, as long as spam has a conversion rate and near zero variable costs for distribution they will keep investing in new ways to spam twitter. I wrote a while ago that I thought spam and MLM are a huge risk to twitters business because if twitter has to keep investing enormous resources in combating well funded and motivated spammers they will not evolve their business. Here's the article:
http://experiencecurve.com/...

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

pnw fitness — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:10:16 -0000

Name of the game I guess. Always works itself out.

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

Diana — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:04:42 -0000

thankyou for bringing us such up-to-date info that is helpful, in not only alerting us to new threats, but educates us about using the internet in an ethical way for business and socialisation.

I was almost drawn in by a new company last night but a fellow twitterer send a warning about the spam potential of the program so i pulled out, until I have more information on them.

well done!

Diana

Re: Tweettornado: Twitter Spamming Software We Won’t Tolerate

isharted — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:59:42 -0000

Think of this in a good way. Spammers create jobs. Without them there would be no anti-spam software and the jobs created to make that software... or those delicious gmail recipes so i say I salute you spammers *bunchofnonsequitors* i salute you