Spam is Prohibited-- What is Spam
No Spam Sign
What is Spam
Spam is prohibited on many websites including Twitter. But what is spam. I usually go by dictionary definitions but that does not work with the word 'spam'.
Many online dictionaries give ridiculous definitions but Merriam-- Webster gives great definitions. They define spam as "unsolicited usually commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses." They even have the origin of spam:
from a skit on the British television series Monty Python's Flying Circus in which chanting of the word Spam overrides the other dialogue. First Known Use: 1994
What SPAM [Self Promotional Advertising Message] really is-- is anything that anyone does not like that is on the internet. What is objectionable? It is anything anyone does not like. Of course any website has the right to throw anyone off of it for any reason. So let us see what Twitter says about spam as of April 2, 2013 (the day that this was written). It says:
You may not use the Twitter service for the purpose of spamming anyone. What constitutes “spamming” will evolve as we respond to new tricks and tactics by spammers.
Some consider spamming to be promoting something that makes you money excessively on the internet. But what if you are promoting a presidential candidate, a religion, a potential bill or law or an idea! If you are promoting anything that anyone does not like, then they can report it as spam.
So above Twitter says that their definition of spam will change or evolve but they do list some possible things that make something spam. There are many of them but I will only list a few to make my point. This comes from the Twitter Help Center. Note that I chose Twitter since they are my favorite social media. The above webpage says:
Some of the factors that we take into account when determining what conduct is considered to be spamming are:
The number of spam complaints that have been filed against you
If you send large numbers of duplicate @replies or mentions
If you have a small number of followers compared to the amount of people you are following
The first one is to prove my point. There is no Twitter rule about what you can report as spam. The 2nd rule is violated by many and that is how they do business. But common sense would tell you not to do it. Some Twitter accounts only tweet this second violation and nothing else.
Now I mention the third one since Twitter has automated filters that prevent anyone from doing this. Please note that Facebook has a rule against using your personal page to make money. It also limits you to 5,000 friends. But you can have a Fan page and the above does not apply. You can have an unlimited amount of fans on it and use it to make money.
Also the more Likes a fan page has the better, so many are soliciting people to Like their fan page and they will Like your fan page in response. I personally tend to err on the side of tolerance in regard to this issue of spam. Jesus says "He who is without sin, can throw the first stone." Right now I have over 53,000 followers on Twitter as : WhizKid7.
When it comes to raising children, I am a strong promoter of letting children or anyone learn from their own mistakes. In fact when it comes to punishing people for their mistakes or crimes, I am not a big fan of that. For more on this see How to Avoid Jury Duty. If the United States were to announce tomorrow that none of the laws would be enforced tomorrow, would you go out robbing, raping and murdering people?
Spam was/is Originally a Food
Wikipedia says about spam (spiced ham):
Spam (shortened from spiced ham)[1] is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative. Spam's gelatinous glaze, or aspic, forms from the cooling of meat stock.[2]
In 2007, the seven billionth can of Spam was sold.