Annoying Twitter spam in @reply

by Gunnar Engblom on July 7, 2009

Social Media for birders - start January 10

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Everyone knows that direct messages is completely useless in Twitter once you reach a few kilo of followers or more. There are bound to be a lot of those who you follow that will miss-use this feature and send spam-like messages to your DM box.

The pros, those with 10000 or more followers, no longer monitor their Direct messages. The @reply is a more direct and more efficient way to communicate. Unfortunately, it seems the spammers also discovered this.

Look at these three tweets that I recieved in my reply folder:

  • ohncurrie: tinnitus success stories: http://t-gone.com @EKGmethod @tomsskyline @coffeefundraise @Kolibrix
  • STARFAX: Free Twitter Marketing Software: http://bit.ly/s9Ope  @deineexistenz @christiswhite @Kolibrix
  • ShelliCindberg: Twitter AutoFollow Software Out: Http://Tweep.Net @thewhitespy @JennDizmang @Kolibrix @rickster_CA

I have specifically noticed more spamming in the @reply box on Friday coinciding with #followfriday campaign. While most of those that recommend my @kolibrix are legit followers, there are often many that are quite obviously spammy. Some include the #followfriday tag, while others just coincide in sending the tweet on a Friday. Here are some examples from last Friday.

  • toddjonesy: Wow, this is an amazing twitter software http://budurl.com/5mzk @Kolibrix @vitailluminata @eCoverage @PMesterheide
  • WhiteSammy: 100% hands off FOREX trading robot http://bit.ly/QThIX @inspiredachieve @Kolibrix @PatyAmorim @seinflinks

It appears that you can now get a software that will send out a tweet with random @replies and your link you want to promote.  If this increases in frequency it will become a threat to twitter's usefullness. Be sure you immediately block the spammer. I wanted to use the spam funtion on Seesmic  to send Twitter admin a message recommending to ban the spamming accounts. But apparantly I can not send this message as it is sent as a direct message. Guess what! The spammers don't even follow me, so my messages can't be sent back to them.  If anyone know how I can report these mothers... let me know.

Don't let the spammers take over your @reply box.

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  • http://dendroica.blogspot.com/ John

    Twitter really needs to do something about the spammers. I don't get too much of it, but I do get spam followers.

  • http://realurl.org/twitted.php?id=2524034400 Twitted by alanmcbride

    [...] This post was Twitted by alanmcbride [...]

  • http://www.kolibriexpeditions.com Gunnar Engblom

    John, the spam followers you can actually both block and easily report as spammers. But not a single one of those that spammed me with @ reply follow me. You can't protect yourself against them. The only hope is that there would an easy way to report their acitvity to say get blocked from using Twitter immediately and terminally.

  • http://johnhaydon.com John Haydon

    As long as people seek ways to "get rich" without working hard, spam will continue. Maybe Twitter could sell a premium, spam-free, option? :-)

  • http://www.kolibriexpeditions.com Gunnar Engblom

    John H,
    Fortunately, this week I have not received a single such spam in my reply mail box, whether this is because Twitter has done some magic or I just pure lucky I don't know. I am still in the blue about how to report such spam if it turns up again. They are obviously hittting a large number of twitter users.

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