Looks like a duck, Walks like duck, Quacks like a duck; is a spammer
I have my home library on Library Thing (my ID is libri_amor) and yes, it’s Latin. I find it lots of fun to catalog this stuff, review etc. Today there is a very interesting entry on the Library Thing blog that illustrates the somewhat blurry line between spamming and unscrupulous business practices.
Here is a summary from the Library Thing about the spamming practices of Shelfari
The method is simple. When you sign up for Shelfari you are dumped into a screen that offers to send out check-out-my-books invitations to friends. The user interface is confusing and deceptive, and what seems like an attempt to continue into the site really sends out hundreds or thousands of letters to everyone you’ve ever known by email. Reminder-letters follow. Skipping this step requires clicking out-of-the-way, gray non-underlined text.
The blog goes on to link over 50 blog entries complaining about the Shelfari tactics. So what can be done. Complaining to Shelfari has not done much good (it never does stop a spammer). Spreading the word is probably the only defense. If you ever get a Shelfari e-mail, even from someone you know, simply “bit bucket it” If you sign up with them you are perpetuating the closest thing to a chain letter or ponzi!
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Posted: November 8th, 2007 under General.
Tags: book, library, library thing, social_networks, spam