Definition of Spam 2.0
Posted on 01. Oct, 2009 by Franz in Web Spam
Spam 2.0 – What is?
Spam 2.0 can be interpreted in a few ways:
- Social networking spam – It means messages regarded as rubbish (or “not asked for” & “not needed”) served to users in mass in online social mediums such as Facebook, Myspace, Tagged, Orkut, Digg, Twitter, Plurk, etc. Probably a very bleak understanding of what 2.0 is really about.
- Social MLM spam – Works like how Multi-level Marketing products do. Instead, promotional (technical and literal) messages are passed on without the user knowing it’s a spam message most of the time. (i.e. Fake hypes, fake warnings & scam programs)
- Social VIRAL spam – An integrated promotional message (usually on social mediums) are disguised in an attractive way that encourages the user to share to his/her friends. Message brings little/no value to most people. (i.e. Viagra/Cialis products)
- Le faux pas – A self-promotional (usually a business/company) message tricking users into purchasing a product/service. Example: “Work at home US$3000/month” schemes using PPC to gather more members; or business/companies over-exaggerating their performance to entice users to buy their service/product.
If you’ve been on the Internet long enough, you’d probably know how annoying yet intriguing, disturbing yet clever Internet spam has evolved over the years. To a certain extent, spam can be subjective. Different demographics identify spam messages in a different way: And in Malaysia alone, there are so many different types of demographics in just a race alone. But in this discussion’s case, we’re not going to identify and study those demographics.
Identifying spam
We often associate virus with spam, but that’s not always the case – Spam 2.0 takes on a new level. Instead of destroying your data (like how viruses do) or stealing your data (like Maybank2U phishing scams), the all new Spam 2.0 releases sturdy tactics and techniques to bluff you into supporting certain promotional messages and revenue-generating acts.
When it’s too good to be true, it often is.
Spotting spam messages can be easy, and can also be hard. The most important thing about spotting spam is to identify three (3) elements:
- Source.
Is the program/person/campaign that’s serving you this message asking you to click on it trustable? If that person is your friend, is he really trying to TELL you that or is it an automated machine masking as your friend? - Message.
If you’re on Facebook and your friend posts this interesting video: “Two cats and dogs chasing each other!” and you’re a pet lover, don’t just click – Read the whole remaining message to see if anything funny is going on. E.G. “Two cats and dogs chasing each other! And viagra pills!” - Medium.
Remember you need to know where you’re going on each link you click. If you’re visiting illegally to an adult site, torrent download sites, gaming arenas or maybe forums; remember that promotional messages can just go into your computer without you noticing it. So, stop visiting adult sites, download media illegally, aye?
The general rule of thumb here is to know what you’re clicking on, where you’re going to go after clicking and who’s sending you this message. Because many new users can be easily contaminated by malware, email spam and heaps of promotional messages in their social profiles (and new users often have a lot of interactive activity involving social networks such as adding friends, messaging friends, etc.), the danger of these spam messages reaching their audience are higher.
Spotting Spam
Spam 2.0 - Click only on trusted links to trusted sites
Spam 2.0 - Check your browser's status bar before clicking
Spam 2.0 - Remember to check the source, medium and message.Spam 2.0 - Things that excite you now may not excite you later
Spam 2.0 - Twitter's condensed or shorterned links can also pose a threat
And there are many more ways of checking for spam. You can always Google the whole thing yourself and see what others have to say about it.
Best practices to avoid spam
In order to avoid spam and promotional messages, here are some of the practices you can do when you’re in a social space:
- Make sure the link you’re clicking on is from a trustable source. This method is not fool-proof because people can still get automatically infected. Best of all if you need to know if that source is good, Google it.
- Avoid clicking on advertisements too much. Advertisements divert a lot of your attention – Especially when you’re into something. And from one click, it may lead you to the other. If you need more info about the advertisement, you can Google it and goto the source.
- Don’t click on links when you’re visiting a spammy site. Especially gaming/download/porn sites for warez items (keygens, cracks, torrents, etc.) or any other illegal products/services, never click on advertisements and always check if the link brings you to the correct page and source before clicking.
- If you’re on Twitter/Plurk/FriendFeed and you find an interesting message, don’t click on it yet. Read it and see if others are talking about it. Visit the author’s pages first before clicking on any of his links. If you feel he’s trustworthy, then most of the time his links are.
If I haven’t covered any area, feel free to comment below and I’ll include your suggestions in this post.
