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MyBlogLog announced on their blog that they will be limiting users to sending 20 emails a day to help fight MBL spam. MBL spam is when one user sends another user a message an unsolicited message that says something like:
Hey, check out my blog at myurl.com.
In my humble opinion, this is a classic case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. MBL just penalized the entire community because a handful of users don’t have a clue how to create real, true connections without using spam tactics. What MBL should do is actually create a true spam system instead of the mailto they presently have today.
Once a spam system is in place, users will be able to mark these messages as spam and MBL will be able to punish the people who are actually spamming and not the entire community.
What is even more concerning to me is that they would actually come up with this idea in the first place. The number one rule of a community is you do not put into place rules and restrictions that could stifle the community which is exactly what this does.
Do I send out 20 messages a day in MBL, no. But if I did that would be a good thing as I am doing it the right way and it should not be something that I get penalized for.
As I have stated many times before I am a HUGE fan of MBL, but since Yahoo has taken them over, they have had several stumbles including this latest one. They are only going to get so many chances before the next big thing comes along and steals their thunder and their community.
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Technorati Tags: MyBlogLog, spam, MBL, community, Yahoo
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I send well over 20 emails a day with MBL. Often it is much easier to communicate with a member by the use of the email system than to use other IM sources, and the service has a much better open rate due to my spam filters catching many of the emails I get. Our conversations may accumulate 40-50 emails each in a single day. This will definitely effect me.
Cord,
Thanks for your feedback. Note that the user is limited to 20, but if they get a message back (denoting a conversation) the message does not count against them.
So, if I send out 5 messages, and I receive 4 back, then I still have 19 messages left. The people who are affected are ones who send out messages that get no response, which seems to denote member spam.
Also, please note the limit is not in effect for community messages, only those sent in a member-to-member fashion.
We are looking at other ways to combat spam, including textual filters. Keep your ideas coming. We want to give you the best user experience possible, so we need to know how you feel. Thanks!
Since conversations do not count, I have no problem at all with what they are doing. It is just the “Keep It Simple Stupid” method, and I am all for that.
Robyn,
Thank you very much for the comment and I wish you the very best of luck with your new position. I guess my issue is that your penalizing the entire community for the work of a select few. You can accomplish the same thing by spending more time and create a true spam engine which is something you guys are going to need to do in the long run anyhow. As MBL grows, the amount of spam on it will grow as well.
Let’s forget about the “Hey check out my site” spam and let’s talk about real spam that already is and will continue to invade MBL messages. The mailto you guys use today is not sufficient to handle it, let alone what will be coming down the pike in the future.
Though even more importantly Robyn, I believe MBL should of opened a decision like this up for community opinions before making this decision. MBL got to where it is because of the community. The people who use it everyday, who recommend it with our writing. We should be involved in helping make MBL what it could be in the future. That is truly what a community is.
My thoughts, take them for what they are worth… Thanks again for the comment. I would be more than willing to help you in any way possible with your new position.
Hey Cord,
Personally, I think it’s a move in the right direction. I don’t feel penalised in the slightest by being restricted to 20 messages a day and it will enforce users to be selective about the messages they send.
I do agree that there should be an easier spam reporting system, though. The mailto just doesn’t cut it!
Meg - I agree with you that 20 emails a day is not going to restrict me because I do not even come close to that. I just think it is a short term solution to a much larger problem. My issue is putting any kind of restrictions on a community is dangerous and can cause much larger and unseen issues down the road.
I guess I am such a fan of MBL, I would like them to hold themselves to a higer standard than everyone else and this is not that higher standard in my opinion. Thanks for the comment Meg, always a pleasure hearing from you.
Hello again
I’m a big fan too, and I hear what you’re saying about “restrictions” wouldn’t you agree that 15 community joins and 15 new contacts a day is more restrictive than the messages?
Meg - Yes absolutely… Once again penalizing the entire community for the work of a small group of clueless individuals who are treating MBL like it is MySpace.
This is the second one after 15 communities per day and I think lot of ppl are getting effected because of spammers.