Let's face it. As APSense members, we all want to put the spotlight on ourselves, our sites, our programs, etc...

APSense is a business social network, so there's nothing wrong with that. We all want to make enough money doing business not to have to work at a day job. Unlike Facebook which is officially a social site that allows marketers to do their thing reasonably.

Back to APSense. When we write articles, RevPages, when we put a referral link in groups that allow it, in most cases we are putting the spotlight on our stuff. If all we did was talk about Madonna, complain about politicians, or post about what we just ate at lunch, after a while, people would wonder what we're doing here. I'm not saying never to do those things, in fact, it helps people to get to know you better. But at the end of the day, we want to brand ourselves as best we can.

Having said that, I want to give examples where putting the spotlight on what you do is spam.

Unsolicited referral or affiliate links in private messages

This is spam. Period. I know, I know, a lot of people do it. Well, fortunately, at APSense, it doesn't happen too often. Not to me, at least. When it does, I stay polite and respond "please no unsolicited links, thanks". Most people are ok with that. Those that are not, I would block them, but ironically, they block me. As if it could hurt me or my business.

Unsolicited referral or affiliate links in groups

Please take the time to read the rules of groups when you join. Some groups at APSense allow referral links. It's the sole purpose of some other groups. But, if you're not sure, check the posts in the group.

Unsolicited referral or affiliate links in comments

Someone writes an article or a RevPage. A campaign is created to promote it. Then another member posts a comment with a referral link. This definitely is not very nice.The spammer is trying to steal the spotlight from the author. If done repeatedly, you can only hurt your business. You can even get thrown out of APSense, thanks to the "Report" link we find under every comment. When I report someone, in many cases, I choose to also write a comment to tell the person. In my opinion, it helps spread the message that it's not an acceptable practice and that there can be consequences.

Advertising without a link

To me, this is as bad as the preceding example. Yes, you are not putting a link. But you are still trying to steal the spotlight. Some people who read your comment might be tempted to send you a message for more information. I say, if people send you contact requests because they like the way you express your opinions, good for you. Let me give you an example. Someone writes an article criticizing a situation at APSense. A member says in a comment, "I am on a social site where this never happens." That comment doesn't bring anything to APSense members. It's tailor made to recruit members for another site. I know, it's hard to resist the temptation to mention you have a solution to the problem. I suggest that instead, you write an article in response. You can even put a link to referring to the first article.

Unsolicited referral or affiliate links in chat

I updated the article to add this point. It's a very good one, it was mentioned by Paula Van Dun in a comment to the article. Here's what Paula wrote, and I agree 100% with her: "What I find very annoying are complete strangers that use the chat function to send me links."

Conclusion

Online marketing is not a hobby. It takes time to build a solid business. Take the time to do things properly, and it will pay off in the long run.

Let me know you thoughts on the subject.