Banned from Digg.com after spamming my forum using vBSEO links
 

Greetings to all,

I'm a vbulletin owner and have optimized my forum with vbseo. As such, me and my forum team "cross-linked" several of our threads and post with Digg.com. We did experience an increase in traffic and our membership went up, however, we were also the victims of false spam complaints.

Please be careful and do not submit a lot of links to Digg.com or you might experience the same results. Your digg.com account being banned and your forum url banned, therefore, making a part of vbseo totally worthless.

I'm in the middle of heated debate with Digg.com, but their site is so rinky-dinky that it does not look like my forum url will be cleared from the banned list anytime soon.
Members of Digg.com falsely accused me of spamming because we "dug" a lot of post at digg.com, not because we actually spammed.

Now, since there is a mod to include "cross-linking" buttons without vbseo, it kind makes me wonder what vbseo is suppose to do when some of the features that came with it, do not "work."

Hopefully my problem with Digg.com gets straightened out.

Cheers.

No offence, but looking at your profile on dig, i'd say you are spamming.
90 submissions for your site in the past 3 days..

http://digg.com/users/MARKETPROFITS

I agree... 10 pages of submissions from your own site in 3 days is... extreme.

If you can't use the add to digg feature, then take it out of the postbit template

Also, you should not use the social bookmarks from vbseo on individual posts. Us them for the thread only. Having them on every post is just asking for trouble.

Not to mention the fact that he is now digging threads on vBSEO.com since his own site is blocked.

Yes, it might be a bit extreme, but Digg.com is optimized to prevent spamming. Everything I did is within the guidelines.

Might be questionable, nonetheless, it is within guidelines...

Tell you the truth, you should have asked why I was doing this before opening your mouth.

Yes, I'm aware of this now.

Hmm..I do believe you misunderstood me.

I purchased the vbseo and Digg was installed on my forum when it was installed. Since digg.com is no longer a viable option (until further notice anyways) that feature of vbseo has not given me the "return" vbseo claims.

Yes, "we" made several post to Digg, but there were all different post. In fact, all of our submissions were threads and different threads!

Is it still spamming? Is a lot of different threads still spamming if they all originate from the same link? It is a forum and forums have multiple post, right? Not even Google gives me the trouble that Digg gives. *Praises Google*

That's the problem with Digg, it is not mentioned in their terms of service nor is what I did mentioned in their terms of service. Posting different threads from one forum.

And yes, someone did say that digging every post is asking for trouble, but we only dug threads!


We dug a lot of threads, but alas, it was only threads! ;)

So, I hope I was able to clear up why "removing the digg button from my postbit" will not solve the problem inherent in vbseo and digg.com.

The problem with digg is that they allow the "average joe/jane" to file a spamming report. And, what does society teach us? It teaches us that the average joe/jane is not the brightest light in the shack!


Hmmm....I've said a lot.

Tell you the truth... no. It's obvious your just another {fill in expletive} spammer who got caught and are now trying to get some free PR wherever you can out of it.

But, hey, the more silly threads like this you create the more you get your URL out there, eh?

i fail to see how vBSEO has caused your major loss in traffic.

Search engines are there to index your threads and posts. Social bookmarking sites are there for a whole different reason. And it is within their rites to protect their product from those that wish to manipulate it. Just like google bans sites for trying to manipulate it's results, so do these new sites like Digg, Furl and others. Nature of the game. Wearing a black hat is always risky business.

How is this obvious? From a post?

Isn't there something you should be coding?

Bye.

It has caused a major loss of traffic only from Digg.com.

Apparently, only politics and cursing is a hot item at Digg.

One of my forums got banned for the exact same reason. I don't hold it against vBSEO though, I commend them for their forward thinking. A few rogue members on my forum are the ones who ruined it.

Rather than complain to Digg, I have decided to take a different route...

Can you tell me the reason "social sites" are there for?
It is beyond my grasp at the moment.

I thought "social sites" were there to "help increase site awareness."

Obviously, I was wrong. And maybe I should not have dug all those threads as "digging a lot of different threads is considered spam." But when you have "civilized beings" such as those found on this picture, purposely trying to ban me proof )

There is a problem.

I found a ton of false complaints and I know I didn't do anything wrong. All I did was use Digg.com, vbseo, and my forum to their full advertising capacity; even though I don't think this point of advertising exist. But I have screen shots to prove members purposely attacked me, and Digg's TOS look like they were written by a three year-old. In short, I'm awaiting on a reply from the abuse department as me and my forum have been abused and falsely accused by Digg.com members and subsequently, staff.


I know there are other sites, but it gets annoying having to modify the postbit every time.

I have dollars to make....

Do you have proof people where purposely trying to ban you and coming after you? I do.

That's why I'm complaining.


What route did you take?

Personally, my route is to give a laptop to the first person who reaches 100,000 post along with other incentives. (Of course, they have to be within Google's TOS, and those are very vague)

Ok again, how is this a VBSEO hurting your traffic problem?

It's obvious from your actions. Face it, you're the internet version of a used car salesman and got caught. But at least on the bright side from now on the Digg community, the vB.org community, and the vBSEO community will know who you are.

Since you like digging all of your threads, go ahead and digg this one as well.

You attempted to use Digg externally as a means to promote a third party. Digg is for it's internal members to share their favorite bits of the web. It is not intended for this sharing to give traffic to these sources of it's members selections. That is just a side effect. It's a rating and filtering system to help those that choose to use it to find worthy items on the net.

You broke this system by using it for your own benefit. Just face the facts. You tried to manipulate their system for your own gain and got caught. Move on.

Try creating some content that will cause people to link to your pages naturally.

OK, now this is funny... this guy even dugg his own forums rules.

http://digg.com/movies/FORUM_RULES_P...BEFORE_POSTING

rofl :D

And his reaction is hilarious to :D

In the movies section? :confused:

I note when I clicked on the Digg submissions to read, all of the forum threads submitted to Digg were copy-and-pastes of articles from somewhere else.

saying vbseo caused you to lose traffic from digg is completely wrong..
without You posting I guess 30 post in 3 days, or 10 post in 3 days w/e it was, is Why you where banned.. Not vbseo ;)

Hopefully you'll learn from this and can move on :)

Why is vbseo included in thread title ?

Because it's never a spammers fault. They are just missunderstood.

Staff should remove the vBSEO part. It's not fair to an innocent party.

Since he is claiming it is the fault of vBSEO in this whole thread, the name vBSEO is a significant part of this discussion. I have reworded the title though.

I just read this thread and after seeing that you took the liberty to digg your own forum rules, how did you NOT expect to be considered a spammer? I too would have dropped you.

I never used that site, but I did take the time to see what it was about after seeing this thread. You DID spam. Your goal was to advertise your site. If you were going to spam that site the way you did, you should have applied some common sense in the process. Posting 30 times in a day, all aimed at YOUR site, is easily noticeable. Perhaps you should have limited your spam links to maybe 5 a day. Then you would have at least gotten some publicity without the risk of being spammed. You should have also avoided such useless diggs like your forum rules. That just made everything apparent to anyone paying attention.

Quality posts being dugg are one thing, useless posts being dugg gain unneeded attention and you drew it all on yourself.

I know you may not agree with what I am saying and you can pretend that you were not trying to self promote in the manner it is being called out (spam), but perhaps you should step back and look at it from an unbiased perspective.

vBSEO, just as some stand alone hacks available here on vBulletin.org (Example: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=119678 ), only adds a link to Digg.com (optionally), so it is in no way vBSEO's fault. How those links are used is up to the admin/users of the individual site.

nice one :D

Haha! That made me chuckle. :p

MARKETPROFITS -- hate to break it to ya, but you sound snobby / bitter for what had happened to your website. Digg has every right to blacklist your website/forums.

Ha, here he is agreeing with himself like nobody would notice it's the same guy who Dugg it in the first place...
http://digg.com/gadgets/Data_Protect...o_Hand_In_Hand

Other than you spamming your site ? I'd of dropped your bum too.

Wow, so many posts.

Well, my site isn't exactly blacklisted, it is just banned.
I created another account at Digg.com, totally different screen name and wrote a blog catered to the Digg.com "crowd-mentality" and it has already been "dugg" twice. Coincidentally, my forum's url was also listed on the excellent indirect advertising piece that I wrote and what do you know? I receive traffic and sign-ups! Apparently, my piece was really good and my forum's url is not the issue. The issue is with the user name "Market Profits."

I submitted my new piece with my new digg screen name because the old one is "burned." I hate changing screen names, don't you?

And my account at Digg.com is not banned either. I chose to create another one for my own success.

Apparently, when Digg receives multiple submissions from a single source that are subsequently "labeled" spam, their system automatically blocks the originating site.

And did I get caught doing anything wrong? Of course I didn't! Everything I did is questionable, but it is within guidelines.

Am I bitter? Not exactly. I'm only amazed at how digg relies on the subjectivity of a member to determine what spam is. Talk about an advanced method. Not like advanced calculations and algorithms.

Did I use vbseo correctly? Hard to say, but I do know that I didn't use it incorrectly.

And as far as I know, anyone who signs up at Digg.com has the liberty to Digg anything they want.

But, it is better to digg something in politics and attacking someone, as the Digg members prefer this type of "write-ups."

I wrote one just for them and bingo, it was a success. Here's to catering to Digg.com while indirectly plugging my forum! ;)

Thanks vbseo, for the extra traffic and sign-ups.
Thanks to all of you for your wonderful feedback!

Cheers.
The world is a better place.

If you'd put half the effort into community and content building that you put into spamming you would have no need to spam other sites in the first place.

When I agree with myself or comment on my own thing, it is not intended to "boost the article."

It is intended to get people like you to look at me in the infinity of the internet.

And judging from your comment, I did my part!
Consequently, my threads were in "excess" (If there is such a thing) at Digg, and members thought it was spam.

Believe me, I'm working on that.

And, I haven't spammed. :)

Excuse me, can you remove the word "spamming" from the title, as I did not do that nor did I even say that.

All I did was submit an excess amount of links, thank you very much. You're not really helping much by using the word "spamming."

The only thing to learn from this has already been posted.

I do believe this was addressed at the vbseo forum.
Here is the thread, it is aptly titled, vbseo user/buyer beware.

Go read it:)

Can I use this as my site intro? Or as a new page header? Perhaps as a random quote...?

It sounds so cool and yet nobody has a clue what your talking about.

there is no "buyer beware" of vbseo.

you spammed your site, you could of done it without vbseo ;) there was a hack in this thread posted to add social bookmarks.

you tried to digg your own Rules ?? Come on bud,, you are totally at fault here and everyone here agree's

Here u go
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/infinity

Now you will know what I mean.:)

I personally hate spammers who have no respect for other people's sites and think that the web is their playground to freely do what they wish, then they complain when they get busted at it.

Instead of being a man about it and saying "Yes I was wrong, you have the audacity to flame or sarcasticly comment people for stating what is factual. Perhaps you are still in too young a mind frame to comprehend that you were in the wrong and no one is at fault except for yourself and your display of lack of common sense and/or better judgement. There are many ways to draw traffic to your site and one should never resort to multiple postings / spamming.

Would you honestly like it if some one went into your site and did the same thing?

All I am saying is instead of coming in here, argueing with these good members and complain why you were banned due to your spamming. Be a man and respect other people's sites rather than flood them up with spam to get some traffic to your own site.

Wow, you personally hate spammers who have no respect.

Obviously, you don't hate me because I don't spam and I respect all!

Anywho, I'm back on Digg.com.

I'm a dynamic ip and my forum's url has "magicially" changed.

Viola! Presto-chango.

But you can beat I learned to "cater to the Digg.com mentality!

All my write-ups serving as indirect advertisements for me will make them melt and will hit them at a subconscious level! Gotta make things happen in the privacy of their minds;)!

Toodles!

It always amazes me how other bing in masculinity into this, when 9 times out of 10, I'm packing more in my pants than any one of you!:D

Is this guy for real?

Why wouldn't I be real?

Oh wait, I'm actually a well-written mod that types witty remarks and stirs up controversy on vb.org.


Would that be real then?:)

That would be far less damaging to my view of humanity, yes.

Please make me believe that you are not being serious in this topic...