SPAM or not?
@camomom (7535)
United States
January 18, 2010 8:38pm CST
If you received the following private message on Facebook from a friend, would you consider it SPAM?
[b]I'm just trying to get all my Facebook friends' contact info for my business (or just to chat). If you are interested, please send me your email address. If you decide at a later date that you no longer wish to receive info about my business, you can unsubscribe at any time.
Thank you,
R*****
P.S. If I already have it, please disregard this message.[/b]
Apparently, some people even consider a note like this from someone on their friends list, whom they willingly excepted as a friend, to be spam. I personally do not. If I were getting a message like this, I would be grateful that they asked for the info instead of just taking the info from my profile page. (Which has happened to me)
What do you think?
3 people like this
8 responses
@johndur (3052)
• Pasig, Philippines
19 Jan 10
whenever i get those kinds of messages i check first who send it and if i dont know that person i put it in my spam folder and delete it on the coming weekend.because a lot of people junst wanted to add you as a frined just to have some much to see when they are in that site.they were just collecting friends even if they dont really mean to be befriend you.
@camomom (7535)
• United States
19 Jan 10
It was from me to my friends. They do know me. It wasn't to strangers. I wasn't trying to add friends to my list. They are already my friends. I don't have some of their email address's so I was asking for them and also at the same time, asking if they would be interested in getting more info about my business.
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
20 Jan 10
I know spam when I see it and this isn't spam, camo. I know there are viruses out there that will cause spam emails to be sent out to everyone on a person's list but it takes a good friend to realize what is real and what isn't. Your just asking for addy's from friends, like you said, for business or just chat. Nothing wrong with it in my eyes.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
15 Feb 10
We was this close and didn't even know it....lol Hello blackbriar..
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
14 Feb 10
Your welcome!
hmmmmmmmm.......I don't recall ever receiving this message so I'm guessing we aren't friends? 
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
20 Jan 10
I have had private messages asking for my information..some I have given it to some I have not. I guess it would all depend on if I knew the person or if I had talked to them before about their business and wasn't interested.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
15 Feb 10
Yeah that can be hard. Some people are insulting and disrespectful which you would think for their ages they would know better and be kinder.
if they weren't interested they shouldn't have responded at all or just said thank you but no..no reason for them to get mean about it and insulting.
....Wow this is my first post since the new change...wow..I love that I can view the other response..makes it a whole lot easier then trying to remember what all was said..
if they weren't interested they shouldn't have responded at all or just said thank you but no..no reason for them to get mean about it and insulting.....Wow this is my first post since the new change...wow..I love that I can view the other response..makes it a whole lot easier then trying to remember what all was said..@camomom (7535)
• United States
14 Feb 10
These are people that I had not talked to about my business before but they are on my friends list. I sent a private message asking people that ARE interested to send me their info. I wasn't forcing it on anyone and only sent it once. I didn't push the issue with anyone. I wasn't offended by the people that weren't interested. I was offended by the rudeness of the few that made the insulting comments.
@joyceshookery (2057)
• United States
19 Jan 10
I'd consider it spam. I wouldn't be happy with the person approaching me in that manner. It's okay if an online friend approaches me about looking at their business but a more personalized approach would get a better reaction from me.
@camomom (7535)
• United States
19 Jan 10
Everyone has their own opinion, I guess.
My opinion is that SPAM is getting unwanted mail/email/messages without permission. This message was asking for permission from people that were interested in the business.
It was also a message to be able to chat with friends outside of an online socializing site.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
22 Jan 10
I think that they asked politely first and you have the right to say no or to say you can have it but for personal use only. It's not as if they were pushing referral links at you or trying to sell you something.
But I'm assuming you know the person a little bit. If they just added you as a friend and right away sent this, I'd be suspicious.
@camomom (7535)
• United States
14 Feb 10
I sent it to my friends on facebook. To the one's that I didn't already have their email address's. I only asked once and didn't push the issue. I was simply asking if any of them would like to give me their info for my business or for personal use. I did not get offended by the one's that said no. I was offended by a couple people that were very rude and nasty about it, accusing me of being a spammer. I did not send any kind of referral link or anything like that. I was trying to avoid spamming anyone by asking for their info to send them "wanted" info about my business outside of facebook.
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
19 Jan 10
It is the same on other sites. I think it is just however a person percieved the email. If they see it as junk mail then it is spam and if they find it something of value then it isn't. I never recieved one of these but you are not the first person to refer to it. I wish her well in her indeavors.
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
20 Jan 10
Well, I am sorry you had a problem with it. I don't know how else to get the info across. People can be nasty though can't they dear? That's one reason I am glad I have to put up with many anymore.
@camomom (7535)
• United States
20 Jan 10
I sent it to some of my friends and a couple people got p1ssed about it. I think of SPAM as sending out unwanted info. I was asking for email address's of people that ARE interested in my business so that I wouldn't be clogging up everyone's facebook pages with unwanted info. I do NOT consider that SPAM. I do see your point but they could have simply said no thanks or ignored it instead of handling it the way they did.
1 person likes this
@camomom (7535)
• United States
19 Jan 10
That's how I see it too. In my opinion, sending them unwanted business info would be SPAM. I did not do that. I simply asked for their info so I could send them info, IF they were interested in it and so I could chat with them outside of Facebook. That to me is NOT SPAM. Thank you very much!
@glords (2614)
• United States
20 Jan 10
Some people are very selective about who they friend on facebook where as others friend every person that sends them a request. I guess it would depend on who you accept as friends to determine if its spam or just a nice request. I wouldn't consider it spam if I got it from one of my facebook friends, but I'm perhaps a little more selective then some. I do turn friend requests down. For me facebook is for my friends and family... and those who have the potential of becoming one of the two.
@camomom (7535)
• United States
14 Feb 10
I understand where you're coming from but if the person is on your friends list you should take it as a request, in my opinion. I wouldn't be offended if i accepted a friends request and then someone sent me a message like that. I would just kindly respond saying if i were interested or not.
