[Adam_8287]

I've been hearing about alot of bands using Friend Bots to promote themselves on myspace lately. In fact, my friend's band booked a tour with the help of a bot. I was just wondering if anyone had experience with them? I'm thinking about getting one for my band.

I've heard of people getting banned for using them also, is that just a myth?

[bobthecockroach]

I would think that would fall squarely under the category of spam.

[tht00]

Originally Posted by bobthecockroach

I would think that would fall squarely under the category of spam.

Agreed.

Plus, spam tends to leave a negative impression on me. I quickly loose respect for companies that attempt to sell products by invading my personal space.

[thesteve]

FWIW,

YFB does not randomly invite people...maybe we should so we can get a huge friends list. We do accept random invites, but I also monitor the comments that we receive and delete the purely spam ones from bands I know nothing about. I also deny just about every random band that tries to add my personal account.

Do they work in getting lots of friends?...sure. Could they help you get shows and on tours?...sure. Do I respect bands that use them?...not really. Can you get banned for them?...I believe so, if enough people complain about it.

[Adam_8287]

Originally Posted by thesteve

FWIW,

YFB does not randomly invite people...maybe we should so we can get a huge friends list. We do accept random invites, but I also monitor the comments that we receive and delete the purely spam ones from bands I know nothing about. I also deny just about every random band that tries to add my personal account.

Do they work in getting lots of friends?...sure. Could they help you get shows and on tours?...sure. Do I respect bands that use them?...not really. Can you get banned for them?...I believe so, if enough people complain about it.

Why do you not respect bands that use them? I can see what you mean but lets face it...myspace is huge and to not take advantage of that seems silly. You said it yourself, it can help with shows and tours. Is it any different than bands standing outside of shows handing out fliers promoting themself?
The way I see it, if people don't want friend requests from bands, there's a way to block of them in their setting and they should use that.

[bobthecockroach]

Originally Posted by Adam_8287

Why do you not respect bands that use them? I can see what you mean but lets face it...myspace is huge and to not take advantage of that seems silly. You said it yourself, it can help with shows and tours. Is it any different than bands standing outside of shows handing out fliers promoting themself?

It's different because you don't have to take the fliers. It's more comparable to coming back to your car after shopping and finding fliers on the windshield. Whenever I find fliers on my windshield, I make a note of what company was so incredibly annoying, tear the thing up, and avoid the company if at all possible.

The way I see it, if people don't want friend requests from bands, there's a way to block of them in their setting and they should use that.

Yes, you could block them, but then you wouldn't get ones you DO want.

Question: Do you use spam filters on your email? Why? People are just taking advantage of the size of the internet. Wouldn't it be silly to not take advantage of that? After all, you can just block all email from unknown senders.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by Adam_8287

Why do you not respect bands that use them? I can see what you mean but lets face it...myspace is huge and to not take advantage of that seems silly. You said it yourself, it can help with shows and tours. Is it any different than bands standing outside of shows handing out fliers promoting themself?
The way I see it, if people don't want friend requests from bands, there's a way to block of them in their setting and they should use that.

The reason I don't respect it is because it's lazy. Like I said, I could sit on myspace and farm other people's friends lists for more friends. I just don't like that idea because it seems so impersonal and solicitational. To me it's the same as when a promoter randomly sends a myspace message with a cut and paste message about how your band should sign up for some contest that will cost $50 but could give huge rewards.

I also see it as being totally different than when bands stand outside of shows and promote themselves because that takes effort and it allows the receiver to interact with the band itself. The random myspace friend request just seems really cold and lifeless to me. Honestly, with me, sending a short message about why I should add a band goes a long way.

It wouldn't surprise me if I'm part of a small minority, and perhaps my mindset or priorities will shift and my business aspect will overtake my social aspect and I'll really get into adding a ton of random people to my band's friend page.

Also, good points Bob...here on CGR when someone spams we ignore the post and a mod deletes it. Currently I feel that if I was to use myspace to spam my band, I'd be no better than the email spammers and CGR spammers that I loathe.

[bobthecockroach]

Originally Posted by thesteve

It wouldn't surprise me if I'm part of a small minority

It would surprise me. People in general don't seem to like spam.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by bobthecockroach

It would surprise me. People in general don't seem to like spam.

yeah...but it seems like alot of myspace bands love to spam people. My wife gets a ton of friends requests from bands compared to me. I think it's because she's friends with Switchfoot and a couple other major label bands and smaller bands tend to farm the friends pages of big name bands.

EDIT: I feel like I should add this as well. I look at myspace as a personal reflection of who I am and how I want YFB to be represented. I see alot of bands that are friends with the popular myspace "whores" (I can't think of a better term) like Tila Tequila, Cherie Roberts, and Forbidden. While I'm not super picky about accepting or denying random adds on the YFB myspace, I know that those three (and others like them) are users that I go out of my why not to add.

To me it's completely different to add an everyday person who holds beliefs different than my own. I know there's at least one Wiccan who's friends with YFB. However, I also feel that adding people like the ones I listed in the previous paragraph only goes to taint the clean, wholesome and fun image of YFB that I want to portray.

[Adam_8287]

Originally Posted by bobthecockroach

It's different because you don't have to take the fliers. It's more comparable to coming back to your car after shopping and finding fliers on the windshield. Whenever I find fliers on my windshield, I make a note of what company was so incredibly annoying, tear the thing up, and avoid the company if at all possible.

Yes, you could block them, but then you wouldn't get ones you DO want.

Question: Do you use spam filters on your email? Why? People are just taking advantage of the size of the internet. Wouldn't it be silly to not take advantage of that? After all, you can just block all email from unknown senders.

IMO people should want to be friends with my band. I'm not cocky, but I'm confident in our abilities and if people aren't blocking friend requests from bands then I think it's safe for me to assume they want to hear about new bands via myspace.

Yes I use spam filters. Those spam emails are different though. For the most part, they advertise offers that have hidden catches and are shady. My band plays music...nothing deceiving about that.


I've been doing alot more thinking about this and here's what I've come up with. I know my band's target audience is mostly the myspace scenesters. As much as I believe music is an art, music is also a business...I need to make money to be able to keep my band going. While there may be a number of people with ethical problems with adding random people, alot of people (mainly the afore-mentioned scenesters) don't have a problem with it.

I didn't really intend for this to become an ethics discussion. I more-so meant to ask for opinions on programs and whether it would get my band's account deleted.

[bobthecockroach]

Hint: Read that long, boring document called Terms and Conditions that you said you agreed to when you signed up.

[thesteve]

You're really asking the wrong people. You need to get a copy of the Myspace Terms of Agreement to see whether or not it is acceptable.
http://www.myspace.com/Modules/Commo...onditions.aspx

I did find this, from the above site:

Content/Activity Prohibited. The following is a partial list of the kind of Content that is illegal or prohibited to post on or through the MySpace Services. MySpace.com reserves the right to investigate and take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in MySpace.com's sole discretion, violates this provision, including without limitation, removing the offending communication from the MySpace Services and terminating the Membership of such violators. Prohibited Content includes, but is not limited to Content that, in the sole discretion of MySpace.com:

...

9. involves the transmission of "junk mail," "chain letters," or unsolicited mass mailing, instant messaging, "spimming," or "spamming";

Also...

The following is a partial list of the kind of activity that is illegal or prohibited on the MySpace Website and through your use of the MySpace Services. MySpace.com reserves the right to investigate and take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in MySpace.com's sole discretion, violates this provision, including without limitation, reporting you to law enforcement authorities. Prohibited activity includes, but is not limited to:

...

4. any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to add friends or send comments or messages;

So the answer is...

it's against the Myspace TOS and thus could get your account deleted.

[bobthecockroach]

That is... if someone reports it.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by bobthecockroach

That is... if someone reports it.

indeed...additionally, from reading the TOS it seems like a gross (which I think scripting usually qualifies as) violation can result in more than just an account deletion, but also in some criminal/civil action.

[bobthecockroach]

No wai, you mean thingz on the internet can be illegal?