On what may very well bring the death of the Book Blogs Ning

[Maw Books]

SPAM! Lots and lots of spam.

[Froggarita]

go to settings on the right under inbox...click settings..it takes you to another page...on the left click email....pick the ones you want to keep and uncheck those you don't....then save...it should stop the emails. :)

http://froggaritavillesbookcase.blogspot.com/

[Maw Books]

That's the point. Everybody I know doesn't subscribe to anything on the ning anymore.

I've stopped subscribing to everything but the two groups I moderate and even then I have to ban members and delete comments. It's getting ridiculous.

Since when did it become okay for authors/bloggers to spam forums rather than contribute to a conversation. There is such a thing as forum etiquette and many bloggers/authors just don't get it.

*end rant*

[Karoline]

I merely delete the duplicate posts. The ones that annoy me are the ones that post to all the groups they're in even though it has nothing to do with that particular group (ie: posting about a contest in EVERY group they're in) I'm sure there are groups where it's only contest/giveaway related...

[Deborah]

and the thing with a lot of the contest posts...many of these contests are available for anyone to giveaway on their blog, plus get review copies for their own selves. so it's like preaching to choir.

[Joana]

Oh so true. It annoys me to check my email and see seven or so emails from one person and they're all about a giveaway or contest that they did. It especially annoys me when they're posted to groups they don't even relate to. And when they're giveaways that were sponsored by book group or author here on this group, well, I can't really see the point of spamming everyone. After all, the publisher is bound to make a post listing all of the sites and the dates they participate in the book tour. And for those that don't, then it would make sense to post about it to only relevant groups and even then it shouldn't be more than two or three for politeness sake.

[Tricia]

I agree. I have sent polite warning emails to those who have participated in this kind of activity. It hits my inbox too!

[Sheila DeChantal]

Is there a way that those who moderate Ning to ban those who do this? Can there be any rules when you are a member of Book Blogs that you could have your membership terminated for such things like spam posting?

I really enjoy many of the groups here and have met some wonderful bloggers because of this but I know what you mean.... I have to empty my email several times a day from duplicate postings by the same people in many group pages.

[Maw Books]

Yes. Moderators can delete all comments made in their group and ban members. I've just started to do this with the groups that I moderate. Ask your group owner to start doing this. They are the ones that need to crack down and make their groups enjoyable for its members.

[Harvee Lau]

What do you mean by spam? Is notifying groups of a book review you've posted considered spam? I hope not!

[Jaime Huff]

I think that is one of the things they are considering to be spam. The posting in every group about reviews and giveaways.

I think banning them right out the gate is pretty harsh. Many, myself, included were just doing what was thought to be acceptable. Maybe doing a sticky and sending an email detailing that it is not acceptable behavior on this site. Give them at least a head's up.

[Harvee Lau]

Would definitely love to have the rules up, as yes, I thought book review notices were okay, not by email but by posts on groups you're a member of. Would a group like Dedicated Book Reviewers, for instance, not be interested in new reviews posted by everyone? What do you all think?

[Maw Books]

If somebody is subscribed to the group, they will get an email. So if you tell the five groups that you are a member of about your book review and I happen to also be in those groups, then I'll get five emails. Also, many members also use the "email entire group" option to link to their reviews or talk about their book.

But a group like Dedicated Book Reviewers probably would be interested. I consider it spam when a posting is not on topic nor contributes to the conversation in the group. So if a giveaway is posted in the Blogging Tips group, then yes I'm annoyed.