Way back in the day of Twitter (circa 2008, that is) a direct message was a good way to start a conversation and connect with a new follower. At the time, I thought they were an invaluable tool for driving traffic to a website and starting a flow of communication.

Then it all changed.

Twitter reached a level of mainstream popularity usually reserved for pop stars like Britney Spears (450,824 followers) and Ryan Seacrest (164,721 followers). These days, Twitter is no longer a mid-sized social community comprised of people with similar interests. Now it’s an exploding social movement full of spammers, bandwagoners, opportunists and other forms of social sleaze.

The new Twitter users quickly realized auto direct messages could be used to drive quick and easy website traffic. Everyone (and their mother, brother, sister, aunt and uncle twice removed) started using them. And it’s always the same message. It’s like the Twitter universe formed a committee and had a secret meeting where they all agreed on a standardized format for direct messages. Salutation and thanks. Insert short pitch followed by website link.

So it’d look something like this:
(sorry Retireat21, but it’s time to kill your auto direct message program)

If you’re even a moderate Twitter user, you’ve no doubt seen this lousy excuse for social media interaction. I’d say that 90% of the direct messages I receive are chock full of this junk. The Twitter direct message has become the equivalent of a pop-up banner ad or spam e-mail.

So this is my call to end the use of auto-generated direct messages. Really, any direct message link spam for that matter. If I see that you’re a valuable Twitter contributor, I’ll click on a link you provide in your Twitter stream. I will not, however, under any circumstance click a link you send me through an auto generated direct message.

For those of you employing this tactic, just stop. Take it from someone who used to partake - it’s not worth it, and it’s a surefire way to upset and anger the very people you should be interacting with. No one likes to be bombarded with irrelevant messages or advertising. You’ll be ignored, hated, and will miss out on the most valuable product of social media use - social interaction.

Will you join me in my quest?