could you be "that kind" and not even know it. By that guy, I mean the one who has been spamming all of his connections thinking you were providing a great service to your followers. You may very well have fantastic deals and deals, but you need more tact with your social media strategy than just tweeting out the week’s coupon catalogue. There is a big difference between a smart comment on a blog and direct spam. Do you know where you fall on the spectrum?

Most people will appreciate comments and posts that stimulate conversation or have some educational value, but you’ll alienate your audience even more if you start (and continue) spamming. If you’re not sure if you’re a spammer or not, here are some black-and-white examples of social media spam that you should avoid at all costs:

1. You are being too promotional. You may think that searching websites, forums, Facebook groups, and other online conversations to post the same promotional comment with a link to your landing page is a great idea. I don’t know about you, but I have never clicked on an ad that says "See how you can earn $1000 a DAY ON TWITTER NOW!" Not only do I honestly question your ability to make money online with this strategy, but there is no chance of me or anyone else clicking on it and buying your product.

So is it acceptable to post your sales page for a product on a forum that seems relevant to your industry? Let me tell you this… you’ll get a lot more clout with readers and moderators if you actually post useful information instead of an announcement.

2. You are being too promotional. Instead of constantly failing to mention your new product, website, or business, try providing great solutions to people’s problems to increase your "expert" status and attract people organically to your website.

Most social networking sites and forums offer the option to click on a bio or profile associated with your post, so put your information there instead of in the comments section, but double check to make sure you always is following the rules and regulations of that particular site so that you don’t get removed once you post something. If you’re posting on a forum, most forums don’t allow link posting for this very reason.

3. You are being too promotional. You might be that person who follows the rules for a while until you start spouting those one-liners that get you in trouble. "Hey guys, if you’re the 1000th visitor to my site, you’ll win an iPad! Hurry up and go now!" not great

Don’t waste any hard-earned credibility you could have earned on a forum or with these types of social media spam practices. You will end up driving away all the people who started reading your posts and start trusting you. Be honest and real!