Note: Some of the content referred to in this post features language that ranges from “foul” to “not quite a bad word, but still may cause the butthurt in certain individuals.” If you are prone to butthurt due to language you deem inappropriate, please skip this post and come back next week when I (probably) won’t be asking you if you’re a douchebag or not. K? K!

Once upon a time, a woman named Snipe created a website. That website is called www.SocialMediaDouchebag.net, and it’s hilarious. The impetus behind the site isn’t actually what I want to talk about tonight, but if you’re interested in what inspired her to do it, you can read about it on her website, Snipe.net.

Anyway, go ‘head and click the link, read it, and then come back here.

If you’ve ever wondered what people that aren’t into Internet marketing or affiliate marketing think of some of the more common practices involved in same, then you now have your answer. Snipe lists quite a few things that scream “douchebag” to her (and many others). Here’s a random sampling:

• Inconsistently capitalized Words




• Blinking/scrolling text




• Arbitrary, fictitious “expiration” date set to one day after today’s date, no matter what today’s date is




• Unnecessary use of “quotes” (being sure to make them “smartquotes”, so they can’t copy+paste correctly.)




• “Personal” guarantees, as if you’re supposed to feel better because some anonymous internet fucktard puts their ethics on the line




• Random text that is underlined but not a link




• Use of “Certified” Twitter Expert/Coach/etc. (Hint – no such freaking thing.)

Heh. It’s funny ‘cos it’s true.

If you look at the site and read the full list of things she used to create it, you’ll recognize a few things I’ve talked about here before, such as what not to do when designing a website, or the importance of good grammar, spelling, and not being annoying.

And more than that, you’ll immediately recognize the page design and writing style she employed, because these are things that Internet marketers have been utilizing for ages now. The big red headlines, the fake testimonials, the meaningless guarantees – it’s all been done to death. And if you think it hasn’t been done to death and those techniques will keep working indefinitely, then I’m sorry, but you’re wrong.

Why? Easy: if people that AREN’T marketers are getting to the point that they can easily spot out the cliches nowadays, then we’ve begun to reach saturation. And that means it’s time to start changing things up a bit.

Sites like Twitter and Facebook can be hugely effective resources for the affiliate marketer, but as these things become more popular, the old tricks are necessarily going to have to fall by the wayside in favor of other, better techniques. As users become more familiar with how the Internet works, they’re also becoming more jaded when it comes to advertising methods. In short, people are becoming a lot more savvy.

To avoid being labeled a douchebag, you’ve got to be proactive and make sure you’re not engaging in the practices that make you look like one. While some of these practices will still work on the average user, it’s important for those of us that move in niches with a more Internet savvy demographic to take heed and beware, as I’ve also pointed out before. Snipe herself is not an Internet marketer, but she does work in the tech field at a business innovation agency in NYC, which places her solidly in the “savvy” column, for lack of a better term. She’s a bit ahead of the curve, and as I’ve said before, with a demographic like that, you have to adjust your marketing style accordingly, or it just won’t work.

And yet… while it is true that today’s average user isn’t probably as aware of what’s going on as someone like Snipe is, the day IS coming when they will be just as savvy. For proof, look no further than any of the job ad pages for any city on CraigsList. They begin by warning users not to mistake an “affiliate scam” posting for an actual job ad, and that means anyone reading that page is now aware that “affiliates” exist when they might never have heard the word before in this context. And due to the connotations of the warning, that means their first impression is that affiliates are somehow bad guys.

The problem is that not all affiliates are scammers (just as not all scammers are affiliates). Some are, but not all of them. I mean, you’re not one, right? But if you’re employing the techniques that make you look less than trustworthy, your visitors aren’t going to know the difference, and that means it’s time to start setting ourselves apart from the bad practices by implementing good practices.

In conclusion, if you’re not a social media douchebag right now, good for you. Keep it up. If you ARE a social media douchebag (with or without realizing it), then it may be time to step back, take stock and start preparing for a shift in your methods, because even if they’re working right now, they won’t always, and you’ll need to be ready with a new plan to put into action when the time comes. As the Internet evolves, so too must we evolve, or we’re basically Internet shooting our Internet selves in the Internet foot.

Stay tuned for Monday evening’s post, because I’m going to offer some suggestions on how NOT to be a douchebag on Twitter and beyond.