It amazes me how many people use a social media site like Twitter to attempt to sell products in the most blatant and obnoxious ways possible.

Here's the way it works. Most private citizens have friends they keep up with using Twitter. They can set their preferences to allow only approved individuals to sign up to follow them. The trouble is this can be genuinely annoying. At some point this individual decides to avoid the hassle and allows his or her Twitter postings to be followed by anyone.

This is where online marketers with less scruples than the Grinch at Christmas begin signing up to follow individuals. They may have dozens, hundreds or even a few thousand people they are following, but no one seems to be following them.

What is happening is that every time they sign up to follow someone Twitter sends out an email to that individual letting them know they have a new follower. The person signing up is unknown to the individual so they naturally click on the link associated with the new follower. The only items listed in the profile are a name, a seductive photo and a description that should generally not be read. Oh, there is also a link that takes the unsuspecting to places they had no intention of going.

This concept also plays out for pharmaceuticals and other marketed items that seem especially prone to spamming techniques.

Twitter can be an effective means of marketing, but the above scenario leaves a bad taste in the mouths of those who receive the email they are being followed. In most cases the recipient will respond by banning the user from following them. They don't want to be associated with anyone whose sole purpose seems to be sending junk. The end result is thousands of annoyed Twitter users.

This social media outlet allows you to summarize blog posts and include a link to good information. It can allow you to find and point out information that may be of value to your followers. You can be human and still find accepted ways to bring people to your site without the perception of spam.

Every time a valid idea for online marketing is abused it becomes another burnt bridge. At some point there becomes very few options for effectively marketing a product when you deal in spam.

It is even possible that you have heard from others that this is a potent way to get people to visit your website. The proof, I suppose, is that your site will find a number of individuals visiting your link. Ultimately they will likely leave without making a purchase and they will not be back.

When you look at this from a long-term perspective you begin to see that there is no redeeming value to getting someone to visit your website under false pretenses.

You can find ways to make I work, but use Twitter responsibly.