My video is: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkpjcf8NCKc

Phil

The other thing I though was strange was the attack on the Carsonified team’s integrity. By the way thank you for the Webster’s definition of integrity. Can you also give me the Webster’s definition of Twitter as well? Carsonified is one of the few people out there openly and honestly sharing their experiences to better the online Web 2.0 community. If you don’t take value from Ryan’s openness that does not mean you have to personally attack the man’s integrity.

Anyways Ryan and the Carsonified crew keep doing what you guys do!

While I don’t agree with the tone of the negative feedback here, I think there are some very good insights that would be wise to listen to. This is the essence of being “user” centric rather than “principle” centric. If users don’t like it … it is a problem. I don’t think there is a problem with integrity here, just creativity. It seems that a better viral campaign could be arrived at.

I really admire your continued transparency by allowing open discussion here. It makes your blog fun to visit and provides valuable lessons for people trying to learn.

@Ryan – So what I should do is unfollow everyone I have hitherto been enjoying tweeting with because of this relentless spam? It has everything to do with users because it’s their feeds/phones/pages that are getting cluttered with this inane copy and paste job. That is the point you are missing.

Like winning free tickets? Or perhaps commenting six times on the same blog post?

Secondly, some debate I can understand, it’s one of the reasons I love the Carsonified blog, but the brazen level of self righteous comments is not only hilariously myopic, it is just embarrassing. I love PJ’s, “I’m just gonna take my ball and go home” blurb. Really? Carsonified has a history of producing quality events, providing great information to developers and designers everywhere (on this blog as well as ThinkVitamin), and developing a couple solid apps (that I use all the time) in DropSend and Matt BUT this one little one day Twitter contest that you don’t agree with will cause you to dismiss all that and insinuate that Carsonified is somehow a company that lacks integrity. Wow, that is one sad, precipitous leap in logic.

@Tom – Is it just me, or does it seem a *little* extreme to say that this competition is making the world a worse place?

Regardless, I don’t find this to be particularly creative, as Facebook apps such as “zombies” or “vampires” demonstrated months ago (and pyramid schemes before them), and is extremely intrusive to those unfortunate enough to have Twitter connections who tweet for free tickets. I mean, sure you can unfollow them after the fact, but you have to have a marketing message in your feed first.

I wonder how it would go down if people who didn’t like this campaign forwarded all the re-tweets to the @spam user on Twitter?

Even if you may or may not agree with the principal of Twitter and what they have chosen, 29 blog posts in 4 hours and probably thousands of twitter people visiting their pages, it has been an
effective marketing tool to drive traffic.

You may now continue with the twitter debate.

Ouch! Low puch!

The whole point of Twitter is that you only see Tweets from people you *want* to follow. If they choose to tweet something, it’s completely up to them and has very little to do with you. You can unfollow if you choose.

And that is why I don’t follow you any more, Ryan.

You’re wholeheartedly missing the point. Just because we as Twitter users have the ability to unfollow somebody who is behaving antisocially by spamming around these links doesn’t free you from culpability in encouraging the spam in the first place. That’s what integrity (or the lack of) is about, not simply being “honest and open”.

It seems like almost everything you guys do is a mis-step these days.

I’m not sure why some of you are calling our integrity into question. “Integrity” means being open and honest. The proposition is simple: Tweet a phrase if you want to enter a competition for a free ticket. Don’t want to enter, don’t tweet.

I’m happy to be wrong here, but I just don’t understand your point.

The whole point of Twitter is that you only see Tweets from people you *want* to follow. If they choose to tweet something, it’s completely up to them and has very little to do with you. You can unfollow if you choose.

Relax people, everyone makes mistakes!

This competition lacks creativity, and encouraging people to spam via twitter doesn’t exactly scream integrity.

Plus, you’re not even guaranteeing a ticket to those who successfuly get 20 retweets?

Nil point.

Come on people i think you should take it with the fun it intended!

As a wise man once said;

“Chill your beans!”

It’s also quite amusing that a number of people on your blogroll, who’s opinions i assume you respect, also think this is a terrible idea.

I think it’s bad for much the same reason other pyramid schemes and regular spam is bad, and that it manages to combine some of the elements of both.

I don’t think the quality (or even non-existence) of people’s websites has anything to do with whether it’s a good idea or not. Having a shiny website is not an indicator of superior moral character nor does the lack of one render criticism invalid.