People,

I am sure you've heard of social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us.
You can now upload your bookmarks on a third party site to host your bookmarks so you can have access to your bookmarks from any part of the world when you are away from your home computer. No need to rush back to your computer to find your bookmarks saved by your web browser. Now, that is an honest service.
But look, how marketers and your competitions can take advantage of your traffic and visitors.
No doubt, a lot of your visitors would bookmark your pages on their browsers and not leave their contact details with you. They may forget your page that they bookmarked and buy from your competition. To remind them about your page which they bookmarked, you'd now have to keyword search for your links and get results presented by the SB which reveal to you:

  1. Which of your links got bookmarked; (This is market research for you as it tells which of your products are publicly popular).
  2. What keywords were used to bookmark your pages; (This is keywords research for you).
  3. Who bookmarked your links; (You can now see if that person has made you an order or not and if not then you can PM him/her through the SB).

As you can see, the SB help you find leads, get market research and keywords research. So far so good.
Infact, the SB would reveal likewise infos about your competitions. Now, you can snare your competitions visitors and bookmarkers with tempting offers so they buy from you and not your competitions who they bookmarked. So far, so GREAT!

But hey presto! Your competitions can do the same on you. They can learn who your visitors are and which of your products they've been bookmarking and they can contact these visitors of your's with better offers than the ones your bookmarked pages were offering and snare them away from you. And all this, thanks to the SB!
Legally, can you not SUE the SB for revealing who your visitors are to the public (that includes your competitions) ?
I know, .exe and .php etc. bots exist to harvest leads in this manner from SBs. Their job is to find their users (your competitions) leads (your visitors and potential customers). So, in a sense, these SBs and bots sell out your visitors to your competitions. They reveal sensitive data about your website and business to the public. Thus damage your business. Can you not sue the SB and the bots for doing this ?
How come there have been no quarrels regarding this issue ? (Issue on selling one's visitors and potential customers to their competitions). Strange!
What is your opinion on this ?
How can I stop the SBs from revealing my visitors to the public, like they do now ?
(Currently, I don't have a website but when I do, I don't want them revealing to the world who my bookmarkers are).
How would you put an end to them doing the same to you ?

Good topic. Right ? Take precaution in advance before you've even launched. ;)

Recommended Answers

All 18 Replies

I'm seeing a trend in your posts...

I went on that del.icio.us site. No description of what the hell it's all about, just the option to sign in, sign up, or download something. Just so I could respond intelligently, I picked "Sign Up". Result was a form asking for e-mail address, etcetera, which disappeared immediately and was replaced by a blank screen and an ad playing. Again, nothing on screen. Just sound. Which I could only turn off by closing the del.icio.us website tab.

Why would I want anything to do with this website or product? I have to ask you that because they won't tell me in "Who we are", "What we do", and "Why you should buy our product" pages.

As with forced likings, this is a red flag that there is no useful product for me and that I'm the target, not the customer.

As far as stealing my information, I'd say it's pretty much guaranteed. That's what these places do. They collect personal info, track you, sell the data, steal each others' data, and attempt to implant tracking toolbars on my PC.

What am I supposedly getting out of this "social bookmarking" thing again?

How can I stop the SBs from revealing my visitors to the public, like they do now ?

That's YOUR responsibility. Assuming you're running an honest website who cares about your clients' privacy (not sure what's in it for them in the first place. You linked a TERRIBLE site). You put the time and money and skill into keeping your data secure. If you get breached, you're not the only victim. The people who entrusted you to hold their data are. Worry about THEM sueing YOU.

Now, that is an honest service.

Potentially. But I'm skeptical. If it's a "service", I'm certainly not seeing it in your del.icio.us example. Perhaps you have another one?

What's your goal in all this? What industry are you in?

AssertNull,

You state you see a trend in my posts but I don't see you mentioning anything positive about my ideas or were you referring to the fact that I was able to spot a site (in this case del.icio.us) that can be used by marketers to hunt leads ?
I, actually, signed-upto del.icio.us back in 2004 probably, when it first came out but didn't stay with them for too long and forgot about them until recently. I have not re-joined them. That's about the time nearly all social networks came-out. Like MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

I, do see that del.icio.us are not displaying their search box like they used to. On it, you could search for your website links and it would reveal to you how many of their users/members bookmarked your which pages. I guess, they've now taken it inside member area to force you to register.

Nah! You're wrong mate. If SBs reveal to the public domain who my website visitors are then that won't give my visitors or customers or bookmarkers an excuse to sue me. Remember, we websites do not share data with the SBs. It's our visitors, customers, bookmarkers who reveal to the SBs they've been bookmarking our sites. That's how the SBs find-out they are our bookmarkers. SBs then go and reveal to the public this data.
For example, I visit your website, then bookmark it, then upload my bookmarks (along with your link) to the SB. SB then reveals to the public domain all my bookmarks. Reveals that I bookmarked your webpage. Now, you along with your competitions can do a search for your links on the SB and find-out I bookmarked it. Now, you can contact me (your lost visitor) and make me an offer or see your competitions doing this and snaring me away from you.
My question was, couldn't you sue the SB for revealing to the public domain who bookmarked you (who your visitor was that favourited your site) as they gave your competitions (public) to snare your bookmarker away from you ?
I think their defence (SB) would be that, it was your bookmarker who made it public they've bookmarked your website and your website visitors have the right to shout/announce to the public who they visited and LIKED and who not. Freedom of speech.
It's like in the real world. Offline world. If you buy from a shop, let's say, Usa Soft Brand some item and then go to the public on a market hall that has big speakers and shoot your mouth off how you liked their product then you can't sue Usa Soft Brand can you if the public learn you liked their product ? You can't claim they did not protect your privacy as it was you who shot your mouth and not them. You get my point ? I'm answering your comment:

"That's YOUR responsibility. Assuming you're running an honest website who cares about your clients' privacy (not sure what's in it for them in the first place. You linked a TERRIBLE site). You put the time and money and skill into keeping your data secure. If you get breached, you're not the only victim. The people who entrusted you to hold their data are. Worry about THEM sueing YOU.".

And, in my opinion, neither can you or Usa Soft Brand sue the market hall for giving you the microphone to blast to the whole market that you've liked Usa Soft Brand's product. It was you who did the blasting and not the hall. Therefore, the hall is safe from any lawsuit from Usa Soft Brand. I don't think the law would take any action against the hall for handing the microphone to you, either. Though, there is a possibility. In my opinion, it's your consumer freedom of speech to praise or foul mouth (complain) about a brand. And your choice how you do it. You don't get sued for telling the truth about a company's service, if the service is good then the company would be foolish to come and sue you and the hall for revealing to the public that you are their visitor/potential customer/customer. They'll go out of business if they attempt any foolish act like that. Would get bad press.
On the other hand, if you foul mouth them about their horrid service then I guess they can drag you to court and give you a lot of harrassment but you'll win the case at the end because it is your state given right as a consumer to review businesses aslong as the review or complain is not untruthful (or atleast, that's what I reckon).
And so, if in the real world, the hall does not get sued for blasting in the public domain who a certain business' customers/potential customers/visitors are then the same applies to online. Hence, the SBs are safe from any law-suits.
That's my way of thinking and opinion.
What do you people say about my opinion ?
AssertNull, maybe you did not think this deep. You should, if you want to be an online marketer.
I'll tell you what I'm really driving at. I'm not in the least worried about any SB or website revealing who my website visitors are. I'm more into running a site like the SB but at a greater level to start trading one site's vistors to another and make big bucks!
In my original post, I made it look like I was worried about SBs revealing my visitors to my competitions because I wanted you programmers (who run websites) all huffing and puffing that your website visitors are getting sold-out by SBs. Why did I do that ? Well, to learn a little law from you guys. To see if, as a website and consumer, if you really can sue the SBs or not. Because, had I seen you guys coming-up with a lot of valid reasons to sue the SBs and your cases would stand in court then I'll run a mile away from this line of business. But, I'm guessing now from your feedback that, by law no business can prevent a consumer from loud mouthing to the world who's customer/visitor they are nor any law can punish a medium (in our example the hall was the medium in the offline world and the SBs are the medium in the online world) from publicizing data that reveals which business' visitor/customer is who.
In short, this is encouraging me to start my venture.
Now, Mr AssertNull, can you please give me your link or can you please do me a favour aswell as yourself by signing up to my Social Network (SB) and can you please be wise enough to promote my SB so your whole family & friends sign up too ? (CHEEEEK!!!!). That way, I can learn who's visiting your website and then sell their SB usernames to your competitions. Give your competitions a window of opportunity to message my users (who bookmarked your site). That way, I can earn heavy bucks from your competitions for selling your customers/potential customers out to them. Lol!

Hey AssetNull, the above was a joke. Not being sarcastic. But it was a direct ad or promotion of my future SB. Businesses are usually not that blunt. And they don't say things that clear making things obvious how they sell-out peoples' data from one company to another. They hypocritically disguise their working model. They use words such as "we share our consumers data with other organisations to best serve the public". It's all bull-shit. You know very well the businesses you purchase from sell-out your personal details as a "lead" to others for big bucks. And that's why you get all junk coming through your post. I, for one, am an honest man. A man who bluntly speaks his mind out. If I'm gonna profit selling your data out then I won't disguise the fact with rubbish like that. I'll just plainly tell you: I'm not going to sell you like a slave. No! I'm going to sell your personal details as a slave. Gonna auction it! And there's nothing you can do about it since you yourself have publicized your personal data (what websites you bookmarked/LIKED) to the whole wide world (the www). I'm just harvesting data about you off of the public domain, repackaging it and selling it on. Passing it on from one part of the public domain to another. Big deal. No harm done. Your data was already public and I just made it public even more. Nothing wrong with that.
You see why people (even you) won't like me ? Lol!

A new paragraph.
Nah! I have no intentions of really targeting you and selling you out like that. It was a sort of a joke. But a harsh reality. A wake-up call. Wake-up. Your data is already on the public domain if you use Social Networks. Brands are harvesting about your internet surfing habits everyday and making money out of it without sharing with you a single cent. Since you can't contain your internet activities from being leaked intentionally/unintentionally by you or others then you might aswell join in in the game for a piece of the pie itself!
I mean, when you, as a member, join my SB and publicize to the www who you are are fan off then my SB can give their competitions a chance to message you their marketing materials for 2 of your benefits.

  1. You get best offers. Companies fight over each other to win your custom by lowering you their prices and offering competitive packages;
  2. You earn money when each time they make you an offer. When my SB will charge them to message you, you will earn a portion of the amount too.

Win win situation. You get better bargains and earn a little on the side.
Let's say, my SB charged each cell fone dealer $10/mssg and a total of 100 mssg you (yes, a lot of ads) then my SB charges a total of $1k and it can split 50/50 with you so you earn $500. You can now use that to buy what you wanted to buy. If you can manage to buy it for less than $500 then you're in profit. You used the businesses own money to buy something from one of them. So today, you buy a new cell fone with that money. Tomorrow, do likewise with a few washing machine dealers and earn profits again. SB can charge different rates for different product sellers. So, the next day, read 100 ads from 100 car dealers (Maybe I charge $100/ad so you earn $50 per ad?) buy a car and so on. Get my point ? Use their lousy money to buy their own products. You think big brands don't fight over backwards and spend that much on commercial mails ? 5 yrs back, morgage companies used to pay $40/click to overture.com (formerly go2.com). Check what the current click rate is now! It's much lower after the dotcom bubble burst.
Now, I know what I'm doing is called dreaming a little but sometimes dreams do come true if you BUT just know how to build a MONEY MAKING SYSTEM and RINSE & REPEAT the system (as the money making gurus would say) then you'll know what it means to become rich overnight or get rich quick plan or retire quick plan.
Anyway man, I got to sleep. Way past my bed time. I've only revealed one money making idea of mine and already making all my programmer buddies enemies. Don't want to reveal another 9 and have them all protesting against me.
However, if you like my way of thinking then how-about we join forces and come-up with money making systems and then start building a php script ? We can all contribute a little here and there and then finally release the script as gpl.

Good night!

PS - After I wake-up and come to my senses, I'm gonna be wondering why on earth I wrote this post and made enemies. Already regretting shooting my mouth wide open. I can always erase this post but that would mean deleting half an hor (or maybe an hr ?) of writing. An hr of showing off. I'm hoping to achieve some debates about this. Hoping programmers would start coming up with their own "viral money making concepts" and joining forces to make the dream come true. I'm all into "viral traffic" and "viral income", you see. You did ask, what my business model is and so that triggered my motuh to shoot things at this range! Lol!
I don't have a business yet but whatever it will be, it wll be a unique viral traffic and unique viral money making concept & system to grow rich overnight and help the public get out of poverty. Be like Robin hood. Stab the unfair rich.
My target is to compete and defeat the top 10 (searchengines, social networks, social bookmarks, etc.). I have different concepts to compete with each of them. In this post, I just revealed 50% of how I intend to compete with SBs. Haven't revealed everything. If I do, your head will start spinning and you will immediately become my fan. I don't like fans (fanatically lovers). Freinds is ok. Don't want to become a celebrity. Want my privacy.

Take care and watch my threads carefully. When I ask for a code sample, I'm always upto something. Somthing virallish. the big brands would say: His upto some mischief to roast us alive.
Programmers at other forums told me to talk less about shooting the big guys and just pull the trigger! My problem is, I talk too much showing off and never really get my plans off the ground but that all can change if I have a handful of programmer biuddies like you who just plainly hand-out me the codes I need to learn something to make my viral feature dieas a reality to shoot the big bad wolves!

PPS - Anybody replying to this post, don't include this post in your reply as it is very long and it would really piss the heck out of everyone who reads your post having to scroll all that down long!

Wow.

TLDR

I think Social Bookmarking services are a niche trend at best. They were very popular in the early-mid 2000's but the need for them was erroded from multiple angles.

Chrome came along with its excellent browser syncing, which in turn forced Firefox to up its game and follow suit. This negated the 'access my bookmarks from anywhere' angle, as once you're signed into your browser, you have full access to not only your bookmarks but also your logins, passwords, sesssions etc.

Secondly, sites like Digg, Reddit and even Pinterest filled the 'sharing cool stuff' niche.

Here's the trend for Delicious over the last 13 or so years.

Screen_Shot_2017-05-17_at_11_40_06.png

Screen_Shot_2017-05-17_at_11_49_21.png

Jamie Cherril,

What is TLDR ?

Member Avatar for diafol

Heh, so it's "Jamie" now? TL;DR x2.

Diafol,

I read now:
https://www.google.com/search?q=What+is+TLDR+%3F
but what is TLDRx2 ?

Yeah, it's "Jamie my man" (frank) now from "Mr James" (formal). Later it will be "Jimmy" (friend) then "Jim boy" (pal, buddy/"BUD")! Lol!

Anyway, how do you pronounce your username ? "Die" "A" fall" or "Dear Fall"! Lol! I thought all this time the latter but now have doubts.

Real good usernames in this forum. "rprofitt" (rapid profit)!!! Or, "real profit"!!!
Domain names under them maybe available. I think they both are good names for online marketing purpose!

Jamie Cherrill?

That’s either "James" or ”Sir" to you sonny.

Ps. As the third of four generations of first-born males christened James in my family, we also use Jim, .Jamie and Jimboy to avoid confusion. But you ain't no member of my family.

commented: Ouch! Heh heh +0

I don't have a business yet but whatever it will be, it wll be a unique viral traffic and unique viral money making concept & system to grow rich overnight and help the public get out of poverty.

So in otherwords you want to set up some kind of scam or predatory service to bleed money out of the system without providing any kind of useful service?

Financial research suggests that businesses that focus on making money by any means possible don't do as well long term as those with a clear vision of the utility their good or service provides to their customers.

So at least I have the consolation that whatever scheme you cook up will most likely fail.

Jamie My man!

We had a friend. He's name was sunny. People always used to say back in the 80's: Sunny Jim.
Then Sunny Jim (sun shine) it is your name from this end. :)
So, sunshine Jim, how-about sheding us some lights on our threads ? Lol!

Agile Mind,

So, you're into the Agile job, are you ? Always looking for flaws in the softwares ?
Well, this software of mine in my head (brains) has not caught any virus (indecency to rip people off) yet. Why is it that, the "get rich quick" is always counted as some form of fraud ? There are legal and honest way to get viral traffic and/or viral income. Not all viral things are negative, you know. It really comes with the person who thinks-up a viral plan. If the person is good then he'll try creating a system to get his non-fraud tactic out about in the world. If he's bad then you know the rest.

Lession Number 1: Never ever underestimate the power of good.
Lesson Number 2: Never ever take everything as negative. Don't jumpt to conclusions.
Lesson Number 3: Ever & ever think things from a positive point of view. Think outside the box. Don't put your intelligence in some kind of a mould. Think broad minded. Think good of others.
Lesson Number 4: If you find any system that is not bad by nature but being taken advantage by bad people then just use the system for any good cause for a change. Try to improve the system to work for good purposes.
Lesson Number 5: Check-out others' systems, tactics, methods, etc. And then try coming-up with your own for the better.

Why is it that, the "get rich quick" is always counted as some form of fraud ?

I never said fraud (which has legal implications), I said scam. The reason all "get rich quick" schemes are scams is that creating value is incredibly hard and a very slow process. e.g. Facebook took 6 years from launch to turn it's first profit. Thus, any riches made quickly are taken without providing value, which makes it a scam.

Testing 1,2,3.

I can hear you

Social Bookmarking is still important for website ranking. But you can't do random social bookmarking for your website. Only high PR and dollow links would be helpful for your website ranking.

commented: Links to the dollow (head?) Thanks for the new word or kick in the dollow. +0
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