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#68722 21/01/04 04:20 AM
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Hey,
I was wondering how i could get a spam bot to make timed messages in channels. I'd started a new company and would like to advertise but i have on clue how to use a bot. Please help

#68723 21/01/04 04:24 AM
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Hoopy frood
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Here are some marketting tips for your new company:

1) Don't spam
2) Don't Spam
3) Don't spam

If there are any problem, please reread steps 1-3. The long and short of it is most server disallow spamming, as do most channels if the server don't. Noone likes to see a message "Come join.." "Come visit.." "for all your __ needs, ...." messages. If you want business, just do an excellent job on your customers, and word of mouth should be more than sufficient.


-KingTomato
#68724 21/01/04 10:11 AM
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As someone who also runs his own company (I'm a Czech-English translator specialising in the heritage sector), having previously been a marketing manager at a much larger firm, allow me to offer you some free advice.

Using a spam bot on IRC will result in some or all of the following:

[*] Negative publicity regarding your enterprise. This will lead people hearing your name in future to automatically associate your name with bad business practice. Remember the old rule: a happy customer MAY tell one or two other people about how wonderful you are - but an unhappy one WILL tell ten to fifteen people about the problems. This is the LAST thing you need as a new business - the adage of "all publicity is good publicity" does not apply to startups.
[*] Complaints being made to your ISP, and/or to your webhosting company. These may well result in your losing your own Internet connection, or the cancellation of your web hosting contract.
[*] You (or in extreme cases your ISP) being banned from IRC networks completely, i.e. permanently K-lined/G-lined. Most IRC servers specifically prohibit use for commercial purposes - read the Terms of Service! This is why IRC is free.
[*] An increased likelihood of Distributed Denial of Service attacks being launched against you or your business web site as certain IRC users get upset by seeing your bots. Note that even if your bots are on proxies, you ultimately must have a (vulnerable) web presence (website) somewhere...
[*] An increased likelihood that your business web site will become a target for hackers seeking to deface it.

I would suggest that you follow a strategy like this:

Step 1: Decide which market you are in, i.e. what specifically your business does. (Not just "sells stuff", for instance).

Step 2: Decide what makes you unique - why should the customer choose YOU and not your competitors?

Step 3: Determine who your target customers are. Young or old? In which countries? How much disposable income? ("IRC users" is too broad, you cannot appeal to such a diverse group effectively at one time. IRC is no longer the preserve just of young technophiles).

Step 4: Determine where best to reach out to your target customers: where do they all go? what do they all do? (IRC users will be only a VERY small part of your target audience, and trying to reach them will lead to a lot of effort but very little return - you'd be better spending your time/energy more efficiently).

Step 5: When you know who and where the customers are, decide how to put your name in front of them while explaining your unique selling point.

Step 6: DO IT. Make the necessary investments or find a way of reaching target groups without needing a large cash outlay (e.g. get journalists to write stories about you, get your name in the public eye, write online or paper reviews and articles showing how expert you are in your field etc.)

Remember that it takes TIME, EFFORT and above all PATIENCE to build up a business. Most companies fail in the first year because their owners do not realise that a typical business loses money for the first 6-18 months of its existence, and have not planned for this.

Your key is to keep customers coming back by giving them what they want at a price they can afford, with excellent customer service and unfailing politeness. It requires far more effort and investment to get a new customer than to hang on to an old one!

Basically, spamming shows a lack of respect for customers, does not attract the kind of customer likely to come back, and will cause you more problems - and possibly legal problems - than it's worth.

Lastly, I recommend that you prepare a simple, one-line explanation of what you do (like I used in the first sentence of this mail), to use whenever someone says "oh, so what do you do?". This is actually an effective method of finding customers both online and in the real world - they see you as a real human being, because they are talking to you (and everyone prefers dealing with someone they think they know), and will then ASK you for details if they are interested.

This means, firstly, that you're not wasting time going into lots of detail for someone who's not interested anyway. Also, THEY will be asking YOU for the info, so you are not spamming. Spam is by definition the sending of unsolicited details. Here, they have asked for (solicited) the details themselves. Obviously, this conversation MUST be held in private, not on a public channel, otherwise you're still spamming all the other channel users. Always, always, always let them make the first move and ask questions, never force yourself on them - it's counter-productive.

I hope you find this useful - good luck with your new venture!

PastMaster


IRCnet & DALnet @#travelersinn
:-: IRC for fun and relaxation :-:
#68725 21/01/04 04:09 PM
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ok, a few ideas....

Learn scripting and then download a program called Dstudio This is a program much like VB's GUI, apart from u cant add code when u make the dialog...

Then put on a textbox.. then when u code for it, make it display your message in a timer, or u coul djust do....

/ad1 timer 99 300 <Advert txt here>

then just type /ad and it till diplay ya text every 5mins... i think


(¯`·._.·[sAcRiFiCe MMiii ]·._.·´¯)
#68726 21/01/04 11:52 PM
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sacrifice, apparently you didnt take the time to read the excellent advice given to the original poster by KT and Pastmaster. Are you not aware that what you suggested will likely at the very least get Chris999 banned from channels and prolly also klined from the network? People do NOT like spam, and many places dont allow it. Spam bots are seriously frowned on. Your post certainly isnt helping Chris in any way.

Chris, i strongly urge you to listen to what KT and Pastmaster said and find better and useful ways to advertise your business. Any business that spammed me would put themselves on my never list. Another thing to keep in mind that ppl are constantly warned about not clicking on urls that strangers post as so many websites are infected. All in all, you wouldnt be adding to your business's image in any positive way.


ParaBrat @#mIRCAide DALnet
#68727 22/01/04 12:18 AM
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Nice bit of advice!

I just hope Chris and perhaps anyone else thinking of doing the same will read it.

Talea

#68728 22/01/04 08:10 AM
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In addition, any unsolicited advertising can also be an offence, depending on where you live. No commercial entity in Australia, for example, is permitted to advertise via the Internet without the prior express consent of the receiving party. Government and charities are exempt but few such correspondence originates from those sources anyway from my own experience. I think this is something that governments around the world have to look at emulating.

Personally I find unsolicited advertising an insult and as an oper on an IRC network I can say that my way of dealing with any advertising = a sudden and instant k:line.

#68729 22/01/04 11:22 AM
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theres a spam bot built into your pc,

just go to dos and type FORMAT /Y C:

#68730 22/01/04 05:40 PM
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you're an <deleted>

<bratnote: you know better than to call ppl names>

Last edited by ParaBrat; 23/01/04 01:26 AM.

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#68731 22/01/04 06:28 PM
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I agree with tidy_trax wink

Last edited by EVH; 22/01/04 06:35 PM.
#68732 22/01/04 06:35 PM
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with me or him, i know you replied to him but "i agree" doesn't make sense if you meant to reply to him :tongue:


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#68733 22/01/04 09:23 PM
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Who was it that said name calling was the last vestage of a weak mind?

I feel my ( and im sure most people new it "humouresly" ) made comment, would have been seen for what it was, just that, humor.

And incase anyone really thought "wow i can spam a channel, by doing that", and did so, well they would have got there come upence, of course ONLY if the /Y switch had really existed. Which it doesnt."

#68734 22/01/04 09:25 PM
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There's a difference between plain name
calling and actually making an observation.

Edit: Always go for the best effect.

Last edited by EVH; 22/01/04 09:58 PM.
#68735 22/01/04 09:32 PM
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doesn't take long to type help FORMAT to find the real switch, he might think "oops, he made a mistake"


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#68736 22/01/04 09:44 PM
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Hoopy frood
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Quote:

There's a difference between plain name
calling and actually making an observation.


Hmmm nicely edit for better effect.
(thats an observation)

You werent good enough to make the statment without having to edit it.
(thats name calling)

PS: I didnt mean the second one.

And with this i well accept what ever reply you deem my pointless message to warrant.

#68737 22/01/04 09:46 PM
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one would assume with resonable certainty that in reading the help he would notice somethings about the command he has asked help for.

#68738 22/01/04 09:53 PM
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not necisarily


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#68739 26/01/04 01:44 AM
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Quote:
Originally posted by Watchdog

Personally I find unsolicited advertising an insult and as an oper on an IRC network I can say that my way of dealing with any advertising = a sudden and instant k:line.



And if you are anything like me, with extreme prejudice and typically for a week or 4.

Spamming on IRC will see a mixed response. Some of your potential customers will do everything in their power and ability to disrupt your efforts at turning a profit, some will laugh at you, some will place you on ignore, some will ban you in some way, some will report you to your provider. All will get very annoyed.


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