Tuesday, September 4, 2007

How NOT to get new users

Quechup.com
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
has invited you as a friend on Quechup...
...the social networking platform sweeping the globe
You can use Quechup to meet new people, catch up with old friends, maintain a blog, share videos & photos, chat with other members, play games, and more. It's no wonder Quechup is fast becoming 'The Social Networking site to be on'.
Join W and his friends today:
You received this because W X XXXXXXXXXXXknows and agreed to invite you. You will only receive one invite from XXXXXXXXXXX. Quechup will not spam or sell your email address - privacy policy. © Quechup 2007.
Click here if you do not wish to receive any more emails from Quechup

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So basically quechup goes and scans through your email box and then sends an email out to everyone with this information, as if the end user agreed to invite you through their box.

Every website out there has a net amount of social goodwill, the culmination of its positive value and negative drawbacks. In the case of Quechup, this outrageous violation of user trust definitely sinks it in my mind. In fact, it tips it past the inflection point that separates it from being a good website to one of malicious value. Which is why my friend blogged to her friends that she's deleting her user account and focusing her points on how violated she feels by their attempts to spam her friends.

Sort of a good news travels fast, bad news travels faster.

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