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View Full Version : Am I the Only One Worried about 'Spammers'?




tonyr1988
11-11-2007, 12:46 AM
After the awesome publicity we received after Nov. 5, I'm very worried about the # of subscribers for Tea Party '07. I won't doubt for a second that supporters of other campaigns will "infiltrate" the site to make our numbers seem significantly larger, hoping we have high expectations, and hoping that those expectations aren't met.

I'm sure this happened on Nov. 5 - it just wasn't as prominent. It was so small that it was easily equalized.

Having this happen would be hilariously ironic (since we're the spammers all the time), but at the same time very sad. I just don't want expectations of $20 million because of the number of subscribers (making it look like a shoe-in), and get some media publicity, and have it go downhill (even if we broke records, the media would only mention that we didn't meet our stated goal).

I don't know where I'm going with this - just wanted to see if anyone else had the same concerns.

paulitics
11-11-2007, 12:51 AM
There might be spammers, but they will be just a portion of the total subscribers, just like on Nov 5th. There were 20,000 people who signed up, but 30,000 people who donated. They would have to be very coordinated to pull it off, without it looking like an erratic spike in subscribers.

me3
11-11-2007, 12:56 AM
Expectations are just conjecture. Whatever we generate will be the talking point of the next day, not any expectations we have.

NewEnd
11-11-2007, 12:58 AM
No


spamming our numbers will only give us more strenght amd belief we can do it. they do not want to encourage us.

that is why we decided that it would be stupid to do it for huckabee, romeny, et als copycat attempts.

And Nov 5, we only had 18,000 subscribers... 1.8 million.

we made 4.2 million

Bryan
11-11-2007, 01:19 AM
I think it's a legitimate concern- there are a number of ways to help but nothing foolproof. One way would be when you sign up to request entering a confirmation number from a previous donation or just say "I don't have one" - the emails could then be binned separately. Any entered confirmation number could only be verified for correct length and no duplicates but it could prevent some detractors from continuing. An easier way would be to have a few multiple choice questions based on Ron Paul's positions- ex: "Why should the Federal Reserve be abolished?" That will leave them running! :D

literatim
11-11-2007, 01:26 AM
We went over expectations previously.

NewEnd
11-11-2007, 01:28 AM
the website is goign to be kept simpel, and pledges are honor system.

Apparently, ron paul supporters haev alot of honor, because only 18,000 were signed up, but 4.2 million was pledged.

The fake signers is really a non-issue.

Cowlesy
11-11-2007, 01:29 AM
I feel bad for those who sign-up to subvert a campaign like this. Talk about having a monumental lack of having anything else to do with your time.

Bryan
11-11-2007, 01:48 AM
Talk about having a monumental lack of having anything else to do with your time.
Yes- but that's what happens on basically all political sites.

tonyr1988
11-11-2007, 01:54 AM
Yeah, I'm hoping it plays such a small role.

But, to clarify, I agreed from the beginning that false signups played little to no role in Nov. 5. However, after the publicity caused from that and the hype that will inevitably surround Dec. 16, I just worry that it will be more prevalent.

jmhelms
11-11-2007, 05:34 PM
After the awesome publicity we received after Nov. 5, I'm very worried about the # of subscribers for Tea Party '07. I won't doubt for a second that supporters of other campaigns will "infiltrate" the site to make our numbers seem significantly larger, hoping we have high expectations, and hoping that those expectations aren't met.

I'm sure this happened on Nov. 5 - it just wasn't as prominent. It was so small that it was easily equalized.

Having this happen would be hilariously ironic (since we're the spammers all the time), but at the same time very sad. I just don't want expectations of $20 million because of the number of subscribers (making it look like a shoe-in), and get some media publicity, and have it go downhill (even if we broke records, the media would only mention that we didn't meet our stated goal).

I don't know where I'm going with this - just wanted to see if anyone else had the same concerns.

You see I pledged to give a hundred bucks but I am going to be sneaky and actually donate 500 bucks...HA ha! I just eliminated the work of 4 spammers all by myself. Know what I mean Vern?

yoshimaroka
11-11-2007, 05:43 PM
At the same time when people see a high number of pledges, they feel more encouraged to sign up and participate.

Mckarnin
11-11-2007, 05:56 PM
Well, if thousands of spammers sign up it will just make our numbers look more exciting and attract more subscribers and more media coverage. Call me optimistic but that's my opinion.