If you 'like' these posts, prepare to be spammed
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PORTLAND, Ore. – You could win a free iPad, jewelry and fancy headphones declare the raffles that have popped up on Facebook in the past few days.
The Facebook posting says 1,000 lucky users will get free products from major companies. If only it were real.
Facebook gave the word "like" a whole new meaning and people have now found out how to make big money behind that little button.
Why do they want you to "Like" them?
"They want your contact," said Benjamin Diggles, a digital marketing guru at Webtrends in Portland. "Again, once you 'like' something, they have access to send messages that show up on your wall (and) in your feed. Now, you are an impressionable consumer."
Clicking "Like" is the modern version of handing out your home address to every traveling salesman in town. Problem is, impressionable consumers don't usually "like" pages promoting questionable medical products, cheap vacuum cleaners or pyramid schemes.
Let's say they want 60,000 "likes." But getting that many is hard to do, so they pretend they're like a company like Apple. They design a Facebook page that looks real, concoct some sort of giveaway and say all it takes is a "Like."
One you "like" it, it shows up in your news feed, all your friends see it and maybe 1 percent of them will "like" it too.
That cycle will continue on and on and on. But that'll be enough, they think, to get to 60,000 people.
Then those 60,000 people can be sold like the smoothest snake oil. This is when captive Facebook users get tricked a second time.
It "goes from Apple to XYZ Co.," said Diggles. "They change the page to selling you" something a lot less desirable like weight loss pills.
Once you click "Like," they’ve got you. That page is going to show up in your Facebook newsfeed no matter if the name changes.
Facebook is good about shutting down the pages when it finds out about them, but the cycle moves quickly.
But Diggles said if it didn't work sometimes, nobody would be doing it.
oh and I like droids "report this number as spam" feature as well .. Now that is a welcomed change for the better in dealing with those anoying spam texts. . not sure if you had knowledge on that or not. and you don't even need to open the message to use it. the more people are able to use these features the more spammers will get the message that they're not welcomed.
I never like IÂ meems wish them damn things would just leave.Â
Yup
Duh
if only....and I'm that signed up for one of these things....ugh!
Gullible. Plain and simple.
DONE
Nothing is free usal there is something tied to it.
It is called CHOICE KATU.
This one is particularly obvious. Are we supposed to believe that Apple doesn't have the capacity to seal their products so they would rather give them away?
Change the headline "If you like these posts, you is a moran"
You guys keep believing all sweepstakes are scams and I'll just be over here using my FREE computer watching Netflix on my FREE Wii. The less you enter the more I win.
@Brie Padfield You must be one of the ones who are involved with passing on these scams to others.....
It's 9am. Get a job instead of watching Netflix and entering competitions.
But ' Liking ' everything is so trendy though! and so stupid too.
Got this one this morning
@Teri Bussey Badeau Did you win?
Set up an email just for Sweeps until you learn which ones are spammer and which ones are not. We have actually won 3 contests in the last year. A Mole Trap, a pantry full of Organic Oregon Soups and a bottle of California Spec Reserve Olive oil. Common sense in being a sweeps fan prevails.
Thank you!
Well, Leo, we're everywhere else, why wouldn't we be on Facebook?
Always thought those things are not real!!!
I will say you deff. have to read the terms.. if you hit it to win it sometimes you have signed up for spam on cell and home... ah ya.. hard way...lol
As in all things, nothing free is free...
Common sense
In other news, countless idiots are on Facebook.
@Leo Karpinski  Like yourself? I noticed you posted this from your Facebook account (see the little logo in the upper right corner of your post?)
A fool and his inbox are soon outsmarted.
So is this like the ads that show up on KATU like wow I-pads for only 29 dollars.??
Or are you paying too much for car ins.?? do you drive less than 20 miles to work a day.??
Or the Important Ins. rules is your car three years or older??
Why would KATU support such scams do they need stories for "On your side investigators"
Or are they part of the problem... Â
Just another reason not to use Facebook.
@RalphCramdenI disagree Ralph. I've had a Facebook account for at least 4 years and I've never had a problem. Facebook is only as good or as bad as one makes it. If people take the same precautions that I do, such as changing my password every month or so and not clicking on these scams, then it can be a very enjoyable time. For me, it reconnected me with some long lost college friends that I now get together with on a monthly basis (and not on Facebook, but face to face).
It's not for everyone I'll admit that, but again, it's not as bad as the negative publicity makes it out to be unless one is stupid enough to fall for the scams. With all the warnings out there, if someone falls for the scams, then it's their own damn fault and I have no sympathy for them.
@scoreboardÂ
Facebook is fine as long as folks know what they are getting into.
I don't "like" anyone on my account. I keep my account private to post to. Plus I never actually look at my account. I actually don't know why I have an account.
@RalphCramden How do you classify a pathetic old man who has nothing to do but post on news stories 24/7/365 and whose self worth is dependent on his online lackeys telling him how smart he is?
@scoreboard @Harry MerkinÂ
It's best to move on when trolls speak. Don't let them get you going. They are nothing more than drama queens who thrive on getting a response.
It is classified as a mental illness DSM5 and they are not capable of civil conversations.
@scoreboard
I understand that. Good debates are always respectful.
@Harry Merkin @scoreboard Shut up, you stupid troll.
@scoreboard Gonna offer him a happy ending too?
@RalphCramden @scoreboard Absolutely. Like anything, you should have some inkling of an idea of what your doing. Â
By they way, my disagreement with you was with all due respect. :)
[IMG]http://i49.tinypic.com/fyjss5.jpg[/IMG]
I like spam, especially fried. What is this facebook? Is that what my grandaughter is always on?
Facebook has improved peoples lives how exactly?
@axpman Well for me, it reconnected me with old college friends that I lost contact with for many years. That in itself improved my life tremendously. Â
 Facebook is only as good or bad as one makes it. If one is stupid enough to click on one of the pages described in this story, then they deserve what they get. There have been so many stories about scams like this that people should be smart enough not to click on them. However, some people never learn.....
@axpman Well, Marc Zuckerberg and the board of directors have many more zeros in their respective bank accounts now.Â
...that's about it from where I sit.Â
P.T. Barnum was right -There's a sucker born every minute.Â
Facebook....HAHAHAHA. What lemmings.Â
@Mr. Carbon Footprint I'm on Facebook and I've never had a problem because I'm smart enough NOT to fall for scams like this.
@scoreboard@Mr. Carbon FootprintWow, that's super! Keep up the good work. Don't forget to tell all your friends on FB.