Multiply welcomes many kinds of users, but there are a few types of behavior it doesn't welcome. These are described in the Terms of Service, under "Content Posted on the Multiply Site," where Multiply makes it clear that your posting access can be limited, or your account can be deleted entirely, for (among other things):

• "Junk mail," "chain letters," unsolicited mass mailing or "spamming."
• Commercial advertising or sales anywhere on the site without prior consent.
• Personal advertising or solicitation anywhere except your Marketplace.

Chain Letters (not exactly spam)

Ever get an e-mail that told a story or a joke or talked about a get-rich-quick scheme, and at the end, said to forward it to other people? That's a chain letter. Multiply prohibits them. But there's a better way! If you see something on Multiply you just have to share with all your friends here, just find the share link right below it, and a couple clicks later, you'll have a new link from your site to it.

It's a lot easier than making a whole new copy - both for you, and for Multiply. And besides, your Mom always told you to share, didn't she?

Mass mailing, spam, ads, and all that

Spamming gets its name from a skit on Monty Python's Flying Circus, in which a man and his wife discover that the café they've visited for breakfast won't serve them anything without Spam, and a group of Vikings seated at the next table sing about Spam at the mere mention of it, drowning out any other conversation. It's the disruption or drowning out of conversation that carried over to the Internet.

Spamming is the act of sending (originally via e-mail, but now by almost any means) unsolicited messages that are disruptive due to being irrelevant or in bulk. It's usually done (like so many things in life) by someone who's trying to make money.  Some call it "flooding" if it's just done to cause trouble, with no profit motive.

Examples of spam and not-spam

Let's say that like everyone else here on Multiply, you're either an intriguing international spy or a superhero. You're clever, beautiful, and always in the thick of the action. But you're not just like everyone else - no, there are things that make you unique! Like your hobbies.

You collect antique Hummel figurines you find at yard sales, and when you find you have extras, you photograph them and sell them on eBay. You also have a keen interest in historical forms of punishment, and use your skill at woodworking and metalcraft to make some very nice pillories with styling updated to match today's decor, which you sell to others who have an interest in such things. As far as you know, you're the only person with both these hobbies. (Your arch-enemy secretly enjoys them too, but you don't know that... yet!)

One day, you discover to your delight that there's a new Multiply group about pillories! Sensing an opportunity to find some new customers, you join the group. There are a few things you can do, some of which are spam, and some of which aren't. Let's begin with the ones that aren't spam, since this is about how not to be a spammer:

• Posting a link to your personal Marketplace on Multiply, which contains photos of pillories you have for sale, is not spam. It's relevant and non-bulk.
• Describing your hobby/business in response to someone else asking is not spam. It's solicited.
• Mentioning your hobby/business in a reply in the course of normal conversation is not spam. It's relevant and not disruptive.

So what about the things that are spam? Well:

• Replying to every post with a mention of your hobby/business is spam: it's bulk, and disruptive.
• Telling everyone in the pillories group that you sell antique Hummel figurines is (or at least will be perceived as) spam: it's irrelevant.
• Sending each member of the group a private message about your hobby/business is spam: it's bulk.

Are there grey areas? Yes - a big one: Multiply prohibits advertising things anywhere but your own marketplace, but groups can have marketplace areas too. The creators of a group about collectibles might encourage users to post ads in its marketplace.

Three Simple Tips

A few quick rules of thumb for staying out of trouble on Multiply (and in life in general):

1. Think. (Hey, it never hurts.)
2. Put things where they belong. Just like you don't leave your marbles on the stairs, don't leave your ads places other than your marketplace. This is one of Multiply's rules, so it's a good idea to follow it.
3. Instead of copying, link or share - selectively. Once you've posted an ad on your own marketplace, just post links to your marketplace from other places on your own site, in replies to those who ask, and in the "links" section of the one or two most relevant, most active groups on the subject. Posting links in 30 groups with 3 members each is really a waste of your time anyway.

Already in Trouble?

If you're reading this because you logged in and found that your posting privileges have already been restricted because something you did triggered Multiply's anti-spam mechanisms, don't worry - they've been known to give second chances. You'll need the help of Multiply's Customer Service department. Send them a single personal message with a subject making it clear that your account has been restricted, and explain what's happened in it. If you haven't heard back within a day or two, don't send another - instead, find the message among the personal messages you've sent, and add a reply to it asking for a response.