A modern primer in determining whether you’re engaged in shameless self-promotion.

1) You post a link to a comment you’ve written on someone else’s blog on your own blog, and then tweet about it.

It’s certainly naive to expect that if you write interesting content people will suddenly flock to it, but it’s nauseating to promote every single thing you write. Engage your readers with interesting content that’s on topic, and don’t expect that they’re interested in you writing “OMG! ME TOO!” in response to someone else.

Shame rating: 9.5 flashing-your-unmentionables-to-the-paparazzi-as-you-get-out-of-a-limos out of 10.

2) The majority of your tweets are teasers.

“Just putting the finishing touches on something that’s going to blow your mind – watch this space!”. Unfortunately the predictions never seem to come true. Be careful of “The boy who cried wolf” syndrome; if your every tweet is a cliff hanger don’t expect anyone will pay attention when you actually produce something amazing.

Shame rating: 7 attending-the-opening-of-an-envelopes out of 10.

3) Your blog posts have little or no original content.

If you’re simply reposting the first 50 links from a google search for “Programming tips” then you’re really not adding any value. The only people you’re really going to impress are those who are too lazy to search for it themselves.

Shame rating: 8 ‘accidentally’-letting-your-sex-tape-get-into-the-public-domains out of 10

4) You mainly write “top ten/five” lists themed around whatever is currently topical.

It’s nice to read opinions on things, get a personal perspective on current events, or hear an amusing rant. Posting keyword-stuffed top-ten lists about Michael Jackson is pushing it a little bit.

Shame rating: 5 selling-your-wedding-pictures-to-hello-magazines out of 10

5) You spend a lot of time plugging your mate’s webcomic, then have the nerve to give out about people promoting themselves.

Seriously though, have you read spaceavalanche? It’s really funny!

Shame rating: 10 getting-max-clifford-to-whore-the-pictures-of-you-dying-out-to-every-newspaper-in-the-lands out of 10