Accidentally spamming a search engine is close to impossible, and the reassurance in that post is worth more than the list following it. Search engines weigh a number of signals before deciding somebody is deliberately manipulating them, so if that is not what you are doing, most of the anxiety about penalties is misplaced.
The rest of the optimisation writing runs as a series, covering the positive signals first and the things to avoid afterwards, and it is meant to be taken in that order.
There is a post against bullying that asks people to stand up rather than to sympathise, and one collecting acts of kindness on the grounds that good news exists and simply does not get reported.
Some posts reproduce a stage testimony from somebody describing a very hard period and a large turnaround, and those are promotional whatever else they are.
Read the spam penalties post if you have been nervous about touching your own site.