Re: domain name list

From: Jim Reardon <jim_at_amusive.com>
Date: Thu 03 Aug 2000 13:55:30 -0700

BRAD JENSEN <brad_at_elstore.com> WROTE:
> Pay for an opt-in list and suddenly you are a saint?

No, but by not shifting the cost of your advertisements
onto the consumer, you are.

I've posted here before, and I'll say it again. I
spend over $300 a month to receive messages from
people just like you. That is unethical, and I'm
sorry if you see it any other way, but I don't see how
you can.

I've also lost a few thousand dollars because a certain
company (that I would have expected better from, too)
decided to send an email to practically any prefix at
my free email service's domain. They were sending
about 10,000 mails to my system alone an hour. Crashed
my server, filled up the hard drive, took about a day
and a half to fix. My cost: downtime, system
administrator time [$250/hr @ 12 hours].

But I'm sorry -- I guess that's just something you have
a RIGHT to do?

> don't like the ads I get on egroups lists etc, but
> I've learned to ignore them.

You signed up for the service.

> I hate the car dealer ads that shout at me from my
> favorite oldies station, but I like the free radio.

You 'opt-in', so to say, to the service.

> Pretending that opt-in ads are less disruptive or less
> rude than other ads is hogwash. They are just more
> tolerated, and hopefully more targeted. And oh yeah,
> they make the consultants and ad agencies money.

See above -- please don't ignore my actual argument and
argue with yourself. Only one of my points was that
it was disruptive. My main point is that it defers
costs to those you advertise. The only response you
have are invalid:

* I get free radio, and hear ads.
- How does this compare? You're receiving a free
service, and in return, paying for that service. YOU
just want to bombard everyone, whom you offer no free
service -- in fact -- who very likely have to PAY to
receive your messages, with email.

* I signed up for a free service and get ads.
- You signed up for a free service. You have to pay to
keep that service up. Same as the radio.

Specious reasoning is all you'll ever get out of an
unethical person, though. Make something sound right
on the top and hopefully nobody will see beyond that.

> I heard people quoting 30 cents a name for opt-in
> contacts one time, and it sounds like the banner ad
> hysteria all over again. What's the justification for
> such astronomical rates? Comparison to direct mail.
> Competition is still low and hype is high. It's the
> tulip frenzy all over again.

Okay, well I live in Illinois. Gas was, until a few
weeks ago, over $2.00 a gallon. So I should grab my
shotgun, drive on through the cornfields and hijack a
tanker truck? Seems a bit... overboard.

> If my carrier unplugged me for sending commercial
> email, I would sue the ever loving life out of him.
> Restrain of trade, RICO, interfering in a commercial
> transaction, conspiracy to deprive me of my civil
> rights.

It's been done, and it doesn't work. You're utilizing
their services and they can restrict you however they
like, and they will, too. Do a bit of research -- you
can even be sued by (1) your service provider and (2)
the people you send mail to. AOL won against
CyberPromotions. Juno recently won a suit against a
spammer as well.

Spammers are unhooked from the internet EVERY day.
ISPs have to keep their eyes open because if they
don't, they get added to the RBL. ISPs do not want
all their traffic going to the big bucket in the sky.

> We will always have the anti-commercial self-righteous
> internet vigilantes with us. God bless them. They are
> hypocrites and pharisees. Anti-authoritarian
> authoritarian control freeks.

A hypocrite? Before spouting out names you should at
least say why.

> There is nothing unethical about unsolicited email, any
> more than unsolicited regular mail. It's just that it
> has been done so badly that it annoys everyone.

And, from the sounds of it, you don't know how to do it
any better.

<Sigh, yet another obvious sales pitch removed...>

> Thanks for your suggestions of opt-in lists. I do think
> your technique for approaching potential clients could
> use some work.

I do not do business with spammers, MLM, or get rich
schemes. I hold my name, my reputation, and my
websites to higher standards and refuse to sell my
visitors something I can't stand behind myself (and
I've rejected a good amount of advertising for that
reason).

Jim Reardon <jim_at_amusive.com> 815-744-3119
what do you want for free? http://www.freecenter.com/
free forums, polls, and more! http://www.sitegadgets.com/?sig





Received on Thu Aug 03 2000 - 15:55:30 CDT