Re: Is Free Speech Spam? (Viral Marketing gotchas)

From: Michael Martinez <Michael_at_xenite.org>
Date: Fri 01 Dec 2000 09:31:53 -0500

BRAD JENSEN <brad_at_elstore.com> WROTE:
[snip account of an email that went awry]
> Does anyone see the chilling effect on free speech
> here? If you want to shut up some one whose opinions
> irritate you, just turn them in to the spamilantes,
> since they are a careless, reckless amplifier of bad
> intent. That person will think twice about posting an
> independant opinion on the internet again, by golly, if
> they don't lose their email privileges entirely.

No, there is no chilling effect on free speech here.
Just as you have the freedom to share your opinion
with whomever you please, so, too, does spamcop.
Their opinion may be a poorly informed one, but then,
we may all think each other's opinions are poorly
informed.

Free speech is threatened if a government says you
cannot exercise it. It is NOT threatened by other
people's refusal to listen.

> So this is what the internet has become - an automated
> mechanism for inhibiting free expression of opinions.

The Internet has always been designed and intended for
the FREE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION, and that
includes opinions (well-informed or otherwise).

Your experience is an example of viral-marketing gone
awry, if you don't object to my trying to turn this
into an online marketing discussion. YOU were NOT
trying to engage in viral marketing, but the end result
was the same.

Are the spam activists always the good guys? Nope.
The so-called defenders of free speech on the news
groups (the spam cops) regularly attack and belittle
anyone who dares question what they do, or who
disagrees with their support of abuse and harrassment
of other people on the news groups. They don't stake
out any moral high ground by any means. But they are,
nonetheless, almost all that stands between the highly
abusive news group spammers and the vast majority of
people who just want to read relative, on-topic
discussion in the news groups.

Having people pass on what you write is usually a great
way to get free publicity. But sometimes people
overreact, misunderstand, take the wrong cues. We
can't do anything about that.

I think the people on this list who are interested in
viral marketing, however, should consider the possible
implications of having no real control over what is
said about their products, services, or clients in a
viral marketing situation.

No one has the right to force other people to listen to
them, least of all on the Internet. Free speech is
not the same as always being heard. We are all
standing in a crowd shouting out whatever we want and
if people stop to listen to us, great. But no one is
obligated to stop and listen.

Effective marketing figures out ways to get people's
interests, and to find the people who are most likely
to be interested.

Science Fiction and Fantasy info_at_xenite.org
Andromeda, Dark Angel, Farscape, Lexx, Roswell, Star Trek
http://www.xenite.org/forums/science_fiction_tv/
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Received on Fri Dec 01 2000 - 08:31:53 CST