Re: Email List Sponsorships

From: Brendan King <bking_at_point2.com>
Date: Thu 08 Mar 2001 10:16:26 -0600

NELSON E. TIMKEN, ESQ. <netimken_at_erols.com> WROTE:

> I have a follow-up question. What do you think of
> the viability of purchasing email addresses of
> opt-in users to establish a base for
> the newsletter in order to get it rolling?

TREVOR JOHNSON <bpfsa_at_yahoo.com> REPLIED:

> What you are proposing is spam. No shades of grey.
> Don't do it. Don't even think about.
...
> And, if an email address at one of our domains is on
> the spam-list you purchase, be aware that our website
> clearly sets out what we do to any spammers who send
> unsolicited spam to our domain. You will become
> immediately liable for $US500 per spam you send.
> Our contracted Collection Agency is only happy to
> pursue and collect.

Trevor, Trevor, Trevor. Lighten up! Life is way to
short. You might go broke paying your attorneys to
"pursue and collect" from would be spammers. You will
never collect a penny from any "would be spammer". This
not withstanding the fact that you are completely wrong
in any logic that you may have used when writing your
response. You may have been in a distressed state of
"spam rage" so I will forgive you for your lack of
logic. E-mail addresses purchased from a reputable
list vendor contain address of people who have signed
up to receive e-mail with respect to various categories
of interest. People that sign up with out reading and
understanding what they are signing up for deserve
anything they get.

Criminal Charges? Bandwidth theft? Chattel trespass?
Give me a break! Even real spammers will never face a
second in criminal court. The worst thing that could
possible happen is that their ISP may slap them on the
wrist and ask them not to do it again. I am tempted to
send you an email myself, just to see who your
"Contracted Collection Agency" is. This type of
language may work with kids under 15 but the rest of
the world see it as ranting from a mad man.

This being said, I am not condoning spam. Far from it,
I hate it as much as the next person. Spam is simply
a poor business tactic and those using it will find
that it decreases, not increases business. Eventually
 - just like fax outs - spam will cease on it's own.
In Canada we have never had fax legislation and the
fax out problem took care of itself. This is to say
consumers spoke (or rather didn't speak) with their
wallets. Spam will work itself out the same way.

Nelson, if your offer is of genuine interest to a
targeted group, and you can purchase a targeted e-mail
list from a reputable company, it may well be a very
good advertising option and provide a rewarding ROI.
Make sure that you provide an opt out on every e-mail.
Something like: These e-mails are never sent
unsolicited: If someone signed you up on the sly click
here and you will never get this email again! Please
note Trevor: This is true. The recipient requested
the e-mail when he signed up from where ever the list
was purchased.

Brendan King
Director of Marketing
Point2 Internet Systems
E-mail: Bking_at_point2.com
Phone: 306 955 1855
www.Point2.com



Received on Thu Mar 08 2001 - 10:16:26 CST