NONE: Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Is spam costing us more than we think?
Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Is spam costing us more than we think?
DfrntDrums (DfrntDrums_at_aol.com)
Thu, 18 Dec 1997 01:31:46 EST
In a message dated 97-12-17 23:35:21 EST, you write:
<< Of course the first people we invited to sign up were our proud moms! When
<<none had received the newsletter after its first two weekly issues, we
<< determined that they (and many others) had not understood the need to
<< "confirm" something they had so obviously requested. To them the followup
<< email from us was simply a subscribe confirmation.
I would suggest making the first line of the confirmation letter YOU MUST
REPLY TO THIS LETTER TO CONFIRM YOUR SUBSCRIPTION REQUEST in all caps.
<< Our newsletter is not a marketing vehicle; it provides news of online
<< shopping, deals to be found online, news and every subscriber has the
<< chance to "Win Our Stuff" by becoming a subscriber. Given the positive
<< benefit, low (weekly) frequency, and the need to overcome the unhappiness
<<of subscribers who never got the newsletter they ordered, we've taken the
<<*cautious* step of removing the confirmation step. So far we've had no
<< complaints.
I understand and appreciate your reasoning. However, it is very common for
spammers to subscribe anti-spammers to mailing lists. Content of UCE is not
the issue at all - it doesn't matter if it's a MMF scheme or a letter straight
from God. You say you haven't had any complaints "so far," and I hope you
never do. But the possibility of becoming a casualty in the Spamwars
definitely exists.
By the way, if I sound "paranoid" about this whole issue, I have reason to be.
I've been the victim of spammer revenge attacks three times in the last two
months. That doesn't even count all the mailing lists I've been subscribed
to. Some of them I've been able to discern as just that - valid opt-in lists
to which my name had been submitted by somebody else, and I've simply opted-
out, with a "heads-up" to the moderator that confirmation letters are
necessary. Others I've not been able to distinguish from Spammer-Lies(tm) and
reported.
Keep in mind that at least 98% of all the spam sent starts out with, "Here is
the information you requested," or similar, and also contains "reply to
remove" instructions. We all know that these "reply to remove" instructions
are either ignored or used as a way to validate e-mail addresses in order to
sell them to other spammers.
Tread very carefully... there is definitely a highly volatile war going on.
You may not be the enemy, but if you venture onto the battleground wearing the
enemy's clothing you may end up taking a few rounds.
Leah Roberts
Trail Blazer Enterprises, Inc.
http://www.ao.net/waytosuccess/nospam.html
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