Re: legitimate unsolicited commercial e-mail vs spam

From: Marshall Hays <marshall_at_hays.net>
Date: Mon 01 Nov 1999 01:10:41 -0500

DAVID ROSS WROTE:
> I am writing a paper taking the position that legitimate
> unsolicited commercial e-mail (e.g. business to business,
> or directed at website owners, complying with
> proposed/actual federal and/or state legislation, with
> easy removal from mailing list, etc)should be
> distinguished from 'bad' spam (e.g. fake return addresses,
> pyramid plans, pornography, etc.), and should be
> permitted (if not actually encouraged).

TO WHICH FRANK FLEISCHER REPLIED:
> Sorry David, every definition I have seen of spam anywhere
> says your term "legitimate unsolicited commercial e-mail"
> is an oxymoron. Spam is unsolicited email of any kind...one
> cannot legitimize it by calling it something it is not. A
> rose by any other name...

I have to agree with the others too, David. SPAM is SPAM.

We run http://www.EmailAbuse.org to help users avoid SPAM
and UCE and what we've been finding is that even opt-in
lists are getting to be a problem. We've had many people
email us to complain about some UCE, and come to find out
they received the advert because when they had signed up to
join a site or join some mailing list, they didn't UNcheck a
box that said they would 'like to receive information from
related vendors'. How many times can that vendor resell the
name and then on down the chain? It's going to get alot
worse before it gets any better.

This has led us to establish our own set of criteria for
what opt-in mailing lists should abide by. Mailing list
owners can signup and be listed on our site as 'approved'
free of charge. It's like Verisign without the fees. LOL
http://www.EmailAbuse.org/getlisted.asp

And if anyone is interested in some bizarre reading, we have
the most up-to-date (we think) information regarding each
state's current legislation. Yes, that was quite an exciting
task gathering all that data.

-Marshall

- Hays Internet Marketing, Inc. - - - - -
- ph: 214-521-3700 http://www.hays.net -
- -
- http://www.EmailAbuse.org -
- http://www.VirtualKiss.com -
- http://www.WhoDoYouLove.com -
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Received on Mon Nov 01 1999 - 00:10:41 CST