I Love Spam

Written by Dave Cole


Spam is considered any unsolicited and often un-wanted e-mail. The term seems to have originated from a Monty Python sketch set in a cafe that serves nothing butrepparttar canned, processed meat, called Spam.

Inrepparttar 132842 skit there is a table of Vikings singing, spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam. Whilerepparttar 132843 skit does arouse laughter,repparttar 132844 receiving of spam e-mail usually does not dorepparttar 132845 same for our demeanor.

It isrepparttar 132846 rare inbox which hasn't been visited by some sort of un-wanted message containing anything from get-rich-quick schemes to Cyber-Porn.

Most email browsers or accounts allow a person to use blocking or filtering mechanisms which send junk mail directly torepparttar 132847 trash bin.

Professional spammers use sophisticated software that actually spidersrepparttar 132848 Internet gleaning e-mail addresses from Web sites.

If you have ever filled out an online survey, your e-mail address has most likely ended up on a for sale list of targeted buyers.

While most spam and postal junk mail is annoying, it can have some benefits. Running an online business requires us at times to be effective ad writers. Immediately deleting all this junk mail means you are throwing way an opportunity to learn ad strategies.

Next time spam shows up, why not take a few minutes to read through these ads and see how they are written. See ifrepparttar 132849 headline or body attracts your attention, or what is effective aboutrepparttar 132850 ad and what turns you off.

Spam Mania - Would you like to ruin a business? - Guilty Till Proven Innocent!

Written by Dale Reardon


I felt compelled to write this article after a recent bad experience of my own. Spam vigilantes abound onrepparttar internet and unfortunately a right which every person should have in civilised democracies - in fact a basic human right - does not exist in relation to spam and spam complaints. This vigilante activity would not be tolerated offline - normally one cannot simply takerepparttar 132841 law into one's own hands but it seems this has become acceptable online. However below I do recommend a solution and an association which can help you.

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY

And yes that is in capitals to shout at you - that isrepparttar 132842 single most important thing in any legal system. Also here is one more:

IT IS BETTER TO LET 99 GUILTY PEOPLE GO FREE RATHER THAN CONVICT ONE INNOCENT PERSON

If you bear these 2 principles in mind you will treat everyone else fairly and be treated fairly yourself. You get back 10 times in life what you give to others - just not necessarily fromrepparttar 132843 same people that you give to.

Nowrepparttar 132844 problem onrepparttar 132845 internet is that spam has no real precise definition and it is open to interpretation. What you view as unsolicited someone else may well appreciate. Now don't get me wrong, I don't advocate or support spam in any form whatsoever but I support innocent until proven guilty and a common sense approach.

For example you should only send out your newsletter to people who have requested it and not harvest email addresses from discussion forums. But what happens when someone forgets they have subscribed or is just too plain lazy to unsubscribe or contact you first to discussrepparttar 132846 matter? Requiring someone to confirm their subscription will not protect you if you are presumed guilty. Many of you will have heard of SpamCop - a self made spam vigilante, who in my opinion does not act responsibly or obeyrepparttar 132847 2 most important principles stated above, which are necessary for any democracy to operate. Also SpamCop doesn't care less about small operators and unfairly favours big well known brand names.

From Spamcop's definition and comments about spam:

"In general, email from reputable companies, such as Microsoft and Amazon are opt-in, and if you receive email purporting to be from a company you would Normally consider being legitimate, you should consider carefullyrepparttar 132848 possibility that you did agree to receive it some time inrepparttar 132849 past. If you are sure You did not, then it may be someone attempting to appear to be a representative ofrepparttar 132850 company in question, but who actually does not haverepparttar 132851 consent ofrepparttar 132852 company. Once in a while, a large, otherwise reputable organization will "accidentally" send out some unsolicited email. The main domain-name registry, Network Solutions, is a notable example of this. It has inrepparttar 132853 past sent outright spam and has been widely criticized for this action among spam-fighters. In any case, if you are sure that you did not requestrepparttar 132854 email, then you are well within your rights to report it as spam."

Just because you think you didn't request it does not meanrepparttar 132855 person is guilty of spam. Then again maybe you haverepparttar 132856 right to be judge, jury and executioner :->

So if you can afford to spend millions, make a loss and develop your name, SpamCop thinks you are then innocent until proven guilty but if you are poor and like most of us you are guilty - talk about justice forrepparttar 132857 Rich only.

I want you to think carefully - and then think again - and then sleep on it - before you report someone for spam. Their business, their very future, andrepparttar 132858 income they use to support their family is at stake. I am not being melodramatic as you will see when I tell you my personal story now.

Recently I changed distribution sources for sending out my ezine. I did not trust my ezine inrepparttar 132859 hands of anyone else and my previous system was unreliable so I now use a system on my own domain. However I had a problem exportingrepparttar 132860 subscribers from my previous service. I therefore had to use copies of subscription request emails that I had on my computer. I knew that this meant I would be importing some people who had already unsubscribed. However I gave a full explanation in my ezine and a surprise gift when people unsubscribed to make up for it.

However obviously some people weren't content with my humble apology and explanation. I was reported to SpamCop. Did Spamcop contact me first to discussrepparttar 132861 matter? Did they tell me whorepparttar 132862 complainer was (a well known principle of all justice systems also where an accused hasrepparttar 132863 right to confront their accuser)? Did they even think this ezine may have been opt in and do nothing? No on all counts!

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