Unsolicited Spam Mail - Would you use it?

Chris_C · 12-04-2003, 08:24 AM

Volatile topic I'm certain but I'm curious after reading another thread where some very strong opinions arose about it. Do you think there's ever an application for it or is it the devil of the internet?

So as not to hijack the other thread, I've started a new on here. Please keep responses within this thread but the original is here (http://www.namepros.com/12035-how-to-get-traffic-post104239.html)

First off definition: From -RJ-

Quote:

The only way to spam is to illegally using services somewhere along the line.

I'm not sure I entirely agree, I'd probably define spam more generally as the sending of any unsolicited email information to 1 or more parties. To me the point is the fact that the mail itself is unsolicited.

I stated that I'd consider using spam in the appropriate niche, which niche would that be? I guess that depends upon the type of spam your sending (if indeed there are various types) but I would guess products/services that appeal to the largest audience possible. Some industries are so wrought with spam, even the search engines are a complete mess. Go do a search on phentermine on google and you'll find most of the sites look quite similar to the the spam emails you're getting. Are a lot of those sites spamming? You can bet at least some are, they are just doing it either completely independant to the "clean" site &/or buffering the results through however many intermediaries.

Tippy · 12-04-2003, 08:30 AM

I would not use it myself...

phrone · 12-04-2003, 08:33 AM

Can you please explain a little more EXACTLY what it is, and then I will give you an answer to if I would or not

12-04-2003, 10:24 AM

Phrone's avatar says it all for me.

when it comes to SPAM. Products offered via SPAM, telemarketing calls, and obnoxious TV spots (ie telephone rings!)all go on my "Avoid, Do Not Buy" list.

Darren · 12-04-2003, 10:25 AM

For anybody having some trouble understanding this topic, check out http://spam.abuse.net/overview/whatisspam.shtml

12-04-2003, 11:26 AM

Quote:

I'd probably define spam more generally as the sending of any unsolicited email information to 1 or more parties. To me the point is the fact that the mail itself is unsolicited

My defenition of SPAM is not so broad. I equate SPAM w/ stock emails sent out en masse, using address lists, or automated "mailer" progs. I would also include targeted emailing w/ stock letters as SPAM.(for an example, do NamePro search on "Anthony Griffin"-a spammer and a scammer).

I send out individually written emails that are content specific to a newsgroup w/ members that may have use for a DN or other item I have to offer. In fact, I preface the email w/ something to the effect of :

"I am hand-typing this message for the "group name" newsgroup because I have a "something (ie domain name)" that is content specific to "the group topic" that I believe will be of interest and could be useful to "group name" members. I am not a spammer."

It would be a shame if SPAM knocked out the email communication lines for the individual that has something to offer that is potentially useful and content specific to a group or individual's interests.

Thats my 2 cents, anyways.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/12469-unsolicited-spam-mail-would-you-use.html

Chris_C · 12-04-2003, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Spam is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it.

Hm, I just don't see the distinction between sending many of the same message to simply sending one. In terms of the ethical argument that people seem to have against the spam at anyrate. Take out the illegal use of trojans & IMO if you can justify sending 1 unsolicited mail then there's very little difference to sending 1 million of them. The point is that the sender wants something from a receiver who did not give permission to be contacted.

slipondajimmy · 12-04-2003, 03:33 PM

i hate all spam...LOL What a really hate is the " You have been chosen for a fantastic getaway to sunny orlando florida" ones....DUH i live in orlando . My definition of spam ..hmmmm .

I dont care who it is can be the President of the US. If you send it and i didnt ask for it . Its spam . Its really that easy

RJ · 12-04-2003, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chris_C
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469
if you can justify sending 1 unsolicited mail then there's very little difference to sending 1 million of them.

Correct. If you just randomly pick a single e-mail address out of a million to send a message to them that you have no idea would even apply to them, then it is equally unjustified.

It's singular spams that generate complaints. Mass spamming just compounds it even more so, neither is right.

phrone · 12-04-2003, 04:06 PM

The ones I hate are those penis enlargment ones.. A penis patch?!

redhippo · 12-04-2003, 04:09 PM

how does one define "unsolicted" email aka spam? if i send one email concerning my offer to to a end-user..would that not be spam?
1. he didnt asked for it
2. he doesnt know you
3. he did not opt-in to your mails
4.your probably jamming his email box

whats the difference if i sent the "same" email 30 other "targetted" end-users, patiently changing/manually typing a word or two(maybe even not)...is this not "unsolicted minor spam"????

or just "blast" out 30 emails at the same time??
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469

the "enduser" would not know whether you have sent the letter to him/her only or to millions.
the person concerned, if he/she is in BAD mood'
WILL report you as spammer?

all this is just hypo...have done anything yet...just curious

12-04-2003, 05:21 PM

As a matter of linguistics, I suppose one could say that any unsolicited mail is spam. however I think there is a practical distinction that should be made between one personally written letter to a group or company w/ specifics inquiring about their interest in an item or idea and the indiscriminant, mailing of 1 or 30 or 1 million stock letters.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469
Hypothetical Example: I own the DN widgets.com and email an inquiry to bestwidgets.com to see what their interest might be. If this is SPAM, so be it. But this is not at all the same activity as using a mailing list and having a bandwith hogging program send out 1 million emails offering widget.com for sale. If the initial email to bestwidgets is an invasion of privacy and unethical, than purchasing and owning widget.com in the first place, could be considered a worse breech of ethics, although owning a domain name with a word that has someones business name in it, is a less personal and more indirect way of saying hello. In both instances, contact has been made that was unsolicited.
Frankly, I'm huge on privacy issues myself and do feel uncomfortable contacting someone w/ a cold call/email and ,therefore, have had to force myself to write and send this kind of letter the few times I have done it.

redhippo · 12-04-2003, 06:14 PM

precisely the issue of "privacy" is also at the core of the issue.........and this is linked with "intial contact"

sales man at door
sales consultant at mall
touts at aiports
street side peddlers??....all have to one point or another make contact...otherwise, if they wait for referrals......or answers to ads...they will probably starved
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469

if i pm someone " buy from Me" offer is it spam? the person could of course "deny receipt"

or if i PM to asked Questions , would that be spam? the person might be receiving 100 pm .....that he didnt asked for...

confusing

Tippy · 12-05-2003, 05:18 AM

When I send out emails trying to sell my Domains I do feel like a spammer

which is why I dont do it that often, which might also be why I dont make many sales lol

I do pick my recipients carefully ensuring that my Domain for sale offer would be of some interest to them obviously...

Mike

***armstrong*** · 12-05-2003, 05:42 AM

Like Mike/Tippy, I don't feel comfortable sending unsolicited emails, even to highly-targetted recipients. I'm sitting on a growing pile of (IMHO) really good domains, as sales are not yet aplenty.

I'm considering other options, such as:
- advertising in e-zines
- sending individual hand-addressed letters to my very best leads
- seeking out a meeting or phone call with the decision maker using the six-degrees-of-separation theory

Apollo

redhippo · 12-05-2003, 09:06 AM

phone spam, unsolicted phone calls

...where does one draw the line.......
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469

dont speak,talk,write,fax.pm,email to anyone that you dont personally know and if you know them.....you still have to wait for them to Make the Move....

the problem with putting them out on static adverts is that the "targetted" dont usually read such stuff( only domain speculators

...)

if they are Already reading DOMAIN related stuff, they would have regged the name themselves...

so usually the end-user are mostly oFF line or just email users............not yet quite NET-WISE.

IMHO

Tippy · 12-05-2003, 09:09 AM

I have been receiving some replies from my mailings, nothing very positive sales wise but they do seem to be reading my emails, I use the Domain I am selling as the email subject/title...

inflames · 12-05-2003, 10:25 AM

i find that when i go into chat rooms , every now and than i notice the next day i have close to 50 new emails in my box , i think people sit in the Yahoo ! chat and pick out names to email . and it happens to be me who they pick all the time LOL
thats why i very rarely go in there anymore becuase i am tired of deleting so many emails

PokerGuide.com · 12-05-2003, 01:56 PM

What chat rooms ?
What system ?

RJ · 12-05-2003, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by inflames
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469
i find that when i go into chat rooms , every now and than i notice the next day i have close to 50 new emails in my box , i think people sit in the Yahoo ! chat and pick out names to email . and it happens to be me who they pick all the time LOL
thats why i very rarely go in there anymore becuase i am tired of deleting so many emails

With AOL, spammers create e-mail harvesting bots that go through chat rooms and capture all the people in a room to send email to them. The same might be true with Yahoo.

12-05-2003, 03:18 PM

Newsgroup/Usenet groups are where most of the spam originates from. I have several email accounts and have had a couple of "spam catchers" that I used to test this a while back. Invariably, the day after, (and sometimes within minutes!), posting at a usenet group, I got a ration of spam addressed to the email acct I used to post. Not only are spammers lurking about, there are also spiders that constantly mine for email address' on the net, and these sites are easy pickins. I now use totally fabricated address' and alias's and where this is not allowed, I use one of my spam-catchers that I recycle from time to time.
Also use a couple of different newsgroup clients.
Have to be careful, however if you get out there w/ your alias's. One of my alias's is KyzerSozay ("The Usual Suspects") that has date and time script that I once mistakenly used for a legitimate inquiry.
My (automatically inserted) preface to this email was:

On "date" at "time" KyzerSozay slowly savored one final sip of a caffe corretto and than took a long, deep, and very satisfying draw from his freshly lit Gaulois. He paused, reflecting on his thoughts, and uttered forth the following unto the eagerly awaiting, faceless masses:

This was followed up w/ something like:

Dear Mr Smith:
Cyberdentity is a domain name service co , with a reputation in the industry for it's professionalism ...

BTW, didn't receive a reply.

12-04-2003, 04:09 PM	#11 (permalink)
redhippo NamePros Expert Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: ANForum Posts: 5,218	how does one define "unsolicted" email aka spam? if i send one email concerning my offer to to a end-user..would that not be spam? 1. he didnt asked for it 2. he doesnt know you 3. he did not opt-in to your mails 4.your probably jamming his email box whats the difference if i sent the "same" email 30 other "targetted" end-users, patiently changing/manually typing a word or two(maybe even not)...is this not "unsolicted minor spam"???? or just "blast" out 30 emails at the same time?? ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469 the "enduser" would not know whether you have sent the letter to him/her only or to millions. the person concerned, if he/she is in BAD mood' WILL report you as spammer? all this is just hypo...have done anything yet...just curious __________________ \|www.vb-skins.com\|- Quality Premade Vbulletin skins for Your VB forum makeover \|www.Banjir.com\|-Free image hosting?[B]For Sale!\|AlphaScripts\|Money Generating Scripts FREE VB Skins

12-04-2003, 05:21 PM	#12 (permalink)
Grrilla Guest Posts: n/a	As a matter of linguistics, I suppose one could say that any unsolicited mail is spam. however I think there is a practical distinction that should be made between one personally written letter to a group or company w/ specifics inquiring about their interest in an item or idea and the indiscriminant, mailing of 1 or 30 or 1 million stock letters. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469 Hypothetical Example: I own the DN widgets.com and email an inquiry to bestwidgets.com to see what their interest might be. If this is SPAM, so be it. But this is not at all the same activity as using a mailing list and having a bandwith hogging program send out 1 million emails offering widget.com for sale. If the initial email to bestwidgets is an invasion of privacy and unethical, than purchasing and owning widget.com in the first place, could be considered a worse breech of ethics, although owning a domain name with a word that has someones business name in it, is a less personal and more indirect way of saying hello. In both instances, contact has been made that was unsolicited. Frankly, I'm huge on privacy issues myself and do feel uncomfortable contacting someone w/ a cold call/email and ,therefore, have had to force myself to write and send this kind of letter the few times I have done it. Last edited by Grrilla; 12-05-2003 at 02:45 AM.

12-04-2003, 06:14 PM	#13 (permalink)
redhippo NamePros Expert Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: ANForum Posts: 5,218	precisely the issue of "privacy" is also at the core of the issue.........and this is linked with "intial contact" sales man at door sales consultant at mall touts at aiports street side peddlers??....all have to one point or another make contact...otherwise, if they wait for referrals......or answers to ads...they will probably starved ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469 if i pm someone " buy from Me" offer is it spam? the person could of course "deny receipt" or if i PM to asked Questions , would that be spam? the person might be receiving 100 pm .....that he didnt asked for... confusing __________________ \|www.vb-skins.com\|- Quality Premade Vbulletin skins for Your VB forum makeover \|www.Banjir.com\|-Free image hosting?[B]For Sale!\|AlphaScripts\|Money Generating Scripts FREE VB Skins

12-05-2003, 05:42 AM	#15 (permalink)
*armstrong* Man from Manila Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Net Posts: 6,022	Like Mike/Tippy, I don't feel comfortable sending unsolicited emails, even to highly-targetted recipients. I'm sitting on a growing pile of (IMHO) really good domains, as sales are not yet aplenty. I'm considering other options, such as: - advertising in e-zines - sending individual hand-addressed letters to my very best leads - seeking out a meeting or phone call with the decision maker using the six-degrees-of-separation theory Apollo __________________ Apollo's excellent 3-letter .BIZ auction; $1 starting bid!

12-05-2003, 09:06 AM	#16 (permalink)
redhippo NamePros Expert Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: ANForum Posts: 5,218	phone spam, unsolicted phone calls...where does one draw the line....... ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=12469 dont speak,talk,write,fax.pm,email to anyone that you dont personally know and if you know them.....you still have to wait for them to Make the Move.... the problem with putting them out on static adverts is that the "targetted" dont usually read such stuff( only domain speculators...) if they are Already reading DOMAIN related stuff, they would have regged the name themselves... so usually the end-user are mostly oFF line or just email users............not yet quite NET-WISE. IMHO __________________ \|www.vb-skins.com\|- Quality Premade Vbulletin skins for Your VB forum makeover \|www.Banjir.com\|-Free image hosting?[B]For Sale!\|AlphaScripts\|Money Generating Scripts FREE VB Skins

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12-04-2003, 08:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
Tippy NamePros Expert Join Date: May 2003 Location: Montreal Posts: 7,099	I would not use it myself...

12-04-2003, 08:33 AM	#3 (permalink)
phrone Account Suspended Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Maine Posts: 1,114	Can you please explain a little more EXACTLY what it is, and then I will give you an answer to if I would or not

12-04-2003, 10:24 AM	#4 (permalink)
Grrilla Guest Posts: n/a	Phrone's avatar says it all for me. when it comes to SPAM. Products offered via SPAM, telemarketing calls, and obnoxious TV spots (ie telephone rings!)all go on my "Avoid, Do Not Buy" list.

12-04-2003, 10:25 AM	#5 (permalink)
Darren Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: eBay Posts: 1,990	For anybody having some trouble understanding this topic, check out http://spam.abuse.net/overview/whatisspam.shtml

12-04-2003, 03:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
slipondajimmy Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 2,051	i hate all spam...LOL What a really hate is the " You have been chosen for a fantastic getaway to sunny orlando florida" ones....DUH i live in orlando . My definition of spam ..hmmmm . I dont care who it is can be the President of the US. If you send it and i didnt ask for it . Its spam . Its really that easy

12-04-2003, 04:06 PM	#10 (permalink)
phrone Account Suspended Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Maine Posts: 1,114	The ones I hate are those penis enlargment ones.. A penis patch?!

12-05-2003, 05:18 AM	#14 (permalink)
Tippy NamePros Expert Join Date: May 2003 Location: Montreal Posts: 7,099	When I send out emails trying to sell my Domains I do feel like a spammer which is why I dont do it that often, which might also be why I dont make many sales lol I do pick my recipients carefully ensuring that my Domain for sale offer would be of some interest to them obviously... Mike

12-05-2003, 09:09 AM	#17 (permalink)
Tippy NamePros Expert Join Date: May 2003 Location: Montreal Posts: 7,099	I have been receiving some replies from my mailings, nothing very positive sales wise but they do seem to be reading my emails, I use the Domain I am selling as the email subject/title...

12-05-2003, 10:25 AM	#18 (permalink)
inflames Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: PA Posts: 1,339	i find that when i go into chat rooms , every now and than i notice the next day i have close to 50 new emails in my box , i think people sit in the Yahoo ! chat and pick out names to email . and it happens to be me who they pick all the time LOL thats why i very rarely go in there anymore becuase i am tired of deleting so many emails

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

12-05-2003, 01:56 PM	#19 (permalink)
PokerGuide.com Internet Entrepreneur Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 2,855	What chat rooms ? What system ?

12-05-2003, 03:18 PM	#21 (permalink)
Grrilla Guest Posts: n/a	Newsgroup/Usenet groups are where most of the spam originates from. I have several email accounts and have had a couple of "spam catchers" that I used to test this a while back. Invariably, the day after, (and sometimes within minutes!), posting at a usenet group, I got a ration of spam addressed to the email acct I used to post. Not only are spammers lurking about, there are also spiders that constantly mine for email address' on the net, and these sites are easy pickins. I now use totally fabricated address' and alias's and where this is not allowed, I use one of my spam-catchers that I recycle from time to time. Also use a couple of different newsgroup clients. Have to be careful, however if you get out there w/ your alias's. One of my alias's is KyzerSozay ("The Usual Suspects") that has date and time script that I once mistakenly used for a legitimate inquiry. My (automatically inserted) preface to this email was: On "date" at "time" KyzerSozay slowly savored one final sip of a caffe corretto and than took a long, deep, and very satisfying draw from his freshly lit Gaulois. He paused, reflecting on his thoughts, and uttered forth the following unto the eagerly awaiting, faceless masses: This was followed up w/ something like: Dear Mr Smith: Cyberdentity is a domain name service co , with a reputation in the industry for it's professionalism ... BTW, didn't receive a reply.