[plug] [OT] "spam, spam, spam, spam, loverly spam," ... - where are the vikings?

[Bret Busby]

The Thought Assassin wrote:
> 
> On Thu, 28 Sep 2000, Bret Busby wrote:
> > Leon Brooks wrote:
> > >     http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0%2C4586%2C2633574%2C00.html
> > What is the difference between that, and the messages at the bottom of
> > the free emails, like the Hotmail emails, the "Are you a yahoo today",
> > the Netscape free email message, etc?
> 
> Admittedly I haven't followed the link to ZDNet on principle, but assuming
> that Leon is talking about what I imagine he is talking about, Microsoft
> have been sending an unsolicited mail to everyone on a user's list of
> known addresses. That is a bit different to attaching a message at the end
> of an email that at least has useful, unautomated content at the top.
> 
> -Greg

The way that it was stated in the article, it was MS allowing people to
send "change of address forms" to people in a user's address book. It is
much the same as what happens, from memory, when registering for the
free email, at netscape.net, where similar messages are sent to people,
advising them of the new email address. If you register for the free
email, at netscape.net, I believe that you will understand what I mean.
It is a thing that happens, at the time of registering, I think, on a
once off basis ("hey people, this is my new email addresss, at this new
facility, that provides these benefits"). I am not sure, whether
hotmail, yahoo, and the others, do similar things; but, form memory,
netscape does the same, or, a similar kind of thing.

I think that, at least in this instance, it is a bit of a grey area. I
object to spam, but, I am unsure of this one.

I think that, perhaps, the perception of MS, could have influenced the
perception of the action, as spamming; "Oh, it's Microsft. Nasty people,
doing nasty things".

But, what if someone else is, or was doing it? As I have said, I believe
that netscape already does, or, has done, either the same, or, a similar
thing. What if RH, or some other Linux distribution, offered a free
email service, with accompanying advertising, and, did the same, or, a
imilar thing? What then?

As I previously stated, I am not sugesting that MS has noty done
something wrong, here. I am unsure of whether it is something wrong,
and, I believe that they are not the only ones that are doing this type
of thing.

We must keep an open mind.

-- 

Bret Busby

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"So once you do know what the question actually is, you'll know what the
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