At 06:03 PM 12/4/97 +0000, Manar Hussain wrote, in response to one of my
standard rants:
>> I don't care if you're my best buddy in the whole wide world; if you
>> email me a general advertisement of any kind, and it's not a result of a
>> deliberate s*bscription on my part, I will blackhole you. [...]
>
>That's just plain nuts. Now you may draw you line in different places -
>but if you consider it an ex-communicable offence for a very good long
>time friend to come up to you and say "Dave! I've just got this great new
>gizmo you've gotta try" then that's very sad.
I guess I'm nuts and sad, then.
There's a world of difference between a friend telling me about a product
that he or she likes, and that I might be interested in, and a "friend"
sending me an advertisement. If a friend tries out some new motorcycle
tires, say, and thinks I might like 'em too, that's fine. I welcome such
information. But that's discussion, not advertising.
On the other hand, if that same friend sends me a bloody email brochure,
with no concern other than scoring himself a profit, then the @#$%!! gets
blackholed.
>Fact is that we all have a lot to gain by relying on the ability of others
>to act on our behalf.
I agree. But advertising is NOT acting on my behalf. It's acting on the
advertiser's behalf.
> With respect to information channelling this is
>going to become far more important in an online environment. The person
>might be a friend who knows you well or a list admin that keeps a list
>ticking along such that you think it useful.
As long as the friend has MY interests in mind and not merely his or her
wallet, that's fine. As long as _I_ signed up for the list of my own free
will, that's fine. As soon as it's stuffed down my throat, that's NOT fine.
>Of course I may have sympathies with your sentiments because of the abuse
>that goes on - doesn't mean that in this enlightened forum we can forgive
>ourselves jumping way to far in reverse.
First of all, don't assume that because this forum is enlightened, I am
enlightened too. I revel in my unenlightenment, for I am an ass.
Too far in reverse? I think not. I simply refuse to tolerate receiving
ANY advertisements, unless I have specifically requested them. If more
people felt that way, perhaps we wouldn't have such a problem with spam,
and advertisements would only appear where they belong.
I really don't mind advertising in general, and indeed I RELY on it as a
business owner. I just refuse to be forced to swallow it when I don't want
to. There's a place for it, but the place is not email.
Dave Voorhis
mailto:dave@armchair.mb.ca
http://www.armchair.mb.ca/~dave
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