Reader Comments on Aardvark Daily 2 May 2001
Note: the comments below are the unabridged
submissions of readers and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher.
From: Alan Brown For : Right Of Reply (for publication) Subj: DMA Ref: 1 May Edition. Well yes, the DMA listing is preemptive - ORBS spamtraps are already getting mail from DMA associates who claim to be adhering to such guidlines. Some points:Confirmed opt-in mailing methods are some of the most effective marketing strategies ever devised and they _don't piss people off_. As any businessman will tell you, one pissed off target is at least 10 lost sales. ORBS runs a blacklist of non-secure mailing list servers, which includes the so-called "single opt-in" lists. This list is new and is rapidly being picked up by ISPs and companies worldwide as another weapon against cost-shifted marketing. There are several hundred thousand mail servers worldwide using ORBS and the new blacklist of mailing lists has the potential to be even more widely used than the current blacklists - particularly by large ISPs and freemail sites, most of whom are already using ORBS in some form or another. From: The DMA For : Right Of Reply (for publication) Subj: Yes, we've been ORBSed Ref: 1 May Edition. ...and yes we've bitched - actually no. We didn't bitch, we (I) simply sent an email re-defining our stance and requesting (nicely) to be removed from the ORBS database. We recognise that there's been plenty of negative press about the launch of the Code of Practice. We also know this is the very first attempt by any organisation to formally (read "via government") recognise SPAM = BAD. (Please enlighten me to any predecessors!) We welcome the controversy, which in fact creates conversation about what we're trying to achieve. Here's what we're doing: The DMA is encouraging a self- regulatory environment for direct/interactive marketing - one which NEGATES the need for legislative intervention. Translation: We don't want Government sticking it's nose into the affairs of those using the Internet as a communication tool. ** Freedom of the 'net will be no more if we end up with laws prohibiting the use of the Internet to conduct business. ** The DMA was instrumental in ensuring that aspects of The Privacy Act (waaaaay back in 1993) protected the consumer, yet still allows organisations to conduct business in a way which ensured they remained in business. The work we did back then, and the work we continue to do around consumer privacy, means that New Zealanders still enjoy one of the lowest rates of locally generated unsolicited mail and email. (Nigel Horrocks (NetGuide) pointed out in his recent Sunday Star-Times article, that of the 153 SPAM messages recently received to one of his Hotmail addresses, NOT ONE was New Zealand originated.) So.....to cut a very long story short:
- Emailed marketing, like faxed adverts is cost shifted marketing. The receiver pays arouns 90% of all email costs, not the sender. Unwanted/unsolicited email advertising is theft of services.
- Any company operating unconfirmed mailing lists ("Single opt-in" in the parlance of anti opt-in marketeers) will quickly find itself explaining to its ISP why they should keep their Internet connection.
- "Single opt-in" is a nice mailbombing tool
- The DMA has made claims to be antispam and pro consumer. Why is it endorsing a marketing method invariably associated with theft of service, fraud and invasion of privacy?
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