Was Brian spammed today, November 4, 1997? YES!
Welcome to the new Spam-Sucking Slimeballs Page.
I am sorry for the delays in updating it (it's been about 6 weeks.)
I've moved and only now have had the real time to deal with updating the
page as I promised to do in the last installment. I hope the new
format is better for you.
First change is that residents only last for four weeks
on the page. There is so much spam wandering the net that to include
everybody in perpetuity as the original list was designed to do would result
in a page so huge that it would put Microsoft to shame.
Second change is the Spammer's Hall of Fame. Despite
the overwhelming glut of crap coming through the net, some crap you see
over and over again. For those companies who continue to spam the
world despite being told to sod off, they remain on here forever until
they figure out how to take no for an answer.
We've all gotten them: Unsolicited advertisements in
our email. We don't know where they got our names and frankly, we don't
care. All we want is for them to stop. Yes, advertisement is what is going
to keep the Internet alive, but don't use my mailbox to do it. If I want
your business, I will let you know. That's why we have all those wonderful
search engines out there for us to utilise.
This is a list of all the advertisers who have sent me
email trying to separate me from my money in one form or another. Some
are pyramid schemes and multilevel marketing (and I don't care how much
you say it isn't, if the business is getting other people into the business,
it's a pyramid scheme), some are "great offers" such as getting my signature
digitised (uh, I can do that at the local Kinko's for a whole lot less
if I didn't already own a scanner and did it myself), and the rest...well...I
won't go into the rest.
At any rate, this list contains userids and addresses
of the companies and organisations who have sent me their swill as well
as a brief description of what it is they were trying to sell me. I offer
this list for two reasons:
-
Many email programs allow you to filter mail. With this list,
you can update your filters to automatically throw their advertisements
away, automatically send them a response to never mail you again, etc.
Be warned about that last, though. Many of these people have faked their
addresses meaning any response will bounce.
-
Now that we know who these people are, we can make sure they
never get any business. Since we have search engines, we can look up businesses.
But before we make that final decision, let's check out their business
practices. Are they making the Internet a nice place to be or yet another
glut of worthless trash?
And a note to advertisers, just in case they read this: Forcing
a person to send you a reply to be taken off your mailing list is even
worse than sending the garbage in the first place. We never asked to be
on your list in the first place, why do you assume we want to stay on it?
Take a lesson from physical junk mail: Assume that if we want to be on
your list, we'll reply asking to be put on it. Don't automatically put
us on.
If you've received any unsolicited advertisements, add them
to the list! Email me at rrhain@ix.netcom.com.
But be warned. Use the subject line "Forwarded spam-sucking slimeball ad"
so I can filter it with my email program. Failure to do so may result in
your name being added to the list. And in order to help keep things on
the up-and-up, I ask that you include the advertisement you received so
that I have some way of making sure you aren't a disgruntled employee.
Please note that to protect my mailbox from filling up with junk from these
people, I will not send them my Congratulations!
letter. Not only does this prevent them from spamming me, it also reflects
the fact that they didn't spam me in the first place. If you wish to inform
them of their placement on the list, including using my letter, by all
means go right ahead. Please be civil in any communications with them.
Remember, they are the ones who should be ashamed of themselves.
Also note that I will not include your address in the
list when you send me spam. This is to prevent any spammer from gleaning
addresses from this site.
