Re: [tlug] B2B e-mail solicitation response

[Godwin Stewart <gstewart@example.com>]

On Mon, 8 Mar 2004 02:41:03 +0100 , patrick.niessen@example.com wrote:

> from time to time my company receives e-mail solicitation to e-mail
> adresses stated on our website.  Of course they are a kind of spam mail as
> we did not ask to be contacted, and because they send out this mail to
> various addresses on our site without verifying the appropriate recipient.
>  (We need
> those e-mail addresses, for marketing / customer service reasons, so I
> cannot just remove them and replace by bitmaps).

No, but if you accept that there will only be a small percentage of your
intended audience with JavaScript disabled, then you can have the links
generated by JavaScript. This will have the effect of making them
non-harvestable by spammers' ratware. I use this:

  <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
  function WriteMailLink(user,domain,subject) {
    document.write('<a href="mai');
    document.write('lto:'+user+'&#64;');
    document.write(domain);
    if ( subject.length > 0 )  document.write("?subject="+subject);
    document.write('">'+user+'&#64;'+domain+'<'+'/a>');
  }
  </script>

Then, whenever I need a link to an e-mail address in my page I do this:

<p align="center">Mail me:
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
WriteMailLink("gstewart","sgms-centre.com","cdwriting");
</script>
</p>

> Do you think it is legitimate (as in fair / appropriate), for IT service
> companies to contact us in this way.

No.

The addresses you put out are for potential clients to contact you, not for
someone trying to sell you pills to enlarge your $body_part or any other
product or service.

> Are they as bad as certain other SPAM messages?

How many messages in the form of processed ham have you received?

Reminder: Hormel Foods Inc. is getting /very/ touchy about people using
their trademark, "SPAM", to describe unsolicited junk mail. They tolerate
the use of "Spam" or "spam" for this purpose, but not "SPAM". Hormel Foods
Inc. has started suing people over this AFAIK.

If you meant "Are they as bad as certain other spam messages?", then the
answer is definitely "yes". It's all about conSent, not conTent. Therefore,
whether the spam is pushing IT services, kiddie pr0n or stolen credit cards
it's all the same.

> How would you respond to the sender?

By dumping its IP range in the DNSBL having informed the ISP from whence
came the mail and on which the spamvertized website is being hosted (altho'
the chances are that it's on Chinanet, MCI/WorldScum or VSNL, so good
luck...).

> In the past I used something like this:
> 
> >Dear Mr. XXX,
>
> [snip confirmation of a live e-mail address]

Well done. You've just opted in to receiving yet more spam.

> I am sure there are better ways to say this - any suggestions?

Google for the "Boulder Pledge".

-- 
G. Stewart   --   gstewart@example.com -- gstewart@example.com
Registered Linux user #284683 (Slackware 9.0, Linux 2.4.25)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in
their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're
a mile away and you have their shoes.

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