Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Email / Spam / Lists / orgs

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

On Tue, 8 Apr 2008  Eris Weaver wrote:

> I have a slightly different take on this.

> Publishing your contact information in ANY publicly-accessible directory
> - online or print - opens you up to receiving communications from whoever
> finds you in that directory. That's why we do it, right? So people can
> find us? Hopefully anyone pulling contact info from the Coho/US or FIC
> directories will be using it for purposes related to community.

I think the purpose of listing email addresses is to contact selected
communities, not to send them all unsolicited email (spam).  But,
a bit like porn, spam is hard to define closely.  Suppose I sent
1) an ad about a product that rhymes with Niagra ALMOST all addresses in
the cohousing directory?  Spam? yes.

How about these variants of this scenario?
2) about a cohousing unit for rent. Spam? probably (imho)
3) about a cohousing event to 5 addresses sender thinks are likely to be
interested.  Spam? no
4) like 3) but to 25 people.  Spam?
              5)  75 people   Spam?
              6) 90% of "
              7) 99%  yes (imho)
              8) 99% repeatedly definitely yes.

Clearly some mailing are more egregious than others and where the
boundary is drawn is not clear cut.

> But it
> would be naive to think that just publishing the above disclaimer would
> stop anyone who really wanted to use the contact info there.

I think a "disclaimer" would stop some but clearly not all inappropriate
mail.  It would also deny the excuse that "I did not know it was
inappropriate".

> I recently sent out a mailer and email about a workshop I am teaching
> that would be of interest to cohousers and other communitarians. I
> have paid advertising on the Coho/US website and elsewhere, and also
> posted it to cohousing-l. I also used the directories to identify
> communities in the geographic area where the workshop will be held.
> Was that spam?
> Was that a mis-use of the directories?
In that grey area.  Depends on on how many addresses / how large a
geographic area and then it's still a judgement call.  Given that I know
you to some extent via email, I'd give you the benefit of the doubt
(after looking at the numbers :) .

> Or just using a common marketing technique?

Clearly it is a "common marketing technique"  but that does not make it
acceptable.

BTW I routinely delete lots of spam and might decide not to attend an
event or check out an interesting product if I found out about via Spam.
I dont like to deal with people who Spam; what other "shortcuts" might
they take in their dealings.

Fred

--
Fred H. Olson  Minneapolis,MN 55411  USA        (near north Mpls)
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