Chuq wrote:
>
> It ain't spam just because one person doesn't like it and calls it
> such.
quite true. What is spam? UCE, yes? It has to be email (i.e. web
listings are OK because they don't use up a user's resources), it has
to be commercial (i.e. the sender gets commercial value from the
offer, whether directly from the receiver or indirectly), and it has
to be unsolicited (i.e. there is no prior relationship between sender
and receiver).
Thus, PAML, or its agents, can send email to everyone who requested
entry in the PAML (that's solicitied). PAML can even list on its
website folks who've made their list info public (that's not
email). And folks can email the list owner on a one-on-one basis with
person-to-person questions, unrelated to any commerical interest
(that's uncommercial).
But, it seems to me that sending email to list-owners whom you have no
prior relationship with, offering a free service which provides the
sender with commericial value is indeed UCE.
Thus, just because you advertise your list somewhere doesn't mean that
every vender of list software can send you email advertising their
free versions, and that every list database can send you email
advertising their free archiving (i.e. request to publish their
content), and that every email ad exchange purveyor can send you email
advertising their free exchange service. If you want to reach
list-owners to advertise your commercial service (whether free to the
list-owner or not) you have to use a medium that doesn't use the
list-owners resources. Unlike email, these usually cost more (banner
ads on sites list-owners might like), or involve slow methodical work
(.signatures on informative postings on appropriate mailing lists and
newsgroups.) Yes, this can be costly and round-a-bout, but why should
this particular free commercial service get special email priviledges
in sending unsolicited email?
What makes the Topica/PAML issue a little sticky is that some of the
lists on PAML were added unsolicited. Which is OK for a web listing,
but doesn't authorize PAML or its agents to then send them email
advertising a commercial service. For the lists that asked to be
added, there is no problem.
Just like you say, it's not whether the people like it or not, it's
whether it meets the definition of UCE. (BTW, I've received spam for
products I didn't know about and was actually glad to learn about, but
that doesn't make it right).
Yes, I have changed my opinion on this. If Nick never ever asked PAML
or any of the other web listing services to list his list, then the
email he got advertising Topica's free list archiving was spam (this
based on the strict objective definition of UCE and not just not
liking it; in fact, I do like it or rather, I don't mind it yet).
Topica, a commercial web publisher, has a third choice over automatic
archiving and emailed requests to archive: traditional advertising
venues.
--
Michelle Dick [EMAIL PROTECTED] East Palo Alto, CA
Owner, FATFREE Vegetarian Mailing List
Web Publisher, http://www.fatfree.com/
