DGLInfo: Junk Email, Spam, and Opportunities

Junk Email, Spam, and Opportunities
How do you feel about unsolicited email?

While reading an article on the New York Times Syndicate site, http://nytsyn.com/live/Latest_columns/358_122396_110011_25134.html, I got thinking about a conversation that my pal, Jack, and I were having earlier this week.

Jack directs an engineering company with a strong Internet presence and an ISP. He and I keep our ears to the ground related to business use of the Internet and the development of new technology--and we generally touch base every day or so. This week we were discussing unsolicited commercial email messages.

The bottom line of the conversation came out as "Does anyone really think these mail blasts work?"

At DGL we get at least four or five dozen unrequested commercial messages each day. In general, we request to be dropped from the sender's list. If the sender has attempted to conceal his identity, we trace the message and make contact with him and his ISP. Of the thousands of Internet users that I've spoken to over the years both in personal conversation and at seminars and conventions, I've never met anyone who has or would consider purchasing something that was introduced to them only via email. Jack has had similar experiences talking to the people he meets worldwide.

What do you think? Would you purchase, or have you purchased, any of the items (services or products) that have been advertised to you via unsolicited email?

Do you yourself or does your company send bulk commercial email messages? Why do you do it? What is your return?

Drop your comments into the DGL message center at http://dgl.com/msg/. I'll look for them there.

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updated December 25, 1996
http://dgl.com/dglinfo/1996/dg961225a.html