E-Mail Snafu Sparks Spam Attack On Journalists

TFGeditor writes "According to an article at Editor & Publisher an e-mail mistake by the Casey Journalism Center at the University of Maryland wrongly invited hundreds of journalists nationwide to the university's prestigious 'Casey Medals' awards. The goof also launched a perpetual e-mail whirlwind as those who responded to the incorrect note unwittingly sent their feedback to everyone else on the recipient list. The e-mail was an electronic invitation to attend the organization's annual board meeting and awards lunch in Washington, D.C. on Aug, 8, according to Carrie Rowell, conference coordinator. She said it was meant only to reach the center's 11 board members, who are invited to the event where 18 journalists will be honored with the press-related awards. Rowell said she did not know how many people were affected, but did not dispute that it was likely hundreds."

Not sure this is news

[AEton]

Somebody accidentally chose the wrong group in their address book. Also, a bunch of technically illiterate people hit 'reply to all' instead of 'reply to'.

The illiterates in question were journalists, and the content of the email was bland but interesting to journalists. So the Editor and Publisher publication picked up on it...

I'm not sure how this qualifies as 'news for nerds'.

This seems to happen too often

[Whafro]

Doesn't anyone else get a bit nervous before sending an e-mail to a list and make sure that everything is set up correctly? I mean, I'd at least have glanced at my mailing list's address list seven or eight times (consecutively) before hitting send.

It's one thing if you read like an idiot in a personal message. It's far more damning when you do it en masse. Then again, maybe it's just far more accurate when you do it en masse.

I'm growing tired for this crap. "Spam" .. bah!

[Anonymous Coward]

Okay, I'm growing tired of the misuse of the word "Spam". I know that a lot of people consider all unwanted or wrongly sent email "spam" - but this certainly isn't.

An email was sent to more people than intended. That is not SPAM.

The reply-address was an email list. That is not SPAM.

A lot of unwitting journalist morons continued to reply the list, generating more emails. It's not spam - it's stupidity on the part of the journalists.

It's not spam! Of course it was an error to send out the email to a lot of people - but it's the same fucking receipients that generated the flurry of unwanted emails... and for each fucking 'get me of this list' - everyone got more crap into their inboxes.

I'll say most of the blame is on the journalists that coulnd't keep their fingers of the 'reply' buttons.

This is news?

[slashname3]

This is what passes for news on slashdot now? A group of people don't follow basic email practices and cause a minor flurry of emails in their own group and you think this is news?

Can't wait for the dupes to show up in a few days.

Spam?

[krray]

I have to agree with you -- a bunch of [most likely Outlook] users click on Reply-To-All and 1) this is worthy /. news? 2) how in the heck is this SPAM?

Of course -- with their address now added to a couple of hundred recipients computers ... with any number of them about to be re-infected again ... they will soon learn what SPAM really is all about.

In the context it happened though -- that certainly wasn't spam. Not even close.

Re:Rowell is computer illiterate

[s20451]

I agree completely! People with licenses never get into accidents. And taking a CS course means you never hit "Reply All" when you mean to hit "Reply".

The "so what?" factor

[ketilf]

Also in the news today, Michael Jackson is not vegetarian.

I have a suggestion for the moderators of slashdot. There's something called the "so what?" factor, and if you can't answer that question about an article, then don't post it.

Canadian Articling

[Anonymous Coward]

One of the not least prestigious Canadian law firms (*ahem*Lang Michener*ahem*) recently sent a blank email to 342 law students who were applying for articling jobs.

Not only did this reveal the names and email addresses of all the applicants, it was followed up by two "Recall" emails, similarly addressed.

Retards abound. The power to really do stupid things has become all too easy and accessible. That or the average intelligence has kicked the bucket, so to speak.

Agreed

[Got Laid, Can't Code]

I've seen this happen many times with tech illiterates. It's only of interest to journalists, and of no interest to us. Incidently, doesn't it get frustrating to see journalists misreport things over and over because they have journalism training but no science training, computer training, medical training, [fill in the blank]?

Re:Not sure this is news

[Seumas]

Let's see.

And exactly what brilliant software solution would you develop that would prevent someone from sending a message to the wrong people? An email client's job is to send email to the people you tell it to. If you send it to [e-mail] - that's not the email client's fault. That's your own stupidity.

There's a REPLY button. There's a REPLY ALL button. That solves the 300 pointless replies that resulted.

There are very simple mail filters in almost every client. That solves the "I kept getting copies of all these replies in my mailbox that were interrupting my day" problem.

Let me guess, you blame crappy driving on the car manufacturer, too?

stupidity

[cahiha]

This sort of thing is stupidity, not an attack. Unfortunately, it's stupidity that happens again and again.

As a rule of thumb, never set the return address for a mailing list or a group mailing to the group.

As a rule of thumb, never put more than a handful of people in the To/Cc lines of an Email.

Stick to those two rules, and you'll be doing OK. Break them only if you have a really, really good reason.

Re: Not sure this is news

[BlueTooth]

Failure to use the Bcc: field for mass mailings (especially if the parties in the To: Cc: etc. fields don't know each other directly) is another pet peave of mine.