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Spam

Junkie Loves His Spam 667

Posted by CmdrTaco from the ruining-the-internet-for-the-rest-of-us dept.
VicPylon writes "Here is the reason we have to spend time and money on spam filters. This character actually responds to and buys from spam. I wonder if he is aware that he is supporting digital pollution?" I guess this proves that there really is something for everyone online.
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Junkie Loves His Spam More

Junkie Loves His Spam

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  • Whats his email? (Score:5, Funny)

    by brejc8 ( 223089 ) * on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:36AM (#8579059) Homepage Journal
    Interesting they didn't give out his email address.

  • Really... (Score:5, Funny)

    by hookedup ( 630460 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:36AM (#8579061)
    There is only so much male enhancement products a man can buy.

    They seem to be the only spam i've been getting lately. Maybe my wife is feeding them my email addresses...

  • Not against SPAM (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bsharitt ( 580506 ) * <bridget@NoSpAM.sharitt.com> on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:36AM (#8579070) Journal
    This is why I'm not completly against Spam, but I wish they would clearly mark it so those who don't want it won't get it and this guy will.

    • Re:Not against SPAM (Score:5, Insightful)

      by interiot ( 50685 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:42AM (#8579132) Homepage
      As long as the economics of spam mean that there's nearly nothing stopping more people from sending it, virtually guaranteeing that the signal/noise ratio of my mailbox will go down for the rest of time, I'm against it. Until that can be fixed (legislatively, technically, whatever), I think most spammers will be hated, independant of whatever they might be selling or whoever might be buying it.

    • We should encourage spam buying (Score:5, Funny)

      by pyser ( 262789 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:47AM (#8579211)
      According to the article it takes one buyer out of 15,000 e-mails sent in order to break even. If more people would buy from spam, they'd have to send out fewer e-mails to break even, right?

    • Hijacked servers, forged headers, and brute force (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Spammers employ many illegal methods. They forge headers, use other people's servers to send the spam, use other people's real addresses as the sender, they do brute force username dictionary attacks against mail servers, they lie about how they got your address or about your ability to be removed, and finally they sell fake and infringing products (Viagra is a trademark) and are full of frauds and scams. Those are all illegal, or at least they should be. Do you support those things? I doubt it. So ho

    • Re:Not against SPAM (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Nic-o-demus ( 169477 ) <jwecker@NoSpAM.entride.com> on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:21PM (#8579655) Journal
      The scenario I would like to see is spammers simply puting "Advertisement" on the subject line (as per the legislation). They will still get all their repeat buyers and guys like this one, and filtering for those who don't want it will be a breaze. ISP's won't have to do anything anymore, which will remove the incentive for spammers to trick them in some way. And all the cool filter methods like the bayes can turn around and be used to filter ads into categories that they are most interested in (and we can still make fun of them, but it will be light-hearted, because it's not effecting our inboxes anymore :)

      There are two problems with this. The first is the percentage of buyers who are not repeat buyers, and who hate spam. It's the person who hates spam, but when he was tricked into looking at the spam that was selling those Iraqi most wanted cards, broke down and got some, and then swore off spam from then on. This wedge of income for spammers is what marketing types are always counting on. The philosophy is: "They don't know they want it yet- they need me to tell them that they want it before they buy it." This isn't a major cache cow for most business people, but it's the wedge of income that marketers, including spammers, spend the most effort on. What could be done to remove this incentive from marketers? Beats me.

      The second challenge is Microsoft (though it's not a challenge yet- it could become one). They would much rather be in control of the whole solution- they could have stamps or push their passports or do something like that that would bring in more revenue or cement their hold on the email market etc.- we all know the routine. To their high level corporate strategy, all the spammers simply saying "advertisement" would ruin an excellent opportunity to... extend the empire, so to speak. So, I don't know all the arguments yet, but you can bet they'll be making some in the next year or so that try to defeat the simplest solution.

      So the lesson is, as much as I hate to say it, ISP's need to reward spammers who say "Advertisement" on the subject line, IMO. They need to let their spam through into some box for those who want to receive it. I believe you would see a slow, steady trickle of spammers resorting to this, because they would get the best response rates from it.

  • Maybe it's true (Score:5, Funny)

    by Gzip Christ ( 683175 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:37AM (#8579078) Homepage
    Ah, I get it now. Those "enlarge your penis" spams really do work - if you respond to them, you're nothing but a big dick.

  • That Number Again.. (Score:3, Funny)

    by ackthpt ( 218170 ) * on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:37AM (#8579080) Homepage Journal
    I've got some old junk around the house I could probably dress up in an ad. I should mail him, "Do not miss out on this opportunity! xcxzxczx"
    • Yeah, why settle for the tax write-off receipts from Goodwill? You can sell your junk to this guy, and the thousands (I shudder to think, MILLIONS?) like him and make twice the dough!

      *sigh* I am all for freedom, and I believe in the purest form of capitalism, and unfortunately spam falls in there. It's just a shame that enough of the population is ignorant to the fact that they are perpetuating a very annoying business model.

  • oh boy... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Drunken_Jackass ( 325938 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:38AM (#8579082) Homepage
    This guy needs a better hobby than answering spam. Maybe he can practice dodging oncoming traffic.

  • People fall for crap TV ads (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:38AM (#8579084)
    People buy crap sold by infomercials.

    You can sell anything to almost anybody.

  • Just Goes To Show... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by LotsaCaffeine ( 312054 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:38AM (#8579095) Homepage
    An idiot is born everyday.

    • Don't be so hard on this man (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Eponymous Cowboy ( 706996 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:58AM (#8579346)
      I don't believe this man is an idiot. Instead, it sounds like he is suffering from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) [webmd.com]. Specifically, it sounds like a form of hoarding [tripod.com] (I hope that link can handle the traffic--Google cache of the main page here [216.239.37.104]), where one simply cannot refuse to buy things that are presented to him or her.

      The Internet, and spam, is just providing an unfortunately convenient way for him to acquire these purchases.

      The article explains that he used to hunt rummage sales, thift stores, and flea markets, then turned to the Internet after hurting his back. He buys on eBay, and via spam. Spam is just one part of his disease, and it made an interesting story. From the tour his wife gave of their apartment, it sounds like he doesn't need most of the stuff he buys--a typical symptom of hoarding.

      Another symptom will be that he is unable to throw away things that he has purchased (like those boxes of vitamins), even if he doesn't need them or they are no longer of value.

      OCD medication is usually ineffective for hoarding, but counseling can help.

      At any rate, he does not respresent a typical email user, but at the same time, he is not alone. It is unfortunate, but there are people with these kinds of disorders out there, and they play right into the hands of spammers and telemarketers. The sad thing is when people take advantage of them.

      • The problem with that theory is (Score:5, Interesting)

        by RLiegh ( 247921 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:16PM (#8579586) Homepage Journal
        The article shows him refusing a number of emails that are presented to him. So, while I tend to agree with you on the hoarding part, I think either it is not to a pathological degree -or it's a different pathology entirely.

      • Re:Don't be so hard on this man (Score:5, Insightful)

        by MacAndrew ( 463832 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:19PM (#8579628) Homepage
        thanks for chiming in. perhaps he is just an idiot, perhaps he has a disorder, perhaps he has a disorder AND is an idiot, perhaps neither ... well, point is, one can't know this easily, but the question is worthy.

        facetiousness aside, a lot of people getting willingly nailed by nigerian scams, penis enlargement pitches, and so may have a variety of things going on that dismissal as an idiot does not address. if we want to reduce the behavior and maybe do a little good for the victim, a harder look is often beneficial, and i mean in our day-to-day lives. that jerk brother-in-law might suffer from depression (which causes anxiety, of a flavor that's like being sawn in half), that tardy employee might be an alcoholic, etc. the point is not to give everyone an excuse, but to target the response to the problem and maybe do some good.

        although (ahem) i am enjoying some of the humor here, i hope this guy makes some progress beyond "idiot". granted there are genuine idiots out there (if it's innate do we blame the same as if it is a choice?). i don't mean to medicalize everything, but the ignorance of the "normals" is greater than we realize.

    • Re:Just Goes To Show... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:11PM (#8579522) Homepage
      no the guy is not an idiot...

      he's a spammer. read the article... He buys items and re-sells them on his "websites"...

      This ladies and gentlemen, is a spammer, he is trying to do PR for his "industry" and if he was to be researched a bit further we would see what spam companies he is behind...
      • Maybe this guy is a plant, but the impression I got from the article is that he is mentally ill. He is purchasing things in order to feel "blessed". He should seek professional help. Prozac has been shown to improve the lives of shopaholics.

        I'm not joking here. I'm just surprised that his wife puts up with it. He is buying junk that he doesn't use because it makes him feel good to purchase things. That is messed up.

      • Re:Just Goes To Show... (Score:5, Funny)

        by r2vf ( 761602 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:58PM (#8580121)

        no the guy is not an idiot...

        he's a spammer.

        *throat clearing noise*

  • I take back... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Stopmotioncleaverman ( 628352 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:39AM (#8579101)

    ...my comment on the other thread. It seems there really are people out there who value their inbox being filled with mindless junk.

    In a survey by MailShell, a San Francisco antispam company, 8% of respondents said they have bought products via spam. Spammers say that percentage is probably low because many people are too embarrassed to admit responding to spam.

    Well, there you go. Far higher than I'd ever have imagined...and the spammers admit that replying to spam is embarrassing. Guess they realise a bad thing when they see it.

    Although

    Mr. Soto recently spent more than $100 on vitamins

    you do have to question the man's ability to appreciate the value of a dollar. 100 bucks on vitamins? I'll go down the high street and get three bottles for 10, thank you very much.

    • Details? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by ParadoxicalPostulate ( 729766 )

      Right, but what was their n value? Where did they conduct the survey? Did they include a variable mix of people? Were their surveys limited to a particular geographic region or cultural group?

      I can't seem to find the survey on MailShell [mailshell.com]...anybody having better luck? I did a domain search through Google [slashdot.org] but no luck.

      Not challenging the accuracy of the survey outright, but it would certainly help to have a link.

    • Re:I take back... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by The_K4 ( 627653 )
      Then again how was that survey sent out, by spam? If so they are already talking to a smaller set of people (the first 80% threw it out, so that number could really be 8% of 20% or 1.6%.

  • Mortgage rates (Score:4, Funny)

    by st0rmshadow ( 643869 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:40AM (#8579111)
    He must have the lowest mortgage rate ever.

  • Sheeeeesh! (Score:5, Funny)

    by trp642 ( 551059 ) * on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:40AM (#8579115) Homepage
    How much can one actually love spam? Its not like there is a huge selection of products. Mr. Soto can now claim the following:
    • He has the world's largest penis, that is never flacid.
    • He makes $10k working at home in his spare time.
    • He's seen Paris Hilton nekkid more than anyone.
    • His wife's breasts are larger.
    • He has the lowest mortgage rate in the world.

    Did I miss anything? I mean damn, how many different ways can you spell V!@G.RA???!
    • Well this is somewhat related to the second, but I bet his Nigerian friend helped him bring in a few extra thousand a month.

    • Re:Sheeeeesh! (Score:4, Funny)

      by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:49AM (#8579233) Homepage Journal

      His wife's breasts are larger.

      I could have saved him some money. She should have just rubbed her breasts with toilet paper, it worked on my ex-wife's ass.

    • Re:Sheeeeesh! (Score:5, Funny)

      by gosand ( 234100 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:07PM (#8579478)
      I think you mean...

      He has the woOrld's la.rG_est Pae.n.is, that is nev@r fflAccid.

      He makes $10k woarKING @t homme in his sp.a.re ti_me.

      He's seen P.a r is Hi+ltoon nek&kid more than anyone.

      His wife's br*ea=sts are la%rg"er.

      He has the lowest M.0rt6a6e Re.ate in the w0r1D.

    • Re:Sheeeeesh! (Score:5, Interesting)

      by lordholm ( 649770 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:53PM (#8580078) Homepage
      Funny thing about spam-filters. I know a doctor and she complained about how all the e-mail about Viagra (sent from colleagues) got lost, she did however get lot's of spam containing the spelling V!@G.RA (or there about).

      She and her colleagues now use codewords to describe the drug in e-mail.

  • it's a sad day (Score:3, Funny)

    by Triumph The Insult C ( 586706 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:42AM (#8579136) Homepage Journal
    i'm a christian, and the only feeling i have towards him is not compassion, but wanting to beat some ever-living sense into him. sorry jc

  • buy pr0n sites? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by WaterTroll ( 761727 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:43AM (#8579147)
    Nothing about his activites seemed very interesting until I read this part:

    He says he purchased two pornography Web sites, again via spam, and ran them for a while, but then he decided they weren't worth the trouble and disabled them.

    Spam that advertises buying and managing for porn sites? What?!

  • Spam and legitimate business do not mix (Score:5, Interesting)

    by PingKing ( 758573 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:44AM (#8579171)
    The problem I would have with buying *anything* from a spam email is the fact that the company has resorted to spam to pitch their wares. To me, it always smells of desperation and contempt for the customer.

    In the current anti-spam climate, a company cannot use spam to market themselves and be seen as a professionally-run organisation.

  • Hypocrisy? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PincheGab ( 640283 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:46AM (#8579189)
    So in the name of freedom, we should suppress freedom?

    If the guy wants to buy from spammers, let him. We have to fight spam from another angle, not by supressing people's rights to do stupid things.

    • If the guy wants to buy from spammers, let him. We have to fight spam from another angle, not by supressing people's rights to do stupid things.

      Yes, why should we judge people who financially support those who commit FRAUD? After all, we can all to say whatever we want, even if it's not true right?
      WRONG

      • Re:Hypocrisy? (Score:3, Insightful)

        by PincheGab ( 640283 )
        Yes, why should we judge people who financially support those who commit FRAUD?

        You pursue fraud from a criminal fraud point of view (ie, investigate the defrauder and prosecute), not by preventing the poor idiot from buying into the fraudulent idea.

        • Re:Hypocrisy? (Score:3, Insightful)

          by kkirk007 ( 304967 )
          He's supporting something that has recently been made illegal. (CAN-SPAM)

          Now he's not aiding and abetting, but he is encouraging and promoting. Should we stop someone from encouraging illegal activity?

          If an eight year old comes up to you, cigarette in mouth, and asks for a light, is it okay to lend him your lighter?

          I think both ideas...children smoking, and idiots spamming, are equally reprehensible and should be discouraged.

    • Re:Hypocrisy? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by betelgeuse-4 ( 745816 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:27PM (#8579734) Homepage Journal

      "...not by supressing people's rights to do stupid things."

      So we shouldn't suppress peoples "right" to do something stupid, like... say, drink 8 pints of beer then drive a 4 tonne truck whilst reading a newspaper and combing their hair.

      People buying stuff from spam has consequences for the rest of us. The most obvious being that we also recieve increasing amounts of spam. There may also be a link between spam and criminal gangs (however, I can't provide hard evidence for this).

  • Sounds fishy (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dhclab49 ( 567553 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:46AM (#8579196)
    How does a guy earning $40k per year have a 2 bedroom apartment in Midtown Manhattan?

    • Re:Sounds fishy (Score:5, Funny)

      by vorwerk ( 543034 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:02PM (#8579386)
      How does a guy earning $40k per year have a 2 bedroom apartment in Midtown Manhattan?

      He replied to one of the "Earn $10k a week, at home, in your spare time" spams :)

    • Re:Sounds fishy (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      >>How does a guy earning $40k per year have a 2 bedroom apartment in Midtown Manhattan?

      Easy. His wife makes $160k being one of those Meet Horny and Bored Wives in Your Area.
    • Section 8! He's one of the "Lucky Duckies" the Wall Street Journal loves to talk about. [austinchronicle.com]

      (I agree with the WSJ on this, but I couldn't link to a WSJ page because it's a paid subscription. You'll have to read about it in another newspaper. According to the Journal, "Lucky Duckies" are the non- or low-taxpaying class. Some guy who's the head of household making $40K a year doesn't pay much taxes.)

  • Real vs "Scam" Spam? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by FreemanPatrickHenry ( 317847 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:48AM (#8579213)
    I'd be interested to see how often he pays for something he never receives...

  • demographic? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Matey-O ( 518004 ) * <michaeljohnmiller@mSPAMsSPAMnSPAM.com> on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:48AM (#8579217) Homepage Journal
    _45_ year old, _smoking_, _grandfathers_ with more discretionary income than sence.

    Will make MILLIONS, boys! MILLIONS!

  • he's my role model (Score:3, Funny)

    by GillBates0 ( 664202 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:51AM (#8579255) Homepage Journal
    i strive to follow in the footsteps of Orlando Soto. he's my role model. i can only hope that someday i will be as wise and giving as Him. he understands people and gives his most to benefit mankind.

    i'm growing a pony tail now, and trying to imitate his ways. and i would urge everybody else to do the same. maybe some day we will all be as great as He is.

    thank you.

  • After reading the article all I can say is (Score:3, Informative)

    by amichalo ( 132545 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:54AM (#8579284)
    FREAK!!!

  • Orlando Soto is a spammer (Score:5, Informative)

    by dazed-n-confused ( 140724 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:57AM (#8579320)
    See this post [google.com] on news.admin.net-abuse.email: Orlando Soto sells spamming tools to desperate webmasters. Funny he didn't mention that to the journalist...

    • Re:Orlando Soto is a spammer (Score:5, Informative)

      by ghamerly ( 309371 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:18PM (#8579613)
      Actually, he did mention that he has sent spam, in the article. But he says he doesn't do it anymore due to increasing penalties for sending spam.

    • Re:Orlando Soto is a spammer (Score:5, Informative)

      by mrex ( 25183 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:34PM (#8579831)
      See this post on news.admin.net-abuse.email: Orlando Soto sells spamming tools to desperate webmasters. Funny he didn't mention that to the journalist...

      And double funny that the journalist didn't, you know, do some research and figure this out for himself.

      Basically, the WSJ has through incompetence (at best) given a spamming scammer some free PR, which said spammer naturally used to tell a ceaseless stream of lies in the hopes of spawning more gullible people to relieve of their money. When was the last time you got spammed to buy a pinball machine, anyway?

      Let's take a look at just what Mr. Soto's real connection to spam [dduo.com] is:

      In my 20+ years involved with programming and software development, I have never seen a quality collection of software like this made available for sale for such a low price!

      And lemme guess, before you became "involved with programming and software development" you were what, a used car salesman?

      * Instant Unzip - This small, easy to use program walks you step-by-step through the process of Unzipping a ZIP file you have received. A must have utility!

      Wow. Unzip. Truly a must have utility, which is I'm sure why MS built one into their OS.

      * HTML Compressor - Compress the size of your HTML files (web pages) so they take up less space, bandwidth and also so they can't be viewed as easily by others.

      Hard to tell from the description what this is, but could it be the matching ZIP routine to that fancy-schmancy "unzip" thing they're selling you?

      * IP Blocker - Protect yourself against a new type of annoying pop up spam message called IP Ads that can be sent directly to your computer anytime while you are online.

      Darn those "IP Ads"!!! Darn them all to heck!!!

      * HTML Encryptor - Encrypts your web page so it is unreadable by human eyes trying to view the source code. Has various features to protect page elements from theft.

      Awesome. I really must find out how he's managed to develop an encryption algorythm which is already understood by every browser including Netscape 1.1N but which is completely uncrackable by human beings!

      [snip pages of equivalent crap that can be yours for the low low price of $24.95]

      I'd be amused if I weren't so sure at least one person had bought this crap.

  • Flea Markets, Rummage Sales, 4H (Score:5, Insightful)

    by VoidEngineer ( 633446 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:57AM (#8579324)
    Mr. Soto used to haunt rummage sales, thrift shops and flea markets, but he hurt his back in the mid-1990s, so he turned to the Internet.

    That sentence, quoted from the article, describes his entire interest in spam. There are 10 types of people who shop... those who go to flea markets, and those who don't.

    Flea markets, rummage sales, garage sales, yard sales, thrift stores, salvation army stores, craft festivals, 4H fairs, county fairs, state fairs ... These kinds of activities are like crack cocain to certain types of buyers. My aunt used to make crafts that she would sell at the 4H fairs and craft festivals, and she would take me an my cousins to flea markets and rummage sales.

    For those of you who aren't connected, it's a way of life for some people.

    And this guy, because he hurt his back, is merely doing the online version....

  • Rats (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rick Zeman ( 15628 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:00PM (#8579365)
    Unfortunately, since it said he's a grandfather, that means he's already reproduced and passed on his stupidity genes. :-(

  • An interesting proposal about why you'd want SPAM (Score:3, Interesting)

    by adzoox ( 615327 ) * on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:07PM (#8579469) Journal
    It's almost a given that one day soon SPAM will be pretty much eliminated, or at the least, significantly diminished.

    Now, go back in time to: Life Magazines and to older comic books - could there be one day in the future that sellers on eBay pay collector dollar for old Spamvertisements - just like they do for Wrigley's Gum ads, Coke ads, Life magazines, comic book ads?

    I saw in someone's journal that they were collecting SPAM just for posterity sake - to get some good laughs when they were 75. Another was collecting them as a reference database for creating filters.

  • Why are highly rated comments always sarcastic? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by pileated ( 53605 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:10PM (#8579507)
    This was on the front page of WSJ yesterday so I assume they did some fact checking on it. It wasn't buried in the back of the paper.

    That said, my first reaction, is one I always have: why when an interesting topic comes up: why do I find only sarcastic/hopefully humorous comments get through my level 4 filter? Still waiting for an answer on that.

    I read the article in paper and my reaction was that they did everyone a service by writing about such people. I have no idea why anyone would buy this stuff but the fact of the matter is that spammers wouldn't spam if they didn't make money from it. MS will only change the type of software they make when they don't make money from it. It's a simple, though perhaps unlikeable fact. For every piece of junk that clutters your tv screen, your mailbox or whatever there is a reason for it other than just to bother you (and me!). It's there because someone is making money from it and because someone, like the guy in article, actually buys it.

    I don't think educating such buyers is a reasonable option. Sort of like educating the user of one OS to choose to go to another one. This afternoon I'm going to educate my .NET co-workers to move to Java. I don't think so.

    But the only way to solve a problem is to understand it. The more we understand people like this guy the more likely it is that someone can find a way to direct spam/bad commercials to them and not the rest of us. Maybe a Do Call Me list.

  • SPAM vs Ads (Score:3, Insightful)

    by More Trouble ( 211162 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:10PM (#8579511)
    I hear all about connections between SPAM and organized crime [vnunet.com]. However, I don't see how SPAM is much different from other forms of information pollution, e.g., ads. For cleaning up email, there's Bayesian filtering. For the web, there's pop-up blockers. For TV, there's Tivo. And in each case the info-polluters have their counter measures.

    :w

  • Quote from Article (Score:3, Interesting)

    by betelgeuse-4 ( 745816 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:10PM (#8579514) Homepage Journal

    "Mr. Soto says he also has bought some adult DVDs and videos via spam, but never got around to marketing them.

    Yeah right! I wonder if his wife believes him.

  • What I don't understand... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by gfxguy ( 98788 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:11PM (#8579530)
    If so much spam actually finds buyers, why don't any of these people honor opt-outs?

    And if there's really people like Mr. Soto, what's the problem with actually having opt-in?

  • E-mail marketing (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Vexware ( 720793 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:19PM (#8579629) Homepage

    I personally beleive that this is somewhat clear proof that marketing by e-mail can work, but only if it is taken in hand by honest companies who do not deal through an nigh-on anonymous mass-mailing scheme. Take a look at the statistics, and you will notice 8% of the respondents to a survey conducted asking whether or not they had bought anything through spam replied affirmatively, though spammers say that this number is higher due to the fact that most people having bought products through spam can not bear the embarassment of admitting it. Now if you reflect on those numbers, and consider that a lot of people delete spam as soon as they see some in their inbox, or use some kind of spam filter, you could perhaps come to a conclusion which may not be so far off the truth.

    Let's suppose the companies which now sell their products through mass-mailing could come to some sort of agreement with e-mail services. This agreement would involve allowing the user to choose whether or not they would like to receive some offers from the company that has come to the agreement with the service. The e-mail service could choose to impose limits to the company, such as the number of e-mails sent and the products offered in the e-mails. As this feature would be an opt-in option, the user would be responsible for what comes through their inboxes. I think this kind of feature would actually benefit every party involved, as the e-mail service could really control what would be coming through to their users' inboxes, the users would know what to expect in their inboxes, and the companies could actually make more profit from this system. What I mean by this is, as most e-mail users would be expecting to receive their offers by e-mail, they would be the people who would be actually expected to buy what comes through. There would be more sales than there would be complaints and deletion. Last of all, this would of course benefit the people who would like to receive some honest, discounted offers by e-mail. The whole system would be completely legal.

    In my opinion, this is how marketing by e-mail could actually be something that works, and that, at the end of the day, leaves both the sales companies, the e-mail services and the e-mail users satisfied.

  • I can't believe this guy. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by pair-a-noyd ( 594371 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @12:40PM (#8579893)
    I did RTFA and I'm here to tell you this guy needs professional help. What a nutcase.
    People that engage in this type of behavior on a regular basis have some sort of OCD problem.

    I know a few people like this guy, they troll garage sales and flea markets and their houses are full to bursting with *shit*...

    They have this vision that they are going to resell the crap at garage sales and flea markets and make a living. Truth is, they lose BIG every time they set up at a flea market. They spend ~$200 to set up a booth for the weekend and if they are really lucky they sell about $15 worth of the crap they collect.

    At garage sales it just costs them the time to do it but they usually only bring in less than $50 for the trouble.

    These people are chasing the brass ring but they never catch it. What a waste of time, effort and money..

  • Common Denominators (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Obfuscant ( 592200 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @01:13PM (#8580295)
    We live in a society of lowest common denomenators.

    We complain about the quality of our television programs ("I'm a TV Star, Get Me Out Of Here!", "Joe Millionaire", etc.), but they stay on the air because Joe Denomenator watches them. He doesn't watch "Babylon 5" or anything that makes him think. (A producer of Andromeda is reported to have left the show because the network wanted less story line and more action. It was "too hard" for Joe Denomenator to follow multi-show stories. Andromeda has been a mashed-potato show ever since.)

    Other mass media has followed. In the checkout line we get tabloids shouting "Lose ten pounds in a week without getting off your sorry ass", and "Have better sex with whomever it is you are banging this week". The venerable TV Guide has become TV Gossip instead of a programming guide.

    Big box stores filled with cheap imports smother smaller, local stores until they go out of business, leaving nothing but cheap imports available. Joe Denomenator doesn't want to pay $20 for a radio that will last for years, he wants to pay $10 for one that he'll have to replace in a month, because it is too much effort to keep track of the one he has for more than a month anyway.

    Why would anyone think that the Internet would be different, after using it became a "right" for Joe Denomenator?

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