Most computer users, especially corporate users, are aware of spam and
regard it as a pointless waste of time and/or a pain in the arse. But it
must be effective otherwise economic evolution would drive spammers to
extinction.
According to Forrester Research, North American online consumers are 47
percent less likely to read e-mail promotions today than they were in 2000,
and 55 percent of those consumers say they delete most e-mail advertisements
without reading them--up from 31 percent in 2000. [1]
Some people would like to see legislated action to reduce spam. Karen
Talavera, vice-president of MarketsOnDemand says "Clearly, some kind of
control is needed: Spammers are hurting legitimate businesses." [2] But this
naturally brings up the concept of free use of the internet. Who decides
what is a legitimate business venture which can use direct marketing via
email?
The war on spam may be won or lost, but new technology takes "push services"
to a new level. Its all very well not wanting to get emails offering you
trial access to "tina and her pretty pussy pals" or "credit card guaranteed
acceptance even for ex worldcom directors" but clever marketeers know that
push services are effective.
Mobile 3G devices such as BLuetooth will make it easier to sell us
stuff...walk past a shop and you are likely to find that you are being
offered "services" to your mobile phone....spam or legitimate marketing? Is
there a fine line in many peoples minds as to the difference?
One thing is for sure though...spamming via the email is tons cheaper than a
targeted direct marketing campaign, and will be until the number of
potential clients who WOULD have bought a product/service had they not
received loads of spam about it exceeds the number who are taken in by the
advert.
spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spam lovely spam.....
[1]
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2867339,00.html
[2] http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/may2001/sb20010529_737.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-virus@lucifer.com [mailto:owner-virus@lucifer.com]On Behalf
Of rhinoceros
Sent: 17 July 2002 14:08
To: virus@lucifer.com
Subject: virus: Spam patterns
Dave Barry: Spam beats cafeteria food
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/3667466.htm
<snip>
What happened was, I was going through my work e-mail, by which I mean I was
deleting it. As you Internet users know, most e-mail comes from
''spammers,'' who are the mutant spawn of a bizarre reproductive act
involving a telemarketer, Larry Flynt, a tapeworm, and an executive of the
Third Class mail industry. Every day I get dozens, sometimes hundreds, of
e-mails from these people, almost always trying to sell me one of four
things: (1) pornography; (2) Viagra; (3) a product for the man who is not
satisfied with his natural self and would like to increase, by as much as
three inches, the size of his endowment; or (4) a low-interest mortgage.
Why are there so many e-mail ads for these products? Does anybody buy them?
Is there a town somewhere, called Spamville, where the men consume Viagra
and pornography in bulk quantities, then lurch around in a lust-crazed
frenzy, their huge artificially enhanced endowments knocking holes in their
walls, so eventually their houses fall down, forcing them to purchase new
ones, using low-interest mortgages?
---- This message was posted by rhinoceros to the Virus 2002 board on Church of Virus BBS. <http://virus.lucifer.com/bbs/index.php?board=51;action=display;threadid=257 12>
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