Spam and Other Ghost Stories

I used to get very irate with spam emails I would receive.

I would go on a quest to find the perpetrator and bring them to justice by complaining. I would search the header of the mail for all the routing information I could find.

Then I would go over to Internic to trace down where it came from. I would write a letter to the various ISPs and ask them to deal with the situation.

I would smile as I sent out the mails, feeling that I was doing my part for "web justice".

Until one day I timed these actions and learned the ugly truth.

I was doing nothing but hurting myself.

What I was really doing was wasting 10 to 15 minutes of my valuable time chasing ghosts every single time I did this.

Time I wasn't spending promoting my projects and dealing with my clients. Wasted time. Time I can never get back.

Time I now save by hitting "delete" and reading the next email.

The Only Cure for Spam

There is only ONE way that spam will ever stop folks.

Angry complaints to ISPs will not stop it, bitching and moaning in newsgroups won't stop it, the government won't stop it, and God won't stop it. That leaves you. You'll have to stop it..

How? Simple. By not buying what is offered.

We live in a world of economic reality. If spam pays and you buy - it will continue forever. If you stop buying - it will stop. Pretty simple stuff, this economics.

Before you flame me for the attitude I have towards spam please let me give you my personal opinion. Spam does not work. It is a stupid way to do business. It is a waste of your time as a marketer.

Those who make the most money with spam are those who promote spam services or software. You know, the ones who say "think of it, if you only got a .01% response to 1,000,000 emails that would be 1000 customers".

Yeah, and 999,000 other people who hate you for sending them spam.

Nuff said.

Ed Osworth

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