[cobalt-users] Re: We apologize for that.

[Kris Dahl <krislists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

on 5/6/00 10:50 AM, Alex Bajan at alex@xxxxxxxx wrote:

> We apologize for that.

I think it would be a good idea if you made an apology on the list.  Your

> It was not a Spam.

Well, it was a unsolicited commercial email, which is the definition of
SPAM.

What I am concerned with is that you obviously where unfamiliar with the
netiquette and customs involved with mailing lists (because I just realized
you were the guy with the 1k sig file that posted asking to be subscribed).
Yet you took it upon yourself to abuse it without even participating first.

Few of us would have been that upset if you had of done any of these things:

1) Who are you?  We'd never heard of you before, and you had just joined the
list (without following the proper instructions and doing it properly, I
might add).  Had you been an active and positive member of the list
providing a resource to other users, it may have been a different story.  As
a welcome member of the community, you would have gotten ample opportunity
to plug your business in a more subtle way.

2) Off-thread.  You weren't replying to a thread.  Meaning if someone had
asked 'I need to buy some Cobalt gear, where would I find a good reseller'?
Your post would have been on-topic.  And even then, it should have been sent
only to the person requesting the information.

3) Size.  > 300K post?  Its bad enough when ASCII SPAM gets posted to the
list.  Its absolutely a ridiculous to have a half a meg (an Excel
spreadsheet with images no less--this is a Linux mailing list) file sent to
everyone on the list!  I estimate that there are at least 500 people on this
list. You created at least 250 megs of traffic on other peoples
architectures to promote your business.  If I were Cobalt, I'd take it as a
DOS attack and ban your whole subnet at the firewall.  Many people on this
list have already added your entire domain to their ignore list.

> I will never happened again.

You're right.  Because after this is all settled, I am going to be denying
your subnet on the firewalls.  You've already been blacklisted pretty much
by most people on the list.

I hope your UCE/SPAM was very sucessful--at burning bridges and alienating
your target market.  Well done.

-k