RE: [cobalt-users] Save up to $500 on your next Dialtone Internet bill!

[Elmer Fuddpucker <elmer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, 26 May 2001, Dan Kriwitsky wrote:

} Yes, it's called a sig file. (Usenet newbie 101).

Dan,

	This ain't Usenet, Dan.

} I never actually considered the search engine issue relating to this list.
} It's my default sig in Outlook and I'm too lazy to worry about changing it
} just for this list.

	Not knowing may be an excuse that your Mother will buy but
your not knowing does not in any way mitigate the benefits you enjoy
as a result of your posts.

} Not in the example we were discussing which involves sending unsolicited
} email to friends, family and strangers for the sole purpose of promoting a
} site for affiliate commissions.

	Well Dan that's pretty much exactly what you are doing in
Yahoo's behalf as a result of using their free email system. As I'm
sure you know, they tack a signature file onto each and every
message you send. That signature file is intended to generate new
users who will then be exposed to the advertising which finances the
cost of running the system. The more users exposed to the
advertising the more that advertising is worth. Thus, regardless of
how you wiggle, you are promoting your site and you are indeed
engaged in viral marketing for Yahoo who does indeed generate
income in the very manner you detailed above.

	That you are not aware of the ramifications of what you are
doing does not mitigate the effects of what you are doing.

} list. If I wanted to promote something to this list I'd probably post a
} direct link to a specific section of my site of more general interest
} instead of the main page.

	Dan by posting you are promoting whatever it is that you do,
and that holds true even if the reason you post to this list is
simply because your life is so void that you have nothing better to
do with your time. I mean you no insult - not by any stretch of the
imagination but regardless of how you justify your actions promoting
yourself, your site, your business, your name or your expertise is
exactly what you are doing with each and every post you make to this
list. Those posts are achieved on the web, they may very well be
archived to Usenet, many of them are archived to sites owned by
members of this list - the point is they propagate like a "virus"
and that translates into viral marketing regardless of how you argue
the semantics.

} Attempting to compare a sig file to a post for which the sole
} purpose is to promote a site

	That's viral marketing Dan.

} An honest buck isn't made by stealing resources with spam. I don't know of
} an ISP that doesn't prohibit it in their TOS so violating a contract isn't
} the way to make an honest buck.

	This discussion is not about spam. Worse yet, perhaps, as
far as I know none of the participants involved even remotely
tolorate spam. What we're talking about here is viral marketing.
That which you admitted to doing in the paragraph above. But, as
with any profession, there are professionals who do what they do in
an honorable manner and there are those who embarrass the
professionals.

	My brother, for example, sells drugs for a living. He
happens to work for Ely Lilly and the drugs he sells are sold to
doctors and hospitals where there are carefully stored and
distributed with the utmost care and in a legal manner. He proudly
admits to being a successful drug dealer and, you'll have to trust
me on this, but he does indeed live the good life because of his
success at selling drugs. He's an executive which means that he
controls a huge consortium of people who sell drugs in his behalf.
He also lists his professional as "Drug Dealer" on both his Federal
and State income tax forms.

	Aaron is indeed a drug dealer. No doubt about it. But even
you ought to be able to see the difference between what my brother
does and what the drug dealers one finds on many inner city streets
do.

	brent

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