Do I need that?

Surfing through a couple of the blogs on Masslive.com there's a discussion going on about "Spam"... those unwanted - unsolicited emails that magically appear in peoples email in-box (that's just in case you've been living in a cave for the last few years!)... being the owner of a computer/web design business I can't tell you how many times I've been asked to become a Spammer... I've even received "anonymous" phone calls from people asking if I would be willing to do an email ad and distribute it to a listing they have... ummm... NO... thank you... Some are a little more discreet and just request a 'little extra code' on their websites.... you know.. stuff that will leave a little code on the viewers computer and track their movements... again.. NO THANK YOU...

With all the attention being focused on spam these days (and yes, I agree, it has gotten WAY out of hand), what people don't seem to realize is we have been the victims of spam all our lives - not just since the internet... Billboards... store signs... advertisement in the newspapers... television commercials... junk mail... and if you go WAY back... Kelloggs even did a campaign to paint the side of peoples barns with their cereal boxes - the farmer got a paint job and Kelloggs got an ad... That unwanted message in your inbox is really no different... You sit down and watch a movie on television... every 15 minutes up pop commercials for Viagra, home loans through companys like eloan.com, even the phone chat line 'where singles meet'.... Did I ask to see these ads? No... Do I need any of this stuff? No... They fall under the topic of "unsolicited - unwanted ads" - HEY.. that's the definition of SPAM!

Frankly... if you think about it... email spam is less intrusive than the average television commercial... the TV commercial goes on for approx. 30 - 60 seconds and unless your watching it on TiVo, your stuck for the full 30 seconds, your only option is to leave the room or change the channel... So you change the channel... and lo and behold.. MORE commercials... how convenient that almost all the tv channels go to commercial at exactly the same time... with email... in that same 30 seconds I can ctrl-click all the nasty messages that have appeared in my inbox and with one fell swoop hit the delete key... no more spam... for now anyway... no sitting there through 5-7 minutes of commercials waiting to get back to the task at hand (watching my movie)I'm back to work in less than 30 seconds..

So does this all mean I'm pro Spam? Hell NO... (I've turned down some very big fast cash to become one!) I just take a different view of it.. yeah... go after those spammers... shut them ALL down... I'll be thrilled.. but you know.. it's not anything new people... it's only the delivery system that's new.. if email had been available in the Dark Ages, gaurenteed, the corner blacksmith would be sending you messages to "Get your sword sharpened here! Don't leave for your next crusade without it!"...

So my point... Andrew.. if you want the Gevalia coffee... buy it.. your not doing anything that anyone else that watches tv - sees a commercial - and makes a purchase because of it does.. (then request that they take you off their Spam list...)

Later...