RE: Spammers and web hosting

At 01:14 PM 1/5/00 -0500, jacquelin.hooker(at)ss.ps.ge.com wrote:

>Spam is simply the internet/email version of commercials, magazine ads,
>direct mail.  Yes, they tend to be annoying and waste our time, but without
>them we wouldn't find new products and solutions to solve existing problems.
>Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I actively spam people - I don't -
>however I thought it best to post another side to the situation.

Jacqui, I'm glad to hear that you don't spam.  However, as others have said 
(and will say again, I'm sure), comparing spam to direct mail is a false 
analogy because the cost of direct mail (design, production, and postage) 
is born by the marketer, whereas the cost of spam is spread to the 
customers and any innocent servers that are relaying it across the net.  My 
favorite argument against spam is by comparing it to a telemarketing 
call:  If you received a telemarketing call collect, would you accept the 
charges?  No, you wouldn't--and that's why telemarketers, like direct 
mailers, pay for it themselves.

However, the real issue here is not about whether spam is 
evil/bad/etc.--we've had that discussion here before and there are those 
who will not be swayed from their positions.  My primary concern with this 
is that an individual (who did not sign his/her name but hid behind "The 
[webhost] Team") who was representing a company did not care to treat a 
possible potential customer with even minimal courtesy.  This is, I 
believe, a Bad Thing for employees and business owners to do.  Unless 
you're Bill Gates, you will *always* have competition with bigger financial 
resources.  Unless you're extremely fortunate, you will *always* have 
competition with more advanced/educated/talented employees.  If you can't 
afford to spend a lot of money on advertising, and if you can't afford to 
hire the best talent in town, you are exercising poor business judgement if 
you do not try to excel in the areas of service and business relations.  Do 
you give your customers and potential customers accurate information?  Do 
you deliver the information in an efficient manner, preferably given in a 
form they can understand?  Do you do this in a courteous fashion?  Do you 
remember that positive word-of-mouth is a great way to get even more customers?

I know that the yutz who answered my e-mail was probably a low-level 
drone.  Guess what?  That's no excuse.  Ask any receptionist if he/she is 
allowed to snub the public.  I know that we're just finishing the holiday 
season, including the start of Y2K.  Guess what?  That's no excuse, 
either.  If you don't have the energy to be friendly, then be polite, or at 
least formal.

I would've been perfectly happy with a form letter that said, "We received 
your report, and wish to inform you that the spammer's account has already 
been closed."  End of message.  No "Thank you for your report" is 
required.  Don't tell me I'm spamming you by reporting a misuse of your 
services.  Don't tell me you have better things to do with your time than 
deal with reports of spam.  (If you're that busy, develop a form letter you 
can cut-n-paste or an automated response.)

And don't be surprised if your lack of good manners loses you customers.

Rachel Hartman
--------------------------------------------
Rachel R. Hartman, Co-Owner
Hartman WebWrights - http://www.hww.com (512) 989-7844
Affordable, hand-crafted web pages for your company's needs

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