RSS
Twitter
Getting List Spam To Go With Your Friend Spam
from the just-'cause-you-know-me,-doesn't-mean-you-can-spam-me dept
This has been happening way too often lately. While "friend spam" is all too common, where a friend starts spamming you with annoying forwards, now people are complaining about "list spam" where people you meet put you on various mailing lists without your permission. Why is it that people simply assume you want to be on some sort of mailing list? Point them to the sign up and let them make the decision.
Reader Comments
(Flattened / Threaded)
double opt-in
Responsible mailing lists use double opt-in, where they send email to the person being signed up, who has to confirm the request before it becomes effective.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: double opt-in
We have to be afraid though from lists that are not reasonable - once you give your email there and you find yourself in an awful lot of spammers' lists. And if you have friends who are doing you the favour and putting your email in such a list...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: double opt-in
I wouldn't think this would be a huge problem. Can't you just block a mailing list as soon as it comes in, the one time, and never have to see it again?
I have two email addresses (well, several actually). One I give out publicly to anyone and everyone. If you follow the link to my blog you'll find that address. It gets TONS of spam. But most of it gets filtered by Gmail and I never read it.
And I have another email address that only gets given to people I actually know, face-to-face, and even then, I have to know them well and trust them. That address rarely gets any spam, and it doesn't even have any automatic filtering set up.
Don't give your address to people you can't trust, that's the bottom line. And don't just ASSUME they won't give it to someone else. If it's an address you value, be sure and specfically TELL them "please don't give this address to anyone else, its only for people I give it out to personally". If you start getting spam after you give it out to someone, well then, hey, at least you learned you can't trust that person anymore.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Add Your Comment